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Port commissioners surplus property that could be future mill site 8/24/04 Port Angeles, WA - Port of Port Angeles commissioners approve a controversial decision to surplus land adjacent to the Fairchild Airport for a new mill. But Port officials say that’s only the first step in a long process of consideration for the mill project. A new venture calling itself Port Angeles Hardwood LLC, an offshoot of a Mount Vernon based company, would like to open a new mill to process alder logs on the 113 acre site lying southwest of the airport near Edgewood Drive. During a packed public hearing on Monday morning, local business leaders urged the Port to proceed with the project, saying it would benefit the local economy. But residents of the Dry Creek area raised concerns about how the mill will effect area properties with noise and other environmental impacts. Port commissioners decided to proceed with the surplus declaration. But Port officials say that’s just the first step in a long process to consider the mill proposal. The resolution approved by commissioners Monday authorizes staff to begin negotiations with Washington Alder. If those negotiations are successful, then the Port commissioners would be asked to authorize the sale Then, the company would have to seek permits and other approval from the City of Port Angeles. Although residents are objecting to the possible industrial use of the land… that possibility is nothing new. The site has been zoned for heavy industrial use for nearly twenty years. It was annexed into the city for future industrial use in 1982 and was rezoned by the city in 1985.
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