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Property of CSC Library PORT ANGELES SH RELINE u.. S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA COASTAL SERVICES CENTER REH~i,,ABILITAI"'I"tuHOVSTON.S UTH HOBSON AVENUE REA ,-,,.,.I-RSTOWo SC, 29405-2413 PLAN A PRELIMINARY DESIGN REPORT FOR THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON City Council Planning Commission Dorothy Duncan, Mayor Richard Wight, Chairman Rex Gerberding Richard Anderson Sam Haguewood Dave Brewer John Hordyk Jerry Cornell Bob Pol hamus JmHlt Bob Polhamus Pat Downie Werner Quast Jim Hulett Charles Whidden Mickey Ranta City Manager Planning Department David T. Flodstrom Paul D. Carr, Director Consultant Richard Carothers Associates, P.S. Richard A. Carothers, Principal-in-Charge Henry Boyar, Project Manager Kirk Hackler, Project Designer "The preparation of this report was financially aided through a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology with funds obtained from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and appropriated for Section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972." Richard Carothers Associlates Planners/Landscape Architects/Urban Designers JUNE, 1982 * Purpose The purpose of this preliminary design report is to present planning and design considerations for the restoration, rehabilitation, and improvement of the shoreline in the Port Angeles Central Business District Waterfront. The report is to be used during design of public improvements, review of private projects, projects and updating of local land use regulations, including the Shoreline Master Program, so that the Central Waterfront will provide improved I ~ ~public access to the shoreline, contain suitable uses, provide increased recreational opportunities, and more strongly relate to the rest of the * ~~Central Business District. * Need Previous analysis of the 2�- block area of the Part Angeles Central Waterfront has identified an area with piles of broken concrete slabs, abandoned lamp posts, old pilings, miscellaneous storage sites, few inviting public access areas and underutilized properties. I ~~Improvement of the Waterfront area would strengthen the vitality of the Central Business District, and the city, create public amenity for local * ~~residents and create a positive image of this country to visitors from Canada. PORT ANGELES SHORELINE REHABILITATION PLAN A. General Concepts 1. The primary goals of this document are to suggest improvements for the waterfront area and to strengthen it's linkage to other parts of Port Angeles. 2. Design improvements for the Waterfront can be of three types: o Visual: Elements which add color and motion, which screen or add'to important views; elements which unify the scene. o Functional: Changes'to routes, signs, street furniture and other usable elements. o Land Uses: Control over land uses is indirect, relying on Shoreline Regulations, zoning, commercial oppor- tunity or negotiations to bring about appropriate uses. 3. Port Angeles is an important transportation port, seen and exper- ienced by many tourists. The impressions gained here are potential- ly key to the opinions formed about the Northwest region. 4. The Waterfront area is a commercial/working area. Designs and uses should integrate the best features of this "working waterfront" character and eliminate or minimize the conflicting activities. 5. Port Angeles is a Pacific Northwest waterfront. This strong sense of regional and local maritime history can be emphasized and portrayed. 6. Design guidelines should reflect the reality of implementation potentials. City-owned properties can achieve changes that would have to be negotiated with or volunteered by private owners. A high degree of cooperation by the private sector and a joint City/private sector effort will be necessary for success of the project. Funding sources are variable. A recent LID has already been completed. The City may have to initiate some key, high visibility project(s) first to show good faith and'gain public confidence, support and contributions. Immediate high impact changes would show that intention and could maintain the momentum of the City Pier Project and the first two phases of the Downtown Improvement Beautification Project. B. E~xisting- Conditions 1. Railroad Avenue is the northern waterfront boundary of the CentralI Business District. 2. The waterfront and town lack a strong, prosperous maintained character or image when viewed from both water and land. 3. The Ferry generates a large amount of traffic and this causes a high degree of visibility for the town and waterfront.I 4. The ferry wait presents an opportunity for drawing people from their cars for pedestrian recreational and tourist activities.I 5. Large, open parking lots and vacant, gravel or undeveloped areas adjacent to sidewalks are uninviting to the public.I 6. There is no particular visual intrigue and there are no clues to potential activity along the waterfront. 7. The North-South street corridors are not strong, when viewing from Railroad Avenue. There exists: o a zig-zag wood stairway hillclirnb at the south and of Oak Street. o a fountain and straight, long stairway at the south end of Laurel Street. 0 no local focus and an impression of disarray along LincolnI Street. There are seasonal views of the Olympic Mountains. None of these presently define a destination or a link to or fromI the waterfront. S. There are few public commiercial uses on the waterfront or along3 Railroad Avenue - an important potential exists. 9. Public access to the water along Railroad Avenue is limited and uninviting - an important potential exists.I 10. The Harborview Park site is undeveloped. There are ~inused pilings adjacent to both this site and the Black Ball ferry dock.I 11. Other than the Black gall Perry Operations, the existing commercial uses on the waterfront do hot suggest a "working waterfront", charac-- ter. i.e. fishing, maritime, nautical. The railroad is not integral to this character. -2- 12. Commercial truck loading activities park across the south sidewalk and block traffic on Railroad Avenue - a visual and functional barrier. 13. City pier and park is distant and unadvertised from most places along Railroad Avenue. 14. Present waterfront activities and architecture do not reflect a sense of historical tradition. 15. The public.moorage has no tie to town and services. 16. Views over the water look to the harbor. I17. East end of Railroad Avenue has no visual terminus and has a natural vista in the distance. 18. West end of Railroad Avenue has no terminus, and has a view of industrial activities behind it. 19. The view of Port Angeles from the water is important because of the mass transit activity of the ferry. 20. Peabody Creek-outfall is an undeveloped natural amenity. 21. Recent streetscape improvements have established a basic precedent for pedestrian amenities. -3= C. Design Guidelines 1. ESTABLISH PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ZONES: areas of design/activityI emphasis based on the length of time of a wait for the ferry and a pedestrian mode. This time-distance boundary can be influenced by natural, comn- mercial and cultural potentials. The ferry location is central on the waterfront, making the entire waterfront within the bounds of this primary access zone. This has a mutiple benefit because this area is also targeted as a destination for use by the local PortI The proposed boundary (see Plan p.10) includes the pier at the footI of Oak Street, the west side of Oak Street, the store fronts along the south side of Railroad Avenue, the beach area at the east end of Railroad Avenue, the Peabody Creek outfall, the main portion of the Port Authority pier, the entire Black Ball operation, and across the Harborview Park area. The end of the city pier is too distant based on this criteria, as is a walk very far into town. It is most likely that the main attractions will be central to the waterfrontI and that longer pedestrian trips will be limited to very long waits. 2. RAILROAD AVENUEI The existing condition and uses of this unique waterfront street do not fulfill its potential. The open, working, commercial character does not give the impression of a public activity area. The impor- tance of broadening the experience and uses of this waterfront cor- ridor is based on a public amenity and the vitality of an active waterfront. Ferry passengers with a long wait and a car that is laI captive' in line provide a resource with both recreation and commer- cial needs.I The natural amenity of the shoreline and the people-water attraction presents the ideal setting for developing public recreational and commercial activities. This could be a year-round activity center for the residents of the City. It could tie the Central BusinessI District and the waterfront together and be a logical extension of the improvement work started with the development of the City pier. There are a wide variety of design strategies to enhance Railroad Avenue as a waterfront edge. They are: a. Make the sidewalk a "place" for people. Contain the edges adjacent to parking lots and open vacant areas. o Use wood or metal bollards, strung with rope or chain i nI nautical theme. o Wide paint stripe on curb. -4-I b. Add to and improve plants in existing planters and street trees. Choose hardy and resistant species. o Add lines and groups of trees in tubs. Consider seasonal color in hanging pots and planters. Move this planting character into private property and use it to help define the shoreline edge. * ~~~~~C. Add points of public access to water and views. o Open Oak Street pier for overwater access. o Use a "boardwalk" path as the common element to define the public shoreline edge. o Develop Harborview Park with a boardwalk edge and platform using Fish Co. pier for windbreak. I o~~~~~~ Link Black Ball pier and Harborview Park with overwater corridor and platform utilizing existing vacant pilings. o Extend boardwalk edge and link Black Ball and Port Author- I ~ ~~~~~~ity property. o Open northeast edge of Port Authority pier for public access. Develop boardwalk and tie this edge to Peabody * ~~~~~~~~Cree k and city pier. d. Signs, maps, and directories to give information and directions to activities and things of interest; such as: o Locate a large display at the ferry terminal, along Railroad Avenue indicating public shoreline areas, at Oak, I ~ ~~~~~~Laurel, Lincoln crossings describing downtown activities and in town on First Street at Oak, Laurel, Lincoln describing waterfront activities. 1 o~~~~~~ Map and promotion hand-out or a map printed an back of Ferry ticket. Make it a souvenir. I ~~~~e. Visual and Auditory Displays o Banners, flags, windsocks, fish and windchimes to add color, scale and movement to screen and enhance views. o Banners and flags can have designs portraying a historical and regional context: sailing ships, fishing, trees, logging, birds, fish, area mountains.. o Sponsor a competition to design banners, flags and visual elements, involve local school children and townspeople. o Attach to existing poles, vertical hanging banners over I ~ ~~~~~~south sidewalk along Railroad Avenue will screen and visually unify the long low building fronts along this side of the street. This south side is particularly visible from the waterfront sidewalk. o Use the visual displays as the single unifying element to signal activities and areas that are part of the Railroad Avenue waterfront zone. f. Improve pedestrian crossings to Oak, Laurel, and LincolnI Streets. o Make wide crosswalks, change surface to brick or continueI wood theme as a clear signal to pedestrians and cars of an intentional, safe, pedestrian route inviting people to cross Railroad Avenue. g. Encourage business and commercial buil1dings to adopt simple design standards to unify their image. o At time of repainting, select a color that fits the design standards. o Business signs can be painted on buildings and can portray a historical, nautical or thematic image. o Awnings to add scale and a friendly, finished appearance. h. Maintain Peabody Creek basin as a natural-edge amenity. o Access to creek edge at low tide from clearly~established points to avoid destruction of vegetation on banks. o Replant and improve existing plantings to enhance the sense of a natural edge. 1. Build Bicycle LaneI o Implement earlier Urban Waterfront Trail Plan. o Bike lane striping with bicyles and people on the street edge of the sidewalk will add to the pedestrian feeling and containment along waterfront edge sidewalk. j. Change commercial truck loading procedures to eliminate block- ing sidewalk and Railroad Avenue. o Use alleys behind Railroad Avenue. o Enforce and/or amend ordinances for this purpose. h. Encourage diversification of land uses to include more Public Conmmerical and Public Access activi ties. 0 o Potential uses include: restaurants, markets, shops, professional offices, seasonal arts and crafts, fairs and marine uses. -6-I o All waterfront development should incorporate public I ~ ~~~~~~access oportunities. o "Working waterfront" uses add variety and unique interest and should be retained and encouraged to develop with public access opportunity. 3. LOOKING AT PORT ANGELES FROM THE WATER This land-water edge is highly visible especially to ferry traffic. The existing waterfront character does not present a positive public image. The newly rebuilt public pier is the exception and is a precedent for other renovations. The shoreline edge is particularly important. There is a lack of respect for this important juncture. I ~~~~Design solutions include a general clean-up and attention to certain details as noted below: *~~~~~ oRe-establish the shoreline areas with appropriate materials including: stone, Wood or concrete bulkheads, including vegetation when possible. 1 o~~~~ Create a shoreline vegetation edge including planters on piers. o Painting of buildings and water facing signs express the character of the activity and where appropriate, present a maritime image. * o~ ~~~ Key visual displays at pier ends to add movement and color - flags, wind socks, and lights. 4. 'Portals" at Oak, Laurel, and Lincoln Streets. o A visual symbol to announce the waterfront area when looking from the Central Business District toward the waterfront, and to signal the unity of Railroad Avenue when viewing from o Banners over the street to symbolize passing into a special place. o This visual symbol can occur at mid-points along Oak, Laurel U ~ ~~~~~and Lincoln at pier ends and at the top of hillclimb stairs to create the perspective and sequential motion to draw people and * ~~~~~~establish a strong visual linkage to and from town. 5. Create views from the waterfront up Oak, Laurel, and Lincoln Streets. o Enhance the existing hillclimb stairways and fountain with plantings and other design elements to create a focal point. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~-7- o Portals will create perspective and the sequential linkage in this direction too. 6. Create termini at East and West ends of Railroad Avenue. o Strong focal points at both ends would add a sense of contain- ment and visual unity. o The East end has the natural edge of the shoreline with the hill behind it. A sculpture or special landscaped area would compliment this view. o The West end is now open and weak. It would benefit if commer- cial activity would continue along the west side of Oak Street adjacent to the bus area. Again, the theme should be marine and harmonious with the balance of the waterfront. This would be a dynamic west terminus. , .~~~~ U ~Implementation Phasing The implementation of Projects from these Design Guidelines would be spread out over a long period of time. Some projects would be accomplished by the City, other elements by private individuals and still others by joint efforts either public-private or cooperation within the private sector. I ~~The many Guidelines can be separated into short term and long term improvements. Short term means those things that can be accomplished with a modest capital expenditure, few or no special permitting or approval constraints, and which I ~ ~are generally of a non-controversial nature. Short term implementation does not imply short term longevity of the product or benefit, only the time or energy to make it happen. I ~~Long term improvements are more complex and expensive. They often require waiting for vacating of rights-of-way or property, special permits, large * ~~capital expenditures and are frequently more controversial in nature. I ~SUGGESTED SHORT TERM IMPROVEMENTS o Establish Pedestrian Access Zones o Sidewalk definition: bollards, curb painting o Improve planting: sidewalk planters, shore edges, public and private o Public access to waterfront edge (on-going) o Boardwalks (ongoing) I o~~ Signs, maps, directories o Visual displays (banners, flags, windsocks, etc.): on streets, piers o Peabody Creek enhancement * o~~ Truck loading policies o Portals o North-South street-end enhancement: stairways, fountain, planting, * ~~~portals 0 East end Railroad Avenue terminus E ~SUGGESTED LONG, TERM IMPROVEMENTS o Public access to waterfront edge (ongoing) o Boardwalks (ongoing) o Public commercial uses of Port Authority property I o~~ Connection of Blackball lot and Port Authority land o Other changes in waterfront land use (ongoing) o Visual displays (ongoing) I o~~ Paint buildings and install awnings o Bike lane o West end Railroad Avenue terminus * o~~ Re-establish shoreline edges I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~-9- PA~N I - NAd <~~~~~~~~~~~~~u-a rd~ ~ ~~~~~~~~l ONLV mili" USSO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . 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