Planning and Economic Development Spotlight December 2021

This monthly update is published by the City of Poulsbo Planning and Economic Development (PED) Department to highlight news and trends in planning and development. For details on these topics and the department, visit our website.

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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. The following pre-app conferences were held in December: Taylor Viking Property. Four residential units.

Above: Taylor Property Conceptual Floor Plan

In the Queue

The following projects are currently under review with the PED Department: Musick Multifamily SPR: Application under review. Winslow Ridge PRD/Plat: Application under review. Oslo Bay Apartments: Application under review. Ekelmann-Divoky Annexation: City Council 12/15. Pasma Site-Specific Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Pre-App 12/14. 4th Avenue Apartments: Application submitted 12/7. Keep up to date with active land use projects by visiting our website.

Above: 4th Avenue Apartments - Proposed South Elevation

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 November PED staff reviewed/responded to: 2 Commercial Signs 3 Commercial Tenant Improvements 1 Tree Cutting Exemptions 1 Zoning Verification Letters 13 Public Record Requests 34 Business License Applications

2021 Year in Review - Development Review!

2021 was another extremely busy time for processing permits in the PED department! In fact, 2020-2021 has been the busiest the PED department has experienced in over 30 years. We received and processed permits for 412 new single family lots and 803 new multifamily (apartments/townhomes) units in the past 12-18 months. While the timing of the development is based upon the specific developer’s market, once built, these units will represent 2500-3000 new residents within the city limits. In addition to residential permits, PED processed a number of other land use permits, engineering and building permits, public records requests, etc.: New Land Use/PED Permits in 2021: Accessory Dwelling Units: 3 Administrative Conditional Use Permit: 1 Annexation: 1 Boundary Line Adjustment: 3 Critical Area Exemption: 1 Final Plat: 3 Minor Site Plan Review: 2 Planned Residential Development: 1 Post Decision Review: 2 SEPA Review (stand alone): 3 Shoreline Exemption: 4 Site Plan Review: 7 Temporary Use Permit: 3 Tree Cutting and Clearing: 22 Zoning Verification: 5 PED Review of Building Permits in 2021: New Single Family Homes: 39 Single Family Remodel/Additions/Decks: 28 New Commercial Buildings: 9 Commercial Tenant Improvements: 29 Retaining Walls: 8 Signs: 22 Unclassified\Other: 6 PED Review - Other in 2021: Pre-Applications: 18 Public Record Requests: 47 Virtual or In-Person Consultations: 7 Grading Applications: 9 Business License Applications: 325 Code Enforcement Cases: 3

The Sophie broke ground in November at the Old City Hall location. Bridgestone Tires opened in early 2021.

Norland Trails Apartments starting renting Sept 1. Crystal View division 1 started selling homes in early 2021.

2021 Year in Review - Long Range Planning!

Kitsap Buildable Lands Report: The Review & Evaluation Program, commonly referred to as the Buildable Lands Program, is an integral part of Washington State's Growth Management Act (GMA). The program is required by the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 36.70A.215 and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 365-196-315 and the main deliverable is the Buildable Lands Report (BLR). The BLR looks at the City of Bainbridge Island, City of Bremerton, City of Poulsbo, City of Port Orchard, and unincorporated areas of Kitsap County to review if they are growing as planned. In addition to the reviewing growth trends, the report also evaluates urban areas to determine if there is sufficient land remaining to accommodate growth targets in local policies and plans. The report offers government agencies across Kitsap County an opportunity to collect and evaluate data using a common framework. The BLR serves as an important first milestone as Kitsap County and local cities work to update their Comprehensive Plan by June 2024. Over the course of 15 months, PED staff worked diligently to provide Kitsap County with the necessary information on behalf of Poulsbo. The final 2013-2019 Buildable Lands Report can be viewed here. Kitsap Countywide Planning Policies: Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council (KRCC) began a process to update the Kitsap Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) in 2020 to ensure consistency with Puget Sound Regional Council’s Vision 2050. A draft CPP was released in May 2021, and the Planning Commission and City Council held a joint workshop on May 26, 2021. The KRCC Executive Board held a public hearing on July 6, 2021, approved the draft CPP and transmitted the CPP to Kitsap County Board of County Commissioners (KBCC). The KBCC held their public hearing on September 27, 2021, deliberated on October 11, 2021 and adopted the Kitsap Countywide Planning Policies on October 11, 2021. According to the by-laws of KRCC, three cities must ratify amendments to the CPPs. The Poulsbo City Council approved a resolution ratifying the 2021 CPP update on November 17, 2021.   The CPPs supports the PSRC Vision 2050 - a four-county regional plan. All of the jurisdiction’s comprehensive plan updates must be consistent with both Vision 2050 and the CPPs. During work on the comprehensive plan update, staff will be discussing and referring to the CPPs. The newly updated CPPs are available for viewing here (note: one more city needs to ratify for it to become fully adopted). Population Growth Trends: The PED and Engineering staff began preliminary work on a technical memorandum on population growth trends. While the memorandum is not complete enough to share, it is a top priority for the new year. The memo will report the annual population growth rates for Poulsbo, and identify future growth rate assumptions options. This memorandum will serve as a basis for discussion with the Planning Commission and City Council on Poulsbo’s preferred growth target, that will then be brought forward to the Population Target setting process with Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council.   Housing Action Plan (HAP): The City received a grant from Washington State Department of Commerce for a consultant to assist the City with developing a Housing Action Plan (HAP). The Housing Action Plan was delayed and its process complicated a bit due to covid and deliverable deadlines, but we are rounding the corner to its completion. The HAP is a high-level policy document with substantial technical analysis found in the Housing Needs Assessment (Appendix A). The HAP identifies strategies that can help improve housing supply and affordability, through four key objectives. Check out the HAP website here (find links to appendices) and final report here.  Commercial Land Analysis: This year, PED retained Beckwith Consulting Group (and subcontractor E.D. Hovee and Company) to complete a technical memorandum - Commercial Land Market Analysis for City of Poulsbo. The Market Analysis key elements 1) reviewed demographic and commercial market trends; 2) address future commercial employment potentials; and 3) identify and evaluate alternative scenarios of prospective commercial demand space. This report provides important data to consider during the comprehensive plan land use scenarios. We will be discussing the report’s findings and recommendations next year, and feel free to check it out here. Shoreline Master Program (SMP) Update: The 2021 SMP Update was approved by City Council on December 1 and will be effective December 20. All documents are available via the project website here! Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan Update: The Parks Commission approved the updated Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan at their November meeting. The PROS plan will be in front of City Council for review and approval by resolution in December. All documents are available via the project website here. The PROS provides comprehensive guidance on the development and management of Poulsbo’s parks, recreation and open space system and the services provided by the Parks and Recreation Department. The PROS Plan is updated every six-years and serves as a strategic plan for managing and enhancing our parks and recreation services.  Best Available Science Gap Analysis and Recommendations: The City’s environmental consultant, Grette Associates, is finalizing a first draft evaluating updates to Best Available Science and new regulatory requirements regarding environmental protection of Wetlands and Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas (FWHCAs). The document will provide the technical analysis necessary for a future update to the City’s Critical Areas Ordinance. The document includes 1) gap analysis and best available science review; 2) an existing conditions analysis of all FWHCAs in the city limits; and 3) recommended protection measures.

New Planning Commissioners

We welcomed two new Planning Commissioners in the latter half of 2021: David Strickon was appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council on July 14, 2021. He is a five year resident of Poulsbo and is very interested in balancing growth while maintaining Poulsbo's excellent quality of life. He has substantial experience in data analysis, software development, and managing teams.  Doug Newell was appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council on September 8, 2021. He has been a Poulsbo resident since 2014, having served all over the world in the US Navy. Doug is looking forward to the upcoming update to Poulsbo’s comprehensive plan and the need to accommodate growth, while providing good planning and active engagement with our community and adjoining stakeholders. He currently is an assistant superintendent with a local school district. Thank you David and Doug for your willingness to serve the citizens of Poulsbo, and for being willing to join the Planning Commission for the next few years of work on the comprehensive plan update!

PED Department Transitions

Karla Boughton's last day as Planning and Economic Development Director will be December 15. However, Karla is not leaving Poulsbo completely. She will be working on various long range planning projects in 2022 in her new role as ‘Special Projects’ staff! Heather Wright will be the new PED Director as of December 16! Heather was the Planning and Community Development Director at the City of Bainbridge Island before joining the Poulsbo team.  Marla Powers, one of our Associate Planners, has accepted a position with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and will be leaving the City mid-December. Recruitment for her position will begin in the new year. Jess Rae, PED’s Administrative Assistant, has accepted a position in the City Clerk’s office. We will miss her, but happy that she is staying in the Poulsbo family! Tiffany Simmons has been hired to be the new PED’s Department’s Administrative Assistant. We look forward to her starting on December 16!

Happy Holidays from your 2021 PED Staff!

Above (from left): Jess Rae, Karla Boughton, Marla Powers, Nikole Coleman, and Edie Berghoff

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Planning & Economic Development 200 NE Moe Street | Poulsbo, WA 98370-7347 (360) 394-9748 | fax (360) 697-8269 www.cityofpoulsbo.com | plan&econ@cityofpoulsbo.com