Sims Way Project Open House

The City of Port Townsend, Port of Port Townsend, and Jefferson County PUD will hold an open house for the Sims Gateway and Boat Yard Expansion project at thePort Townsend Community Center on August 6th.  Members of the public are encouraged to drop-in between 10 AM and 1 PM to view results from work performed over the last 4 months and to speak with members of the project’s Citizen Stakeholder Committee, design consultants, and representatives from the three sponsoring agencies. The open house will be held alongside the Saturday Port Townsend Farmers Market.

The information presented in the open house will include a range of alternatives considered and the preferred design concepts developed during the Stakeholder process. The design concept will illustrate tree removal locations and replanting concepts, pedestrian walkway development, edge and buffer development and maintenance, fencing and setbacks. Information at the open house will depict the project from multiple angles and will be printed in large format for ease of viewing. Design concepts for alternatives not preferred by the Citizen Stakeholder Committee, including no expansion of the boatyard and no undergrounding of the powerlines, or partial expansion with undergrounding, will also be on display. To facilitate the most participation as possible, there will be no formal presentation of the project or process, but representatives will be on hand throughout the open house to answer questions and engage in discussion. Comment boards will also be available for members of the public to provide feedback.

The nine-member Citizen Stakeholder Committee was created to provide a formal review of the project and give in-depth feedback on project design and development. Members of the committee were selected for their varied expertise and interest. The committee has met with agency representatives and project consultants bimonthly since April. The committee and project team will incorporate feedback gained from the open house into their final recommendation to the City Parks Board on August 23, 2022.  The City Council, Port Commission and PUD Commission will review the recommendations at a joint special meeting in September to make a final decision on design concept.

With funding from the Jefferson County Public Infrastructure Fund, the Port of Port Townsend contracted SCJ Alliance to provide design services and Stakeholder Committee support for the Sims Gateway and Boat Yard Expansion. SCJ Alliance, a multi-disciplinary planning and engineering firm, has delivered several projects for the Port Townsend community over the past 10 years. SCJ is joined by MacLeod Reckord, an urban design and landscape architecture firm and a SCJ partner on past projects along the Port Townsend historic waterfront. SCJ is also joined by Urban Forestry Services|Bartlett Consulting for arborist services.

The goal of the Sims Gateway and Boat Yard Expansion project is to improve public safety, increase economic opportunity for the maritime trades community, and restore and enhance native ecosystems along Sims Way as it passes between the Boat Haven and Kah Tai Lagoon. The project partners recognize the tree lined section of Sims Way is an iconic feature and the possibility of changes to the corridor has raised much community dialogue. The intent of the Citizen Stakeholder Committee and the project open house is to have an open and transparent design process with abundant opportunity for community engagement and input.

For more information about the process or the open house please visit the project page on the City’s website: https://cityofpt.us/engagept/page/sims-gateway-and-boatyard-expansion-project.