Many on Bainbridge Island are concerned that consultants and city staff have had too much control over the process of the update of the Winslow Subarea Plan.

Apparently, the City Council feels the same way.

At their council meeting April 11, members voted to have a steering committee of three councilmembers and three planning commissioners provide some oversight not only on that project, but also the upcoming work on the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos was the main force behind the effort. She said there likely would be efficiencies integrating the two processes.

But the driving force behind her effort was comments from the community about the lack of public engagement. Let’s “not just put dots on ideas that have already been developed”, she said. We need a “back and forth narrative — more open and less structured opportunities.”

Deputy mayor Jon Quitslund added, We “do need to provide continuity over the whole…” planning process.

Councilmember Michael Pollock reminded members that the planning commission had recommended a committee of three councilmembers, three planning commissioners, and members of the Race Equity and Climate Change advisory committees, along with an at-large member. “And a partridge in a pear tree,” he joked.

But Hytopoulos and councilmembers Leslie Schneider, Joe Deets and Clarence Moriwaki said that recommendation was for a different type of committee.

Schneider said there were good reasons to open up the process to other groups for that panel. “But other groups can make their cases as well. It would behoove us to narrow (the scope) and confine it to the group legally bound to this.”

Moriwaki said the larger group would be too cumbersome for this committee. He said the councilmembers “represent the entire island” so members from specific committees aren’t needed. “We represent all points of view on the island,” he said. “We all care about equity and the environment.”

He said if they looked at involving subgroups on the committee, “What about affordable housing? It would be endless.”

Pollock withdrew his motion, and the original plan of 3-3 was passed with an emphasis on broadening public participation.

Housing needs

No one liked it but it still passed.

The Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council has set housing need projections, and this was the chance for the council to share its wishes for a vote that will take place in May. A 2021 state law requires housing elements in Comp Plans that plan for growth for the next 20 years. Much of the housing needs to be affordable, and city leaders want most of the growth in Winslow. However, there are concerns about sewer capacity.

Budgets from 2023-28 will update the wastewater treatment plan so it can handle 85% of the growth, Public Works director Chris Wierzbicki said.

City manager Blair King said the allocation methodology will likely pass, but BI could have passed a protest vote. Two members actually wanted to do that.

Hytopoulos said she doesn’t like how the regional council is controlling what is done on BI. “We should defend our jurisdiction with a protest vote,” she said.

She also had an issue that even with upcoming improvements, the sewer system can’t handle 100% of the growth. She added that any commercial development would lower that 85% number.

“This doesn’t anticipate that,” she said. “It matters whether our sewer plant can handle this. A protest vote is important if we don’t have capacity.”

If the sewer plant can’t handle all the growth, some of it will need to go to other parts of BI.

Moriwaki said, “If we don’t have the sewer capacity, we can’t do it. It’s not mandated.”

Quitslund said the city’s own Housing Needs Assessment has even bigger numbers, so its “more scary.”

Deets said is one of many issues that the state is forcing on local communities. “There’s a lot of anger about what’s happening in Olympia.” Laws are “not workable at the local level.” He encouraged Hytopoulos, the council’s representative on the regional council, to speak her mind when the vote is taken regarding the loss of local control.

As for water demands for growth, the city says upgrades to the Winslow Water Tank should suffice.

In other news

In public comments, Mike Schwank showed support for the city getting involved in providing affordable housing on BI. He said many people seem to want it, especially at the site of the old police station near the ferry docks.

He said with the city doing it, the city could make sure its goals are met. The structure would be what the city wants. The tenants could be people who work here. They could be truly affordable and not a mix of market-rate housing to make sure developers make a profit. Codes would not have to be changed so it could be done in an equitable and expeditious manner with diversity in mind.

King responded saying the city is looking to build 70-100 affordable housing units on the site and is looking at a public-private partnership.

Also at the meeting, King talked about implementation of $80,000 in rent and mortgage assistance via Helpline House. The maximum anyone could get is $2,000 in any two-month period.

In the consent agenda, the city is looking at spending $321,400 for furniture for the new police-court facility and $201,700 for janitorial services.