The Director's Chair

City of Poulsbo Prepares for 2025-2026 Biennial Budget, Department Sets Preliminary Goals

The Biennial Budget season is underway in the City of Poulsbo, marking a critical planning period that will shape the city's financial and strategic direction for the next two years. A biennial budget covers a two-year span, with an opportunity for mid-biennium adjustments to address any emerging needs or changes. The budget reflects the goals and objectives of both the City Council and various departments.

In August, department budgets were reviewed by the Mayor and then submitted to the Finance Department. As the process continues, staff will present their budgets to the City Council in September, with the final budget set for adoption in November or December 2024. The Planning and Economic Development Department is scheduled to present their budget at the September 18 City Council meeting.

Below are the proposed key goals for the Department for the 2025-2026 budget cycle:

Complete and Implement the Comprehensive Plan Update

• Significant progress has been made, including the review of all chapters by the Planning Commission and City Council, along with extensive public outreach.
• Remaining tasks include finalizing functional plans, completing the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process, drafting and adopting land development regulations, and revising impact fees.

Complete and Implement the Critical Areas Ordinance Update

• This state-mandated update aims to develop policies and regulations that protect the function and value of critical areas using the best available science.
• Critical areas include wetlands, aquifer recharge zones, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas.
• The update will involve public outreach, code amendments, and the creation of handouts to assist the public.

Adopt a Historic Preservation Program

• Historic preservation not only maintains, restores, and rehabilitates historic and cultural resources for future generations, but it also helps define the unique character of the community and fosters a sense of place.

Public Hearing: Viking Ave/C-2 Code Amendments

The Viking Avenue corridor is mostly occupied by the Commercial/C-2 zoning designation, with residential zoning adjacent, city limits to the west and south, and Liberty Bay to the east. According to the 2021 Buildable Lands Report (BLR), the C-2 zoning district has the capacity for 602 jobs. During the BLR process, staff did not assume a mixed-use development pattern. However, with mixed-use development, the C-2 zoning district has the capacity for 453 jobs and 603 population.

A Market Analysis and Feasibility Study was done in June of 2023 by Leland Consulting Group (LCG) for the SR305 corridor. Given the size of Poulsbo, LCG stated that the market study could be applied to other commercial areas within city limits. The study found that most of the demand in the study area is for housing. The retail market is active in existing buildings but with less demand for new developments, and office demand has dropped significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, since much of the study area is steeply sloped and the area contains streams, wetlands, erodible and hydric soils, and geohazard areas, the city should consider a number of regulatory changes to encourage development in the area.

The proposed amendments focus on Poulsbo Municipal Code (PMC) 18.80.070, Infill and redevelopment standards in C-2 (Viking Avenue) zoning district. This code section, adopted in 2013, provides alternative development standards for mixed use buildings or stand-alone residential structures (in the interior of the development) in the C-2/Viking Ave commercial zoning district. The amendments include an increase to height and lot coverage, and a reduction in setbacks and landscaping requirements when housing units are included in a proposed project.

Viking Avenue has seen a renaissance over the last several years and by amending PMC 18.80.070 and not the general development standards for the C-2/Viking Ave zoning district, it will allow for that to continue while also encouraging the creation of needed housing units.

Also included is an amendment to PMC 19.50, Public notices, to require public notice signage for all Type II and III applications.

The City Council Public Hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 5:00 pm, or soon thereafter. Public hearings are being held as a hybrid virtual/in-person meeting at the web address and call-in number noted below and at Poulsbo City Hall Council Chambers, 200 NE Moe Street, Poulsbo, Washington. This call-in number: 1-253-215-8782 and meeting id: 898 4841 6447 are provided for virtual attendance, in addition to this webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89848416447. Oral comments can be made in-person. Please state your name and limit your comments to 5 minutes unless additional time is granted by the Council. As a rule, the Council will not respond to citizen comments. Written comments can be emailed to cityclerks@cityofpoulsbo.com by 2:00 p.m. the day of the meeting, and they will be distributed to the Council before the meeting. Written comments will not be read into the record.

Project documents can be found here: https://cityofpoulsbo.com/development-regulation-amendments-2/

A Pre-Application Conference is a meeting between a project team and staff conducted prior to the submission of a detailed application. Nearly all projects change after the pre-application conference and prior to application submittal. Typically, projects at this stage are very preliminary. The following pre-app conferences are scheduled for September:

• Olympic College Expansion.

Comprehensive Plan Update

The City of Poulsbo is undertaking a periodic review and update of its comprehensive plan, as required by the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA), RCW 36.70A.130(5). This is an opportunity to revise population and employment growth forecasts with the most up to date data, review existing policies to ensure they make sense for the community, write new policies that reflect the priorities of the community, and confirm that all federal, state, and local requirements are met.

Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 36.70A.130(2) requires that local governments establish a public participation program for the evaluation and update of its comprehensive plans. The Public Participation Plan describes the steps that Poulsbo will take to involve the community in decisions regarding the Comprehensive Plan Update Project. Public and agency goals are to:

• To provide the public with timely information, an understanding of the process, and opportunities to review and comment, and to have those comments forwarded to the City’s decision makers. 
• Ensure that information about the process is provided to the public early in the process and at regular intervals thereafter, to maximize public awareness and participation in the process. 
• Actively solicit information from citizens, property owners and stakeholders about their concerns, questions, and priorities for the future of Poulsbo land uses and the City’s Comprehensive Plan. 
• Encourage the public to informally review and comment on the update throughout the process.
• Incorporate public comment into the local government’s review process prior to significant milestones or decision making.
• Provide forums for formal public input at milestones prior to decision making by local officials. 
• Consult and consider recommendations from neighboring jurisdictions, federal and state agencies, and Native American tribes.

Public Participation Summary

Public participation is an integral part of the planning process. Early and continuous public participation brings diverse viewpoints and values into the decision-making process and enables the city to make more informed decisions. These collaborative efforts build mutual understanding and trust between the city and the public they serve. The goal of the public participation for the Comprehensive Plan Update is to provide all residents, property owners, business owners, and other stakeholders, an opportunity to understand and participate in the process.

To date, the following participation opportunities have been provided:

• 21 Community Events or Presentations
• 27 Planning Commission Workshops
• 13 City Council Workshops
• 4 Joint Planning Commission/City Council Workshops
• 8 Email Updates
• Community Survey
• EIS Scoping Notice Comment Period
• Monthly newsletter updates starting in 2022

See also the Summary of Public Participation for the Comprehensive Plan Update (updated in August 2024). Although staff will be taking a short break during the fall, additional opportunities for engagement will be announced for early 2025.

Critical Areas Ordinance Update

The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires all cities and counties in Washington to adopt regulations protecting “critical areas” in order to preserve the natural environment, wildlife habitats, and sources of fresh drinking water. Critical areas regulation also encourage public safety by limiting development in areas prone to natural hazards like floods and landslides.

RCW 36.70A.030(6) defines five types of critical areas:

• Wetlands
• Areas with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water
• Fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas
• Frequently flooded areas
• Geologically hazardous areas

Counties and cities are required to develop policies and development regulations to protect the functions and values of critical areas using the best available science (RCW 36.70A.172).

Critical Areas Ordinances must be evaluated and, if needed, revised every 10 years per the schedule provided in RCW 36.70A.130. The CAO update is due by December 2025.

The Many Roles of PED Staff

Did you know? On top of the larger land use applications, the PED Department staff also responds to public records requests, business license applications, sign permits, tenant improvements, deck permits, grading permits, and code enforcement requests.

For the month of August PED staff reviewed/responded to:

• 22 Business Licenses
• 3 Public Record Requests
• 2 Certificate of Occupancy Review
• 4 New Single Family Homes
• 1 Single-Family Addition/Remodels
• 2 Tenant Improvement
• 1 Sign

Planning Commission Calendar

See below for agenda items for Planning Commission meetings. Please note that agenda items are subject to change. Check the website for the official agenda.

September 10

• Cancelled

September 24

• Cancelled

Planning Commission meetings are held as a hybrid - virtually via zoom webinars and in-person at the City Hall Council Chambers. Please check the agenda for meeting information.