2024 Comprehensive Plan Update. Spring Cleaning came early this year for the Planning and Economic Development Department in the form of a Housekeeping Amendment to the Poulsbo Municipal Code (PMC). The proposed amendments are part of the Planning and Economic Development Departments on-going efforts to make land use regulations more usable for residents, developers, and City staff by correcting errors, eliminating text ambiguities, codifying internal policies, and reflecting changes in state law. The proposed amendments do not involve significant changes to the Code.

The Amendments accomplish the following:

• Responding to state law requirements to amend the definition of family to remove the limitation on the maximum amount of people living together that are not related and building code requirements (IBC 429) for electric vehicle charging,
• Allowing manufactured and mobiles homes to serve as an ADU, 
• Modifying the permit type requirements to respond to the demand for home occupations and neighborhood commercial while allowing for exemptions to site plan review for minor activities not listed,
• Replacing existing commercial design images with improved images that better graphically depict commercial design standards,
• Allowing City input on public amenities in Planned Residential Developments,
• Creates consistency in significant tree diameter by decreasing from 10 to 6 inches,
• Ensuring appropriate information is provided for staff's review of landscape plans,
• Specifying the appeal authority for Type III applications, and
• Specifying the information needed on notices for neighborhood meetings.

These amendments were first discussed during a Workshop with the Planning Commission on January 10 with a Public Hearing on February 7 where the Planning Commission made a unanimous recommendation of approval.

Housing, Health and Human Service Department Update

Small City, Big Challenges. One of the primary goals of the City’s Department of Housing, Health and Human Services (H3) is to find innovative, cost effective ways to help our vulnerable residents. To that end, we welcome partnerships with other agencies, encourage volunteer efforts, and seek out outside funding. We’re a small city, but face big challenges in Poulsbo: homelessness, shortage of healthcare/ behavioral healthcare providers, affordable rentals becoming unaffordable, and older adults needing help that’s hard to find to stay safely in their homes. H3 continues to partner with Poulsbo Fire to operate the Fire CARES Program and partners with Fishline Comprehensive Services to provide no-cost mental health counseling. Some other initiatives this year:

On the topic of partnerships, Housing Kitsap submitted its application for the Nordic Cottage project to the City in February. If approved, the Cottages will house eight low income seniors in downtown Poulsbo in small, beautiful homes designed by Coates Design. Next steps: the City’s Planning and Engineering Departments have 28 days to determine if the application is complete and then 120 days to issue a decision. There will be a notice and comment period and a recommendation by the Planning Commission to the City Council. The City Council will be the final decision maker on the land use permit and each exception requested.

More information here: https://cityofpoulsbo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Poulsbo-Nordic-Cottage-1.pdf

We’re hiring! H3 is looking for an administrative/project assistant to help out on a part time basis. Check the City’s “Employment Opportunities” page if you’d like to apply Human Resources > Employment Opportunities | City of Poulsbo—or contact Director Kim Hendrickson at kimberlyh@cityofpoulsbo.com.

News You Can Use

🌞 Sunday March 12 is Daylight Saving Time. This is a good time to check/replace smoke detector

batteries!

💐 Soon the daffodils will be blooming! Citizen volunteers planted over 750 bulbs around Poulsbo last

Fall.

Finance Department

Surplus Auction. March 1 - 8, 2023; you can view the current auction here: https://www.govdeals.com/poulsbowa

Increased Poulsbo Sales Tax Rate. The sales tax rate will be changing effective April 1^st, 2023 to 9.3 percent. As explained in adopted City of Poulsbo Ordinance 2023-01, the extra percent increase is due to a newly approved 1/10^th of 1% sales tax for the new Transportation Benefit District (TBD).

Utility Billing Auto-Payment. The City offers auto-pay as an option to pay your utility bill. Have your payment automatically deducted from your bank account on the 20th of every month. Click here for additional details and an application. If you’d like an application mailed to you, please contact the Finance Department at (360) 394-9881.

Upcoming Events. Please attend our public meeting on Saturday, March 11, in the lower level conference room of the Poulsbo Library. General meeting from 10:30 to 11:30 and then at 11:30 we will welcome our wonderful guest speaker:

Join Debbie Teashon, as she talks about her award-winning book, Gardening for the Homebrewer and discusses plants we can grow for our own mixology.

Debbie is a garden writer and speaker and award-winning photographer. Her speaking engagements include the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, Tacoma Home & Garden Show, Peninsula Home & Garden Expo, and garden clubs.



Everyone is welcome; please come on over to the library!

🌿 We will have a Plant Sale again this year at Raab Park (18349 Caldart Ave NE) on Saturday, May 6!