PORT ANGELES — Fueled by six major projects, city building permit values increased nearly fourfold in 2015, according to the Port Angeles economic and development director.

Nathan West said Tuesday that permits increased from $15.6 million in 2014 to $60 million in 2015.

In his upbeat presentation at the Port Angeles Business Association’s breakfast meeting, West cited that noted projects were approved in 2015 for expansions to Peninsula College ($17.5 million) and Olympic Medical Center ($14.8 million).

Permits OK’d

Permits also were approved for the city’s combined sewer overflow pump station ($6 million), the Composite Recycling Technology Center on Port of Port Angeles property ($4.3 million), a renovated McDonald’s restaurant ($1.25 million) and a new Olympic Veterinary Clinic ($500,000).

“We do anticipate similar growth in 2016,” West said in a later interview.

The six large projects accounted for $44.3 million of the total value of 2015 permits.

Other permits

Single-family residential building permits also increased 23 percent in 2014 to 32 permits and, in 2015, a similar total: 33 permits.

They accounted for $4.7 million of the total value of permits in 2015.

All building permits — residential, commercial, industrial and institutional — increased 13 percent.

In 2014, there were 551 building permits compared to 625 in 2015.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to recognize that growth and be aware of what’s taking place unless you take time to focus on what those changes were and what’s happening,” West told 29 breakfast attendees.

“When you see that number of single-family residences [in 2014], and we saw that again in 2015, that really is a good indication that things are doing much better in our local economy,” he said.

But he added that while those numbers are promising, many city lots are difficult to develop, given such restrictions as park zone and environmentally sensitive areas.

Cottage housing

To address the limitation, the City Council on Jan. 5 followed the recommendation of a unanimous city planning commission by approving establishment of a cottage housing development overlay zone and amendments to the city code.

The new regulations relax setback rules for maximum 750-square-foot accessory dwelling units built, for example, above garages or in place of a garage.

The cottages, or “micro” houses, would be allowed on the rear third of individual lots as accessory dwelling units or so-called mother-in-law apartments.

“This recognizes a need in our economy for affordable housing,” West told the business association.

New setbacks

The new setbacks align with ancillary building in most of the city’s residential zones, West said in an earlier memo to the City Council.

The overlay zone also allows the housing to be developed in bunches: on three consolidated city lots as a planned unit development totaling from 21,000 square feet to 3.44 acres.

West said the city also has adopted a system in which a hearing examiner decides on all quasi-judicial development applications that require public hearings such as conditional-use and subdivision permit applications.

The change streamlines and quickens the application process and allows for “a more balanced approach, more consistent decision-making,” he added.

West said Phase 2 of the waterfront improvement project, which includes a new park on the west end of Railroad Avenue, should be completed this spring after artwork is completed and three electricity-generating wind spires are installed at the new waterfront park at the west end of Railroad Avenue.

BPA power

The power will feed back into the Bonneville Power Administration’s electricity grid to compensate for 24-hour lighting.

The city is still seeking $7.2 million in funding to complete Phase 3.

West said it will include upgrades to City Pier, enlargement of Hollywood Beach, public access to the Peabody Creek estuary and a new L-shaped intersection at the eastern end Railroad Avenue and Lincoln Street, the design for which has not been determined.

There will be opportunities for additional public comment on Phase 3, he said later Tuesday

“It really is important that the design approach reflect the public’s desire for the future of that area,” he said.

West said the target for completion of the Phase 3 improvements is December 2017.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.