SEQUIM — A 314-home development at the southeastern edge of the city has gained City Council approval despite strong opposition from a state agency and the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe.

In fact, even two council members — including Mayor Walt Schubert — felt the project was approved too rapidly.

Developers seeking approval of The Highlands at Sequim, a residential and commercial complex planned for a 135-acre site near the U.S. Highway 101-Simdars Road interchange, say they intend to design a village-themed complex that will be aesthetically pleasing, responsibly engineered and consistent with Sequim’s designated land-use policies.

But the project as planned lies within an area used heavily by the Roosevelt elk herd, one of Sequim’s noted natural resources.

Roaming elk herds

Elk herds have over the years descended from the hills south of Sequim and used the eastern part of the city as a path to other foliage-rich destinations, biologists have said.

“We all need to face the reality that when the houses are built in this development, the elk will use that area for migration,” said Shelly Ament, a wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.