News Roundup – Density plan on the docket/Watch out for pedestrians/Schools host open house/Adopt-a-Road spreads to BI

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Density plan on the docket

The City Council will host a public hearing tonight on a proposal for greater development density allowances in exchange for public amenities.

The proposal would amend city code to allow for density bonuses in multifamily zones as an incentive for developers to include parks or open spaces.

Possible requirements for density bonuses include stipulations that open spaces abut public areas and border 15-foot setbacks on private lands.

The amount of density bonuses would equal twice the percentage of the total lot area designated as open space. As an example, if 25 percent of the total lot area is reserved for public use, a developer may be awarded a 50 percent density bonus, allowing for increased height limit for new construction.

The council is scheduled hear public comment and discuss proposed density bonus amendments at 7:20 p.m. tonight.

Other items on the council’s agenda include preliminary plat approval of the Madison Ridge subdivision, establishing a no-parking area on Grow Avenue and establishing policies for future city budgets.

Watch out for pedestrians

The city will post hand-held flags at two Winslow crosswalks today as part pilot program to improve pedestrian safety.

The flags, to be posted on Winslow Way and Bjune Drive are intended to help pedestrians cross busy streets safely by alerting drivers to stop.

A walker wanting to cross the street is instructed to pick up an orange flag from a container located at either end of the two test crosswalks. The walker crosses the street and deposits the flag in a second container for use by other pedestrians.

The pilot program will run six months, during which time public comments will be collected.

Residents are encouraged to provide comments about the program. Email pwadmin@ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us, or call 780-3701.

Schools host open house

Parents finally get the chance to put the high school’s new science rooms under the microscope.

The school will host an open house at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow to show off the $1.76 million project, in which four math classrooms were converted to three larger science rooms in the school’s 300 building.

Along with technology improvements, the new rooms are expected to bolster science education at the school, which has seen increased enrollment in recent years.

The project is the first step toward a series of improvements at BHS.

Next year the school will begin a larger renovation that will replace the current 200 building with a structure twice its size.

The new building will include a new library, commons and more classroom and administrative space.

In addition to the science rooms, the district over the summer upgraded the school’s heating and ventilation and repaired the roof.

Adopt-a-Road spreads to BI

Kitsap County Adopt-a-Road Program now includes Bainbridge Island.

The program allows local businesses or community service groups to “adopt” stretches of road for regular volunteer trash clean-ups.

From 1996 to 2003, the litter crews collected nearly 400 tons of litter from county roads.

But more help is needed. The Washington State Department of Transportation graded Kitsap County at a 5.3 on a scale of 1 to 5.9, with 5.9 being the most littered areas.

Statewide, over 4,000 tons of litter was collected between 2001 to 2003. About 600 tons of this trash was recycled.

Groups who sign up with the Adopt-a-Road Program pledge to take on a mile section of roadway and clean both sides at least once a year. Most cleanings happen twice annually – once in the fall and once in the spring.

For more informantion, contact Kitsap County Public Works at (800) 825-4940 or solidwaste@co.kitsap.wa.us