Aberdeen has a downtown footprint developed at least a hundred years ago that follows a mixed-use, walkable pattern of development common at that time. Thanks to the rise of car culture and suburbs, the downtown currently has little in the way of residential development.

But it doesn't have to stay that way. ALL parcels in the downtown area are currently zoned to allow for some degree of residential development.

• City of Aberdeen Zoning Map
• Aberdeen Municipal Codes
  • Downtown Commercial District
    • Permitted uses include: Residences in the upper floors of buildings.
    • Conditional uses include: Multiple-family dwellings; Boarding houses and single-room occupancy dwellings.
  • General Commercial District
    • Permitted uses include: Residences in the upper floors of buildings; Caretakers’ residences incorporated within an allowed use.
  • Waterfront Development District
    • Permitted uses include:Multiple-family dwellings, residences in the upper floors of buildings, townhouses and residential cluster developments.
  • Light Industrial District
    • Permitted uses include: A caretaker's residence accessory to a permitted or conditional use.

Downtown Aberdeen is languishing at least in part due to parking minimums conflicting with trying to redevelop existing buildings within the same footprint. Here is the Parking Requirements section of the Municipal Code.

If you are interested in developing multi-family or other residential in downtown Aberdeen and running into the issue that parking minimums are a barrier to development, you may want to check out state laws. It's possible the parking requirements would be considered "excessive" under state law, at least in some cases (such as affordable housing developments):

RCW 36.130.005

It is the public policy of the state to assist in making affordable housing available throughout the state. The legislature recognizes that despite ongoing efforts there is still a lack of affordable housing in many areas. The legislature also recognizes that some local governments have imposed development requirements on affordable housing developments that are not generally imposed on other housing developments. The intent of this [the] legislature is to prohibit discrimination against affordable housing developments.

I do not know if historic preservation is another means to argue that parking minimums are an excessive and unreasonable burden for developers, but if I were trying to develop real estate in downtown Aberdeen, I would be looking up info related to that as well.

In 2020, Grays Harbor Transit bought the corner lot where the gun shop used to be, giving them ownership of a full city block in downtown Aberdeen. Last year, the gun shop moved kitty-corner across the street and then demolition of the building began.

So there are now two fenced, vacant lots next to the transit center but a local architectural firm has already been hired and is working on plans. According to an article, they intend to provide the following improvements:

1. Enclosed seating for departing passengers
2. Expanded office space for the Customer Service Representatives
3. Expanded space for the driver’s break room
4. Improved traffic flow and dedicated stalls for arriving and departing routes.
5. Improved public restrooms
6. Improved safety for passengers and operators.

Currently, all Grays Harbor buses are FREE to ride. In March, they did away with the Wave -- the bus that loops around downtown Aberdeen and East Aberdeen ("Walmart") every 20 minutes -- and then brought it back in May. That route is also known as the 5 and was previously the only free bus.

The 20 goes to Hoquiam and the 30 goes to Cosmopolis. Downtown Hoquiam is MUCH quieter than downtown Aberdeen. Aberdeen's transit center is a very busy place that helps keep all three cities in the Micropolitan Area connected and I'm thrilled to see it is being expanded.

The expansion also potentially makes it easier to redevelop downtown Aberdeen IF people will get on board with the idea that "We don't NEED this much PARKING for every building. We have buses and bike racks!" and find ways to argue for redeveloping downtown without having to replace half the buildings with parking lots.

More Info:

• GHT Message from the Manager
• GHT Media Release (PDF)
• GHT Transit Development Plan (PDF)

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I'm commuting to Olympia using an Intercity Transit van. It seats fifteen, and there are only four seats taken right now. Gas is paid by Intercity Transit, and your employer may even subsidize the cost.

Our Current route has us leaving Aberdeen at 6:20/6:30, picking up another 2 commuters in Kamilche, and arriving at Capitol Campus parking at 8:50. Shoot me a message if you're interested in joining and I can give you more information!

Aberdeen has a rich and colorful history. It is known as The Lumber Capital of the World and also known for having a prolific serial killer, Billy Gohl. This is supposedly the source for the name of Billy's Bar and Grill which is supposedly haunted.

For a time, Billy Gohl was a crimp, in other words he made good money Shanghaiing sailors. He also eventually went to jail for one or two of the many murders he committed.