Port Angeles Waterfront Master Plan
Port Angeles Waterfront Master Plan Port Angeles, WA, 188,000 gsf The Master Plan proposes an arrangement of connected public spaces. Phase 1 is a terraced esplanade, featuring glass-enclosed overlooks serving as windbreaks, which forms the centerpiece of an expansive civic park. The full build-out encompasses two beaches, a water feature, space for outdoor sculpture, a memorial to deceased ferry captains, and a meandering trail that is a segment of the Olympic Peninsula Discovery trail. Phase 1 centers on the iconic Railroad Avenue, a street transformed from its history as a set of industial railroad tracks to a narrowed, planted and paved lane that allows for a mix of pedestrians, vehicles and bicyclists. Rain gardens along the avenue collect and filter water visibly before it reaches the bay. A series of tall LED light columns marks the pedestrian path and becomes part of a collection, over time, of “points of light.” The design team engaged extensively with the community—including property owners, business, citizens, and local tribes—and worked out of a storefront office that invited ongoing participation. A project website and displays at city hall accommodated continuous community feedback. These efforts resulted in virtually no opposition at the final Council meeting for a high visibility project representing the core elements of its place.
Two artists contributed to the overall thinking of spaces and designed several key project elements: a glass and metal trail marker, photographic scrims for the glass windbreaks, and an arrangement of tiles for certain vertical facets of the esplanade. The entire project was a collaborative effort of architects, landscape architects civil, engineers, transportation planners, and artists, all working in coordination with the tribes, the State Department of Natural Resources, and the Corps of Engineers. This is a remarkable initiative by a smaller community to remake its currently unattractive waterfront. The City has had a long term commitment to its downtown, with improvements to the streets and sidewalks and nurturing locally-owned shops, artwork, a public market, a transit center, and wayfinding signs. The waterfront project is a keystone of this series of efforts and will provide a dramatic “front porch” for the community and visitors from around the world. Future elements include a “woonerf”-like segment of the street as an extension of the nearby public market, light beacons at three locations, a large hard-surfaced plaza, and a renovated existing beach.
PHASE 1
AREA OF PROPOSAL
Existing Waterfront
Community Planning Charrette
Community Charrette Sketch
Master Plan
Lighting Plan
Pedestrian & Bicycle Circulation
Designated Ferry Traffic Routes
Phase 1
Two artists contributed to the overall thinking of spaces and designed several key project elements: a glass and metal trail marker, photographic scrims for the glass windbreaks, and an arrangement of tiles for certain vertical facets of the esplanade. The entire project was a collaborative effort of architects, landscape architects civil, engineers, transportation planners, and artists, all working in coordination with the tribes, the State Department of Natural Resources, and the Corps of Engineers. This is a remarkable initiative by a smaller community to remake its currently unattractive waterfront. The City has had a long term commitment to its downtown, with improvements to the streets and sidewalks and nurturing locally-owned shops, artwork, a public market, a transit center, and wayfinding signs. The waterfront project is a keystone of this series of efforts and will provide a dramatic “front porch” for the community and visitors from around the world. Future elements include a “woonerf”-like segment of the street as an extension of the nearby public market, light beacons at three locations, a large hard-surfaced plaza, and a renovated existing beach.
PHASE 1
AREA OF PROPOSAL
Existing Waterfront
Community Planning Charrette
Community Charrette Sketch
Master Plan
Lighting Plan
Pedestrian & Bicycle Circulation
Designated Ferry Traffic Routes
Phase 1
