The Director's Chair

M is for Moratorium

The Olhava Master Plan (OMP) was submitted to the City of Poulsbo in 1995 and includes the area where the existing Wal Mart, Home Depot and Olympic College are currently located. The property consists of approximately 215 acres in total and was originally divided by State Highway 3 into a northern 174 acres and a southern 41-acre parcel. The OMP was approved to support 840,000 square feet of commercial, 325,000 square feet of business park, 50,000 square feet of the college, a community park and 70 single family homes and 420 medium density dwelling units. The vision was for this to be completed in phases over a period of 10 years.

Since its adoption, the majority of the residential units have been constructed, the college has been built (but not to the approved full build out), about half of the commercial has been built. The city recently received its first application to exceed the amount of allotted business park square footage. Further, the city council is diligently working to determine the best use of the park site (commonly known as the PERC) and Olympic College (with Western Washington University) has indicated its plans to expand.

The city is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan, due December 31, 2024. This periodic update includes a new requirement for the city to not only plan for but also to accommodate housing at all income levels. This new requirement has prompted the city to consider adding housing options throughout the city. Olhava may be an ideal space to increase residential capacity

This culmination of activity prompted the City Council to pass Ordinance No. 2023-11 approving a 12-month development moratorium on August 9, 2023 for vacant undeveloped property zoned Commercial (C-4) and Business Park (BP) within the OMP (as shown on map to the left). Following the effective date of the ordinance, the City shall not accept new building permit applications and new land use applications for the development of vacant undeveloped property zoned C-4 or BP in the OMP and shall not process or approve any pending applications or issue any permits that are not vested under applicable law, except those that received an approved land use permit from the city at the date of adoption of the moratorium.

Pursuant to RCW 35A.63.220 and RCW 36.70A.390, the City Council shall hold a public hearing at a City Council meeting within 60 days of adoption. The public hearing will be held on September 20, 2023, at approximately 5:15 p.m.

Included in the adoption of the moratorium is a 12-month work plan. In the upcoming year, the planning department will be engaging the property owners, public, commission and council to determine which zoning code changes would best support Poulsbo’s future.

T is for Thankful

This summer we had the privilege of a returning intern, Rory Clark and new intern, Mark Dettman. During their short summer months, they supported the planning department move forward multiple initiatives. Mark, who is studying Environmental Science with a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) emphasis at Western Washington University, created multiple maps including properties that have been annexed into the city over time (see right), accessory dwelling units, car washes and an overlay of the tree canopy and its change over time. 

Additionally, Mark worked closely with Planning Technician, Tiffany Simmons, to create a 3-dimensional rendition of a potential building height increase along our SR 305 corridor and has digitized all our known wetlands. Mark, along with Tiffany and other members of the city, are working to improve our GIS data with the plan to bring it to our community’s fingertips soon. What does that mean? That will be the subject for a future Director’s Report. 

Rory, who is entering his senior year of high school, participating in Running Start and is interested in becoming a future planner, has been researching HB1337, which requires jurisdiction to allow two accessory dwelling units per lot. In addition, he is looking to neighboring jurisdictions that have offered pre-approved plans to learn lessons from the process they undertook in the event the city pursues preapproved ADU plans.

Rory is also providing information on existing car washes in the city as well as researching the new climate planning requirements and taking photographs for our 2024 Comprehensive Plan update. Our team is thankful to have the opportunity to support these students as well as to have their knowledge, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives on the practice. Thank you and hope to see you both next summer. 

Above: Summer 2023 Interns Mark Dettman and Rory Clark.

2024 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. 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.

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities:

• Sep 26: Planning Commission Meeting 
• Sep 30: Find the Transportation team at the Poulsbo Farmers Market
• October 10: Planning Commission Meeting
• October 24: Planning Commission Meeting  

Above: PED Department at the August 12 Farmers Market

Short Course on Local Planning

Offered through the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Short Course on Local Planning provides a detailed overview of the planning process, its legal basis in Washington State, and specific legislation, tools, and techniques that can be used in local planning efforts, and includes:

• An overview of the complex mix of land use planning laws that work together to support land-use decision-making in Washington state,
• An introduction to comprehensive planning and plan implementation under the Growth Management Act,
• A review of the roles in planning and best practices for public participation,
• Mandatory training on the Open Public Meetings Act for local government officials.



All courses are offered at no charge and are open to the public. You can register for an upcoming short course (via zoom) and find helpful information here.

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 September:

• Kitsap Transit. New park and ride at Johnson Road.
• Poulsbo Fire Department. New station #76 on Viking Way NE.
• Mikkelsen UEA. Utility Extension Agreement request on Noll Rd.

Above: Fire Station #76 Conceptual Site Design.

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:

• 2 New Single Family Homes
• 5 Single Family Remodel/Deck/Addition
• 1 Commercial New
• 4 Tenant Improvement
• 1 Sign
• 1 Tree Cutting and Clearing Exemptions
• 32 Business Licenses
• 6 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.

September 12:

• Canceled

September 26:

• Comprehensive Plan Natural Environment Full Chapter Review
• Comprehensive Plan Utilities Full Chapter Review No. 2
• Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Full Chapter Review No. 2
• Comprehensive Plan Parks, Rec, and Open Space Full Chapter Review No. 2

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.

PED Department Out and About

Senior Planner, Nikole Coleman, and her husband own 360 Disc Golf in Bremerton and taught two Intro to Disc Golf Courses this summer at Raab Park through the Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Department. PED staff members joined in on the class in August (see pic below), along with their families. Fun was had by all. Keep an eye for future disc golf classes through the Parks Department!

Poulsbo in the Press

• The 50 Best U.S. Cities to Visit That Look Just Like Europe
• Poulsbo Events, Recreation Center closer to reality
• The Sophie now open in downtown Poulsbo
• New Poulsbo Health and Resource Center to offer treatment resource for addiction