(1) GMA Goals. Ensure that those public facilities and services necessary to support development shall be adequate to serve the development at the time the development is available for occupancy and use without decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum standards.

Encourage development in urban areas where adequate public facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner.

Encourage the retention of open space and development of recreational opportunities, conserve fish and wildlife habitat, increase access to natural resource lands and water, and develop parks.

(2) Watershed Goals. Protect beneficial uses of water from nonpoint sources of pollution in the Port Angeles watershed, including the effects of pathogens, chemicals, sediment, and nutrients on both surface and ground water resources.

(3) Overview. A major goal of the growth management plan is to ensure that public monies are utilized efficiently. It is more cost efficient to provide many public facilities and services when the population is concentrated, as is the case in an urban area. The designation of urban growth areas enables Clallam County and other service providers to plan cost effective and efficient services.

Growth increases the demand for new and/or improved public facilities and services. New residential growth may impact school facilities by increasing the number of school age children in an area without developing a corresponding increase in school facilities. Development can increase traffic levels on County roads and transit systems. Connections to water or sewer systems diminish the available capacity for future growth.

This growth management plan identifies urban areas where public facilities and services can be provided efficiently; ensures that public facilities and services keep pace with growth so that service levels are not diminished; and plans for the location of facilities and services. The plan also identifies the type of public facilities and services which are appropriate in rural and resource lands. The low density of development allowed in these areas dictates much lower levels of public facilities and services in order to minimize public costs.

As a watershed plan, these actions must ensure that public facilities manage the cumulative effects of growth. The plan outlines how the individual and cumulative effects of stormwater quality and quantity should be controlled, with an emphasis on best management practices and proper operation and maintenance of facilities. It also describes methods to assist the public in understanding and complying with new standards of stormwater management. The watershed actions recommend expansion of facilities and services related to waste recycling, reduction, and disposal. A marina and active boating community bring economic benefits to the Port Angeles area, but they also carry increased potential for water quality degradation from waste disposal and the chemicals associated with boat fueling, cleaning, and maintenance. Boating facilities must be designed and operated to minimize the potential for adverse impacts from these activities.

(4) Definition. The Growth Management Act defines “public facilities” as streets, roads, highways, sidewalks, street and road lighting systems, traffic signals, domestic water systems, storm and sanitary sewer systems, parks and recreation facilities, and schools. “Public services” include fire protection and suppression, law enforcement, public health, education, recreation, environmental protection, and other governmental services.

(5) Schools. The Port Angeles School District has facilities within the City of Port Angeles and in the rural locations of Fairview, Dry Creek and lower Monroe Road area. Some of the immediate needs for school facilities were met in 1994 with passage of a bond to allow replacement of the aged facility at Dry Creek. Some existing school facilities are overcrowded, requiring the use of portable classroom buildings. Future growth anticipated by this plan will require new or expanded facilities which will be primarily funded by local levies (bonds) authorized by voters within the school district.

(6) Water. Major public water systems in the Port Angeles region are operated by the City of Port Angeles, Dry Creek Water Association, Black Diamond Water District and the Public Utility District Number 1 of Clallam County which operates several water systems in the Port Angeles area. The Public Utility District finances construction of these systems through local utility districts (LUDs). There are numerous smaller private water purveyors within the area.

(7) Stormwater Management. Presently, Clallam County requires a drainage plan, approved by the Department of Public Works, before a building permit can be issued. The standard method for controlling runoff as recommended by the County is through the use of drywells. Alternative methods include detention ponds, infiltration basins, retention ponds or underground storage tanks. Three (3) primary influences on current and potential stormwater sources outside the City of Port Angeles will be: conversion of forest to residential uses, cumulative effects of development, and lack of clearing and grading ordinance.

The City of Port Angeles is developing a comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan which will present a comprehensive strategy to identify and protect local water resources (streams, wetlands, and shorelines), by controlling local sources of pollution, effective maintenance and operation of existing facilities, definition of appropriate standards for new development and the designing and construction of needed flood control improvements.

(8) Sewer. Sanitary sewer exists within the City of Port Angeles. The Public Utility District is authorized to provide sewage disposal service throughout the PUD service area.

(9) Parks and Recreation. The Clallam County fairgrounds represent the only major County park facility located in the Port Angeles planning area. The City of Port Angeles has twenty-four (24) parks and park facilities located within the City. City parks range in size from the 147-acre Lincoln Park to several neighborhood parks under one acre in size. Major recreational or community facilities include the Arts Center, Vern Burton Community Center, the Community/Senior Center and William Shore Pool. The Port of Port Angeles owns and operates the Port Angeles Boat Haven in Port Angeles harbor The planning area also includes the Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest and State Department of Natural Resource lands which have numerous recreation sites. Private recreation opportunities in the area include Peninsula Golf Course. There is a demand for new golf courses with public access. New neighborhood scale parks will be needed to serve the growing urban population in the unincorporated portions of the Port Angeles urban growth area.

(10) Fire Protection. Fire protection in the Port Angeles planning area is provided by Clallam County Fire Protection Districts Numbers 2 and 3 in areas outside the city and by the Port Angeles Fire Department inside the city. Three (3) fire stations located at Gale’s Addition, Dry Creek and Black Diamond serve the area within District 2. Fire District 3 from Deer Park Road to Siebert Creek would be served by the R Corner fire station. The City of Port Angeles Fire Station is located downtown on 5th Street. Fire protection districts, like hospital and library districts, are junior taxing districts. Funding for these junior taxing districts comes from property taxes.

(11) Public Health. Public health facilities serving this planning area are located within Port Angeles. Public health services are available through Clallam County’s home health program. Numerous private health care facilities exist within the planning area. These facilities are needed to serve the aging population.

(12) Other Governmental Services. Clallam County provides various facilities and services from the County Courthouse and remote facilities in the Port Angeles planning area. Services provided by the County include law enforcement, roads, public works, health, social services, juvenile services, Superior Court and community development. Major facilities include the Courthouse, Juvenile Center, and County Shop. As the population grows in this area, the need for facility expansion and increased services should be closely monitored.

(13) Financing: New development often pays for the cost of extending new public facilities and services. For example, if a development is proposed on a County road that is not adequate to handle additional traffic, the County is able to require the developer to pay the costs of improving the County road (called “mitigation”). Water and sewer systems are similarly financed; if a developer proposes to extend water and sewer to a property, it is the responsibility of the developer to pay the costs for extending those services.

Another way that development pays for the cost of extending new public facilities is through development fees. For example, the City of Port Angeles requires anyone who hooks up to the sewer or water system to pay a connection fee. This fee is put into a special account for the eventual planning and upgrade of the system, such as the sewer treatment facility. This connection fee is in addition to requiring the developer to extend the actual collection or distribution lines.

This method of paying for public facility and service extension is based on three principles: (a) setting level of service standards for public facilities and services; (b) ensuring that public facilities and services necessary to support development are adequate to serve the development at the time the development is available for occupancy (called “concurrency”); and (c) requiring development to pay fees for the new facilities rather than relying solely on property taxes or grants to fund development of these public facilities.