Four proposals have been submitted to the city of Bainbridge Island for the development of the city’s Suzuki property.
Proposals to develop the land with housing — and one submitted by the Bainbridge parks district to preserve the land as open space — were submitted to city officials last week.
The development proposals all include plans for dozens of homes, with participation by Housing Kitsap or Housing Resources Bainbridge to include “affordable housing” as part of the building projects.
The fate of the property, once eyed by Bainbridge as a potential police station site, has caused concern for many months to islanders in nearby neighborhoods, who are worried about increased traffic and the loss of the forested land. Many residents have called for the land to be preserved as open space, or turned over to the school or park district.
The city earlier issued a “request for proposals” for developing the property — a 13.83-acre undeveloped parcel at the southeast corner of New Brooklyn and Sportsman Club Roads — and the deadline for proposals was Nov. 30.
Under the different development scenarios submitted to the city, the city would be paid between $2.4 million and $2.6 million for the Suzuki property.
Development plans were submitted by:
Housing Kitsap, AKA Investors and Blue Architecture;
Housing Resources Bainbridge, Housing Kitsap; and
Olympic Property Group/Davis Studio Architecture + Design.
The city said this week a community workshop will be held early next year to go over the proposals that were submitted.
Proposal by Housing Kitsap, AKA Investors and Blue Architecture
The plan by Housing Kitsap, AKA Investors and Blue Architecture envisions the construction of 60 homes, with 35 percent of the land developed.
“Our proposal is to develop a small percentage of the property
at the center of the site for permanent affordable housing, while
leaving the trees and pond around the perimeter untouched,” the proposal states.
The plan also includes turning over the forested area of the property “to the city or school district for interpretive use.”
“Our team is proposing to provide a structure in support of that function as a part of our proposal, and we have had conversations with both IslandWood and Harrison Medical Center regarding operation of the site for both interpretive and wellness uses,” the developers added. “Further improvement of the existing trail system is also proposed.”
Housing Kitsap would serve as the co-developer and subsequent manager of the project.
Suzuki Farm
The proposal by Olympic Property Group/Davis Studio Architecture + Design would create a development called Suzuki Farm that would feature 52 homes and a community center.
In its submittal to the city, Olympic Property Group said half of the property would be developed and the other half would be preserved as permanent open space.
Homes would include “affordable housing, self-help housing, and housing
priced for the ‘missing middle,'” according to the developer’s submittal package, and the project would partner with Housing Resources Bainbridge and Housing Kitsap to offer homes “well below the current median home price on Bainbridge Island.”
Proposed construction includes 18 “affordable homes” (six rental carriages houses, 12 single family homes and town homes) and 34 market rate family homes and town homes.
The community center would be 12,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet in size.
According to the developer, “The site plan is designed to cluster homes and buildings in a small portion of the site to preserve as much open space as possible for forest and food production.”
Olympic Resources Group, a subsidiary of Pope Resources, is proposing to buy the land from the city for $2.4 million in cash.
New Brooklyn Glenn
The most intensive development plan has been offered by Housing Resources Bainbridge and Housing Kitsap.
That plan calls for 75 homes in a project called New Brooklyn Glenn, and a land purchase from the city for $2.4 million.
Most of the houses would be rental properties and the development is described as mixed income.
Housing on the Suzuki property would consist of:
• 15 detached two- and three-bedroom single family market-rate homes;
• 12 rent-to-own two- and three-bedroom affordable town homes; and
• 48 one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable rental town homes grouped around a central park.
The plan also includes a 2,200-square-foot community center, a new 3,400-square-foot facility for Bainbridge Island Child Care Center, a half acre centralized neighborhood courtyard, and a quarter acre set-aside for a community vegetable garden. Half of the property would be left undeveloped.
“We believe that our clustered 75-home mixed-income development represents the optimal use of the Suzuki property to help achieve the community’s diversity and affordable housing goals,” wrote Mark Blatter, executive director of Housing Resources Bainbridge, and Stuart Grogan, executive director of Housing Kitsap, in their development proposal.
“The proposed development is higher density – more units per acre – than surrounding neighborhoods, but the fact that most of the units at New Brooklyn Glen are small and affordable will mean the project will have similar impacts to alternatives with fewer but larger and more expensive units,” they added.
The $2.4 million offer for the land is based on the ability to develop 60 affordable multifamily apartments and 15 market rate single family homes for sale, they noted, but if those numbers could not be met, “the land price would be reduced accordingly.”
Bainbridge park proposal
The Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District has offered to take the property and preserve it as a public park.
The park district’s proposal notes that any design of a park for the property would be completed after community outreach meetings and extensive public involvement.
The district is not offering any money for the Suzuki property, but instead has suggested a land transfer from the city to the park district.
