Earlier last month, the Leland Consulting Group and planning staff toured the SR 305 Corridor and 7th and 10th Avenues in preparation of a Market Study and Feasibility Analysis. The Leland Consulting group went under contract with the City in January and specializes in community planning and provides development advisory services. Their analysis will be informed by a review of existing conditions/demographics, employment trends and real estate conditions. They will also be conducting interviews with various stakeholders in our community.



This work is being funding through a Housing Action Plan Implementation grant by the Department of Commerce. Their study is set to be completed in May 2023 and will be used to inform the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update. 

Above: Nikole Coleman, Senior Planner with Andrew Oliver and Brian Vanneman, Leland Group  

2024 Comprehensive Plan Update

Story Map and Community Survey

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. The next update of the Comprehensive Plan is due December 30, 2024. This update will plan for the next 20 years of population and employment growth through the year 2044.

Story Map and Community Survey - Please share!

We invite you to participate in our community's planning process! Check out the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update Story Map, followed by a 10-minute survey. The results of this community survey will help to inform the Comprehensive Plan Update. Please take the time to read each question and answer it as accurately as possible. ¡También disponible en español!

Survey will remain open until February 21st.

Pre-Production

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. Dates, fees, and application forms for pre-application conferences can be found here. 

The following pre-app conferences are scheduled for February:

• Xenos Bulkhead Replacement. Installation of solider piling bulkhead.
• Eliason Phase II. Residential addition to the east portion of the site that incorporates underground building parking.
• Liberty Road Apartments. 33 townhouse apartments units.

Above: Eliason Phase II on 3rd Ave.

The More You Know...

Home Businesses

If we are anything... It is resilient. We learned to cope with COVID-19 and if there was any positive out of it we discovered how to work from home better. As many know, the City of Poulsbo has to approve business licenses for business’ operating within the city limits. As the PED Department, we go through and check that the use is allowed in the zoning district it is proposed in. If you want to see the use tables you can find the residential use table here, the business and employment district use table here and the commercial use table here.

One thing the PED department has seen an increase in was home businesses.

A home business cannot allow any customers on the property so most home businesses offer virtual services like counseling, programming, and consulting. There are a few virtual retailers in town as well but a majority of home businesses are individuals providing a service virtually. This can help improve the traffic impacts that commuters make within the city. As of 2022, there are just under 30% of our businesses that are operated are run as a home business. Keep in mind this does not include teleworkers who are employees of a larger company. This is an impressive feat and allows so many benefits to the community. 

Note: A home business is different from a home occupation. For a home occupation, the combined total number of customers/clients and employee visits associated with the home occupation shall be limited to no more than an average of six per day. A home occupation requires land use approval from the PED department, whereas a home business simply requires a business license.

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 January PED staff reviewed/responded to:

• 9 Single Family
• 1 Single-Family Addition/Deck/Remodel
• 2 Commercial Sign
• 1 Commercial Tenant Improvement
• 5 Commercial (Multifamily) Certificate of Occupancy
• 30 Business Licenses
• 11 Public Record Requests

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.

February 7:

• 2023 Housekeeping Amendments: Public Hearing
• 2024 Comp Plan Update: Capital Facilities Chapter Second Review
• 2024 Comp Plan Update: Utilities Chapter Goals and Policies

February 21:

• 2024 Comp Plan Update: Utilities Chapter Second Review
• 2024 Comp Plan Update: Implementation Chapter Goals and Policies

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

Poulsbo program to provide phone calls to lonely, isolated seniors

Klingle House in Poulsbo to be demolished

Pizza place known for avocado crust opens in Poulsbo

Poulsbo food businesses share space to reduce costs