31.05.280 Rural land use goals in the Western Straits.
(1) Goals and Policies to Retain Rural Character.
(a) Goal 1. Rural areas should provide for a balance between human uses and the natural environment while permanently retaining the features of “rural character” such as clean water, clean air, open spaces, agriculture, forestry, low residential densities, wildlife habitats, quiet, rural lifestyles, outdoor recreation, and low traffic volumes which attract people to rural environments.
(b) Goal 2. Rural character is best preserved through utilization of low density residential development with lots sizes greater than five acres. Properties in these size ranges should be retained to provide rural diversity and to encourage the continuation of rural land uses that generally require larger acreages.
(i) Areas currently designated for forest land use at one unit per 20-acre densities should be redesignated as rural very low density (one unit per 20 acres) which recognizes that the major uses of this land is for woodlots and pasture. Large lot sizes retain rural character and provide for buffers between commercial forest lands and higher density rural development patterns.
(ii) Rural areas remote from County roads or with natural limitations (i.e., erosion hazard, landslide hazard, wetlands, streams) or those rural lands that could be used to buffer commercial forest lands should be retained at one home per 20-acre rural densities to protect critical areas and foster diversity of parcel sizes in the rural areas.
(c) Goal 3. Current densities allowed in the Straits Planning Region should meet the growth needs of the region far beyond those identified for the next 20-year planning period. Rural densities should not be increased above current rural density levels during this planning time frame (1994 – 2014) in order to preserve rural character and to limit demand for public services and facilities in rural areas. The conversion of rural areas into higher density rural designations or zoning districts will be discouraged.
(i) Continued development at densities of one home per acre or less without offsetting provision of open space is not a preferred rural development pattern and should be discouraged. One-acre lot sizes will be allowed in the rural area where existing subdivisions developed at this density by July 1, 1990, pursuant to the provisions of CCC 31.02.263. Areas characterized by a variety of development patterns should utilize a rural neighborhood conservation development approach which has a low base density subject to optional innovative zoning techniques triggered by either the size of the parcel (cluster technique) or the character of the surrounding neighborhood (overlay technique). Existing, legal, nonconforming lots will be buildable (Chapter 33.52 CCC).
(ii) Development densities of 2.4 and five acres per home will be retained in the western half of the Straits planning area where only small areas are available for rural type development and where livestock keeping is common. Development densities of 2.4 and five acres per home will also be allowed in rural areas where occupied lots in these lot sizes are already existent over large areas (greater than 50 acres). Existing, legal, nonconforming lots will be buildable under any change in zoning (Chapter 33.52 CCC).
(d) Goal 4. Maximum residential densities should be set for each Comprehensive Plan designation and should be utilized in place of minimum lot size to control densities in order to create greater diversity of lot sizes in rural areas which contributes to retention of rural character.
(i) When land is subdivided, property deeds and plat maps should be recorded showing the number of development rights which have been utilized and the number which remain for each parcel created.
(ii) The presence of small lots in a rural area created utilizing a maximum density system should not be used as a justification for increased densities.
(e) Goal 5. Clallam County should seek grant funding which will allow the County to refine the floodplain maps for the Clallam Bay area as the current maps contain many errors.
(f) Goal 6. Small land owners should not be required to provide buffer zones for State, federal and private timber lands. Utilizing low residential densities or cluster development at previous densities on lands adjacent to commercial forestlands should provide sufficient buffering of commercial forest lands as required under the Growth Management Act.
(2) Goals and Policies for Controlling Urban Densities and Commercial or Industrial Uses in Rural Areas.
(a) Goal 7. Urban residential lot development should be directed into urban growth areas and away from critical areas and rural areas.
(i) Lands currently designated and zoned as Quillayute residential will be redesignated as rural suburban community. Infill development of existing lots will be encouraged and creation of new lots will be allowed within the area limits set by the Clallam Bay/Sekiu Community Council. Rural residential communities and other areas that retain their one-acre densities will not be expanded beyond these initial limits in order to ensure that urban density development occurs within and not outside of urban growth areas.
(ii) Lots of one acre or less may only be created through an approved master plan resort provided that such development is consistent with the applicable goals and policies of the Straits Regional Plan.
(iii) Redesignate landslide hazard areas in lands currently designated as Quillayute residential for very low rural residential or commercial forestry uses.
(iv) Rural lands bordering the Hoko-Ozette Road currently designated as mixed use lands should be redesignated as rural low density (one home per five acres) or rural very low density (one home per 20 acres) reflecting their current parcelization and rural character.
(b) Goal 8. The preferred location for master planned resorts should be within urban growth areas. Master planned resorts may also be appropriate in rural areas with waterfront or other significant natural amenities.
(c) Goal 9. Extension or existence of public water service in designated rural areas or resource lands shall not result in or be justification for higher densities than that anticipated by the regional land use plan. Water purveyor plans must demonstrate that new facilities are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and won’t require increased densities to finance planned facilities.
(3) Goals and Policies for Rural Commercial Activities.
(a) Goal 10. Development of existing tourist commercial lands at Cain’s South of Clallam Bay, at Silver King Resort, near Chito and Bullman Beaches and at Snow Creek should be allowed within the area limits set by the Land Use subcommittee in its tourist commercial designation, and subject to the following standards:
(i) Allowable land uses should be limited to the following types of activities:
•Tourist facilities like snack bars, gift shops, antique stores and gas stations, RV parks/campgrounds and boat repair/sales.
•Services for the local neighborhood such as churches, barbers, etc.
•Small-scale retail serving the local neighborhood such as convenience grocery, etc.
•Small-scale motel and hotels (less than 60 rooms).
(ii) Standards should be set for the development of these properties, including:
•Limiting the percentage of impervious surface to maintain an “open” atmosphere.
•Landscaping should be utilized to blend the development into rural areas.
(b) Goal 11. Some of the commercial uses currently allowed in rural residential designations should be redirected to urban growth areas and rural commercial designations. This will encourage the growth of urban areas, limit incompatible uses in rural areas and provide for additional commercial opportunities in rural commercial designations. Those commercial type uses allowed in rural residential areas should be landscaped to blend into the rural environment. The following revisions should be made to the allowed uses in rural zones:
(i) Commercial outdoor oriented recreational use in rural residential designations shall be limited to boat launching facilities, golf courses and similar uses carried on outside of buildings in order to direct intensive commercial uses such as motels, hotels, restaurants, RV parks and variety stores to locate in appropriate areas including urban growth areas, tourist commercial designations or in master planned resorts.
(ii) Professional offices, exceeding the scope of home enterprises, shall locate in urban growth areas, tourist commercial designations, neighborhood commercial designations and limited commercial designations.
(iii) Research facilities that require rural locations due to the type of research conducted may be appropriately located in rural areas but those facilities whose research does not dictate a rural location shall locate in appropriate areas including urban growth areas or in rural commercial limited designations.
(iv) Communication broadcast stations, mini-storage and boat storage shall locate in urban growth areas (all three uses), tourist commercial (boat storage) and rural limited commercial (all three uses) designations.
(c) Goal 12. Home-based industries and businesses are an essential part of the economic vitality of rural areas and should be allowed to the extent compatible with surrounding land uses.
(4) Goals to Retain Scenic Corridors along State Highways – Goal 13. In order to preserve scenic rural corridors, the preferred land uses along State highways should include low density residential interspersed with neighborhood/tourist commercial at existing locations along the roadway. New commercial development would be directed to urban growth areas and to existing commercially zoned sites located in rural areas.