The much talked about proposed development called “Westbay” near John Wayne Marina from Seabrook developers is under review for being “technically complete” by the City of Sequim’s planning staff.
The developer applied for a Master Plan review in June to build 600 lots with up to 650 residential units built over a number of years.
City Attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said in an interview that a determination on the application being “technically complete” is expected to be posted by July 21, but that won’t mean the permit is approved.
“(Technically complete) means that it is ready for continued city review and the public review process,” she wrote in a follow-up email.
“Projects of this size typically involve several opportunities for public input, such as through the notice periods, SEPA (environmental review) and other processes. This project will be no different. Each public notice and comment opportunity will be posted on the city’s website.”
Seabrook staff had a pre-application conference with the city on Dec. 23, 2024, and they were determined to be “counter complete” on June 23, meaning that developers had their required forms and applications filled out, she said.
City staff have 28 calendar days to determine if the application was technically complete from June 23, but that timeline included a time stoppage when Seabrook staff responded to requests for more information from city staff, Nelson-Gross said.
Seabrook also paid $49,711 in permit fees.
Nelson-Gross declined to comment on specifics of the project.
“Until we’ve determined it’s technically complete, it’s premature to comment on next steps and associated timelines,” she said.
“The city is aware of the public’s interest in this project, and we will be creating a dedicated web page on the city’s website where documents will be posted on or before the July 21 deadline.”
According to the city’s Municipal Code 18.30.030, the application will follow a C-2 process with “the city hearing examiner, or city council in the absence of a hearing examiner, being the review authority” of the completed application.
City code requires various studies to be done, and for the developer to hold a public meeting to identify potential community impacts and concerns. Seabrook staff already met multiple times with the community at various locations and online in 2024.
Amenities
According to the developer’s description on a city planning page, the project would develop 90 of 160 acres between Sequim Bay Road and U.S. Highway 101 along Whitefeather Way
The property had long been considered by the family of John Wayne as a planned resort, but Casey Roloff, CEO of Seabrook, said in multiple interviews he was approached by Ethan Wayne more than 10 years ago to purchase and build a community similar to Seabrook, an approximate 600-home development on the Central Washington coast.
Developers write via the city’s project description page that the “application proposes a mixed-use, walkable, waterfront community with a range of home types and prices, and abundant parks and open spaces available to the larger Sequim community.”
This would include up to 300 multi-family units, some mixed-use commercial buildings, and between 350-550 single-family detached lots, according to the developer’s description.
They report that the gross residential density of the project would be about 9.5 dwelling units per acre.
In an April 23, 2024 public meeting, Roloff said due to the proposed development’s proximity to Sequim it wouldn’t need the same amenities as Seabrook, and it would be considered more of a village.
He said it would feature a mix of apartments, condominiums, cottages, and townhouses, with homes on top of shops while following Seabrook’s pattern of developing about 30 homes per year over 20 years.
According to Seabrook’s website as of the Gazette’s press deadline, current available homes/lots available to purchase in Seabrook range from $517,000 (home) to $2.6 million (lot).
Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash Casey Roloff, CEO for Seabrook Land Company, answers questions on Nov. 4, 2024 in 7 Cedars Resort about a proposed 600-lot development along West Sequim Bay Road. The project is now under review by City of Sequim planners for being “technically complete.” City Attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said a determination on the application being “technically complete” is expected to be posted by July 21, but that won’t mean the permit is approved. “(Technically complete) means that it is ready for continued city review and the public review process,” she wrote in a follow-up email.
Water, traffic
Seabrook’s application has not yet been made available to the public.
Available documentation from the developer/city does not mention water usage, but Roloff said during a May 8, 2024 “Coffee with Colleen” interview that a “Water Availability Study” from 2024 states that the city has enough water capacity.
The fact sheet on the city’s website states that in 2031, with an estimated population of 11,341, the city would be using about 33% of its water rights with an existing reservoir capacity of 2.9 million gallons of water. In 2041 with an estimated population of 15,206, the city would be at 44% of its annual water rights usage, according to the document.
A group calling itself the Clallam Freedom Alliance, led by Rose Marschall of Port Angeles, had 1,203 verified signatures on Change.org by press deadline asking the city council and/or hearing examiner to deny Seabrook’s application for multiple reasons, including water availability.
Marschall writes on the website that Seabrook’s development would exacerbate water scarcity and adds that the development would increase highway congestion and that Sequim already has substantial development in the pipeline.
Marschall is a former Save Our Sequim board member that organized to oppose the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s medication-assisted treatment facility (Healing Clinic) for treating opioid use disorder. Organizers of the group shared concerns about increased drug abuse, homelessness and crime in Sequim. A required advisory committee of first responders, community leaders and residents reported multiple times the clinic had little to no impact on the community’s crime and first responders’ workload since the clinic was opened in 2022.
Roloff said at “Coffee with Colleen” that they seek a safe solution for entering U.S. Highway 101 from Whitefeather Way by seeking solutions with the Department of Transportation or city staff.
He said they wouldn’t seek a roundabout due to local opposition, and that their development would create 60-70% less daily trips than other suburban developments because of their emphasis on walkable/bikeable communities. They’d also work with the city to seek solutions to slow down traffic on West Sequim Bay Road, the other access point to Westbay, he said.
The Port of Port Angeles would continue to operate the John Wayne Marina, Roloff said, and the John Wayne Rustic Waterfront Resort would eventually be phased out to become Westbay’s village center.
They’d also encourage homeowners to share or rent boats at the marina, he said.
Rentals, housing
Of the concerns Roloff said he’s heard, short-term rentals were one he highlighted at different meetings.
In May 2024, he said Seabrook’s rental program is about 55% of the homes, but they’ve built in short-term rentals that they manage in their developments with 24-hour security in the community.
He anticipates about 70% of the homeowners to be full-time residents in Sequim due to the drier weather.
At multiple meetings, he said workforce housing is built into their developments, such as in an apartment above a garage.
In May 2024, he said he couldn’t provide costs for rentals in Sequim, as he hadn’t talked to contractors about costs but added that “our design philosophy accommodates (workforce housing).”
At a Nov. 4, 2024 meeting in 7 Cedars Resort, Roloff said families that live in Seabrook tend to walk or ride their bikes to work.
He said a one bedroom apartment can cost approximately $900-$1,300 a month while a two-bedroom, two-bath cottage is about $1,800.
“These are homeowners that either rent out the house, or they rent out the little apartments above their garage (carriage houses),” Roloff said.
Utilities
Westbay would connect to Sequim’s water and sewer services, Roloff has said.
City staff were exploring a plan earlier this year through the state to potentially fund sewer and water lift stations on West Sequim Bay Road by creating a 363-acre Tax Increment Area (TIA) by Sequim Bay using new developments’ property taxes to create Tax Increment Financing (TIF). It would have required city staff proving to the state that developments wouldn’t happen in that area without the stations.
The funding concept drew concerns from Clallam County Fire District 3 leaders about a shift in new developments’ tax revenues away from emergency services despite more people moving to Sequim.
However, Nelson-Gross said the city is no longer pursuing the Tax Increment Area.
City Manager Matt Huish shared an email he wrote to junior taxing districts that “after conducting thorough research, working with multiple consultants and the Office of the State Treasurer, we have decided, for a myriad of reasons, not to move forward with TIF as a potential funding mechanism for Sequim at this time.”
The city has received a Department of Ecology loan to cover construction of a lift station/extension at Forrest Road and West Sequim Bay Road worth $14,726,274 at a 1.6 percent interest rate starting a year after construction finishes. The city previously received a loan through Washington State Clean Water State Revolving Fund for design of the station for just over $1 million with forgivable principal.
Sequim Public Works Director Paul Bucich wrote via email that the lift station is on pause for up to a year as they receive “greater certainty on when a couple of development activities will occur.”
“Once we are confident in the timing of those developments, we will go out to bid for the water and sewer lift station,” he said.
The water portion of the project is primarily funded by PNNL-Sequim, also along West Sequim Bay Road, he said.
For updates on city developments, visit sequimwa.gov.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Actor John Wayne’s family sought to build a resort adjacent to the John Wayne Marina for several decades but now a plan is before city staff by Seabrook Land Company to develop 600 lots on and around the John Wayne Rustic Waterfront Resort, pictured, with the Wayne family’s blessing, developers have said. A determination if Seabrook Land Company’s plan is “technically complete” and eligible to move along the City of Sequim’s process is expected by July 21.
