🕒 Daylight Savings Time begins March 10, 2024 - This is a good time to check/replace smoke detector batteries!

Planning and Economic Development Department Update

Taking it to the Streets



Making a change in the regulations is just one aspect of effecting real change. Equally vital is the task of educating the people impacted. An important part of the work of Planning and Economic Development is educating our citizens about the zoning updates we are proposing to our zoning regulations, ensuring those impacted are well informed about the ongoing changes.



The educational process is a two-way street. In a recent outreach event with the Windermere Poulsbo office, we gained insight into the evolving needs of prospective homebuyers. One prominent trend we observed was the increasing interest among property owners and buyers in accessory dwelling units and a desire for pre-approved ADU plans. 

As of June 2025, the City of Poulsbo will be required to allow two accessory dwelling units per lot per House Bill 1337. The City Council will convene a hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, to deliberate on this change, along with other minor adjustments to the zoning code aimed at expanding housing options and promoting diversity in housing types. In addition to this mandate, it is being proposed that ADU’s be permitted with a building permit review rather than a separate land use permit. Another notable proposal is the allowance of duplexes on corner lots.

Example of a duplex on a corner lot

To learn more about this proposed Housekeeping, State mandates and Housing Diversity ordinance and other notable changes, please view the packet and attend the City Council public hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at or near 5 p.m. 

2024 Comprehensive Plan Update

The Planning and Economic Development Department will begin the process of bringing forth the proposed 2024 Comprehensive Plan chapters to the City Council on March 20, 2024. The City Council is poised to spend the third Wednesday of each month reviewing the proposed amendments to twelve chapters from staff, the planning commission, as well as those informed by the state and from community surveys and input over the last two years.

Proposed Schedule of Chapter Reviews: 

Engineering Department Update

ADA Ramp Replacement Project- The City is utilizing the adopted ADA Transition Plan to identify highest priority curb ramps that need to be brought into ADA compliance around Poulsbo. The ADA Transition Plan was written to assist the City in providing equal access to its public programs, services, activities, and facilities for all citizens, including those with disabilities. The City will upgrade 60-90 non-compliant curb ramps, as well as install another 12-20 new ramps around the City, with project completion expected in 2024.

Poulsbo Complete Streets Plan- The Complete Streets Online Open House is now available on our website. Please click to share your feedback and ideas.

The third Stakeholder Meeting took place on February 6, 2024, which dove into different street typologies around Poulsbo, which are types of streets that respond to different land use and transportation needs. Feedback shared and discussed during the last meeting was used to revise the street typologies, with most of the discussion revolving around SR 305 as one of the main Urban Major Corridor typology types in Poulsbo. One priority of SR 305 is to improve pedestrian safety along this corridor, as well as provide better access to businesses and transit lanes. Other typologies will be updated and tweaked to appropriately align with the City’s goals. For more information on the Complete Streets Plan, please visit our website at https://cityofpoulsbo.com/engineering/poulsbo-complete-streets.

Eliason Building- Construction is ramping up on Phase II of this project, with foundation work in progress to bring it to street level along the Third Avenue border.

Lincoln Cottages- For this 21-lot residential development planned along Lincoln Road, the last set of vault revisions will be reviewed soon, and construction of the vaults will begin once they are approved by the City.

Liberty Landing Plat- Contractors should be breaking ground the first part of March 2024 for this new development along Hamilton Court NE. 

Finance Department Update

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.

💧 Indoor Water Conservation

Here are some simple tips to use water efficiently and help protect our environment by conserving our most precious natural resource. You could even save a little money!  

• Check for leaks. A single dripping faucet can waste hundreds of gallons a week.  
• Choose efficient WaterSense labeled products and use 20% less water.
• Locate your master shut-off valve. Shutting off your water supply can prevent flooding and property damage in an emergency.

In the Kitchen

• Only run the dishwasher when it’s full.
• Scrape dirty dishes instead of pre-rinsing.
• Hand washing? Fill two sinks, one for washing the other for rinsing.
• Garbage disposals are water hogs. Compost your food scraps instead.
• Fill a bowl with water to wash fruits and vegetables.
• Keep a pitcher of cold drinking water in the refrigerator.

In the Laundry Room

• Only run full loads.
• Match water level to load size with the load selector.
• Wash in cold to save water and energy. Cold water also keeps clothes from fading.



In the Bathroom

• Silent toilet tank leaks can waste hundreds of gallons each year. Check yours by placing toilet dye test tablets in the tank. After 10 minutes, if dye ends up in the bowl you likely have a leaking toilet flapper.
• Check for intermittent leaks in toilets (such as the chain wrapping around itself or faulty flapper valves).
• Take shorter showers.
• Try the 10-gallon challenge: Most shower heads use about 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm). Can your household limit showers to 4 minutes each?
• Install a WaterSense labeled shower head that uses 2.0 gpm and you get 5 minutes until you reach 10 gallons.
• Install a shower head rated for 1.5 gpm and you get 6 minutes and 40 seconds until you reach 10 gallons. 
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• Fill the sink instead of running the faucet when shaving.
• Remember that wipes clog pipes! Be sure to dispose of wipes, mop refills and paper towels in the trash can instead of the toilet.

News You Can Use

Notice from the Kitsap County Assessor's Office.

The Judge's Corner.

  You Can Go Home Again

          The first Justice of the Peace in Poulsbo, as reported in The Spirit of Poulsbo, appeared in 1890. In the 134 years of the existence of Poulsbo Municipal Court, those dispensing justice included a blacksmith, owner of an insurance business, a Notions and Dry Goods store proprietor, a hardware store owner, the Editor of the Poulsbo Record, a fuel truck driver, and, until 1971, the local butcher, Rudie Iversen. No lawyers served as Municipal Court Judge until 1971, when Poulsbo attorneys Jay Roof and Conrad Green were appointed by Mayor Maurice Lindvig as Co-Judges. That lasted just one year, as Mr. Green was appointed Bainbridge Island Municipal Court Judge in 1972. Jay Roof served as Poulsbo Municipal Court Judge from 1971 until 1994, when he was appointed by Governor Lowry to the Kitsap County Superior Court Bench. Judge Roof served Kitsap County Superior Court until his retirement in 2016.

           Mayor Mitchussen appointed me to replace Judge Roof on the Poulsbo Bench, effective April 6, 1994, and continuing today. Recently, we had difficulty finding a Pro Tem (temporary) judge for a jury trial while I was on vacation. The trial dates being on mid-winter school break days, our normal cadre of Pro Tems were unavailable, away with family. Then it struck me to ask Jay to handle the trial. On February 12 & 13, Judge Roof once again presided over a Poulsbo Municipal Court trial, 53 years after his initial appointment as Co-judge. That may not be a record, but it has got to be close. Combined, Jay and I have dispensed justice in Poulsbo Municipal Court for more than half-a-century. Through three generations. Over thousands and thousands of cases. Before computers. For more years than the Court Administrator has been alive.

           Yes, you can go home again. And I am thankful and delighted Judge Roof, my friend, former law partner, and mentor, did when the court was in need.

 Copyright Jeff Tolman 2024. All rights reserved..

Parks and Recreation Department Update