Bainbridge wanted to be a leader when it comes to supporting electric vehicles.
But it was shocked to find out it went too far.
Charged with finding a solution, the City Council backed off some commercial regulations at its meeting Jan. 28 to make them the same as state standards.
During public comments, Mev Hoberg, a Helpline House board of director, explained how the law would have hurt its efforts. She said Helpline House is trying to add a new facility at their same site and the law would have added a lot of construction costs to their effort.
She said mostly volunteers use their parking lot, and they wouldn’t need EV chargers because they are taking short trips from home. With the previous law, Helpline House would have had to charge visitors for parking—which would lead to an equity issue with their clientele. She also said the law predicts future electric loads that “may never come into existence.”
Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki defended the effort to be tougher than the state standard, but said even by pulling back it’s still a “good benchmark.” He said people will be coming to BI from longer distances, and they will need places to charge their vehicles.
Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos agreed, saying she’s “disappointed in the evolution here.”
But Councilmember Brenda Fantroy-Johnson said, while we almost always want to be a leader, “Sometimes it’s best to pull back.”
Some on the council were bothered that only the commercial part of the EV law was being changed. The council will look at possible residential changes later on. They said the tougher standards should remain there, especially for multifamily developments.
Councilmember Leslie Schneider said multifamily units need to have access to charging, but it’s OK to skip this time to get the other part done. She called the discussion an “eye-opener” finding out all the additional equipment needed for a parking lot to be EV-ready. “We need to be careful with the intent and consequences.”
Hytopoulos said it was an important decision, and she didn’t want the issue to be “kicked down the road.”
Moriwaki said it’s an equity issue because people in multifamily developments can’t afford garages. He didn’t want to see people using extension cords going out their windows to their vehicles to charge them.
Stormwater plan
Another presentation at the meeting was on the Stormwater System Plan.
A presentation slide says: “The purpose of the Stormwater System Plan is to identify the city’s storm drainage and stormwater program challenges and recommend potential solutions and strategies that align with best management practices and governing regulations. Without a plan city management runs the risk of inefficiently managing future investments, duplicating efforts and violating the Clean Water Act.”
Stormwater regulations can prevent flooding, ensure public safety, minimize property damage and protect streams, aquifers and Puget Sound, the slide says. Preservation projects are the only area not meeting expectations.
Another slide says stormwater income typically exceeds expenses; spending in 2023 was $2.9 million, and expenses are split 50-50 between projects and programs. As for the future, goals are to prioritize maintenance and preservation of the existing system and to build capacity. Adding staff and funding also are priorities.
Public comments
The majority of those commenting talked about the long-delayed BI Groundwater Management Plan.
Charlie Kratzer, a Suquamish Tribe hydrologist, complained about the lack of transparency. He said people should not have to use Public Records Requests to get information. He said it should be available to all on the city website. He called it “shameful” and said the city should turn the water system over to the Kitsap Public Utility District so it’s done right. He said the city claims water is its most important asset, but it doesn’t even have a hydrologist.
Lisa Neal said the city is just giving away its water infrastructure in favor of development. “Why aren’t you doing anything to protect this place?” she asked.
Ron Peltier said the Planning Commission is worried about trying to make decisions about the Comprehensive Plan without a GMP, and even the city’s consultant to the GMP wonders if the city is trying to “derail the process to make us look incompetent.”
Malcolm Gander wondered why that consultant would be so defensive. He said the city needs to bring to light, “Why this back and forth?” He said there is some misinformation in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in the Comp Plan so there needs to be a “real public meeting.”
Lisa Macchio called for a peer review as there is some expertise in the community on the topic that city staff doesn’t have.
Melanie Keenan said the GMP and Comp Plan need to be looked at together. She said the Comp Plan DEIS is calling for too much growth as it doesn’t even include information on an exemption the city has due to it having a sole-source aquifer. She said it doesn’t have to be affordable housing or the environment; it can be both. She also said the DEIS misrepresents housing as it’s not all affordable.
On other topics, Sarah Cyder of Windermere complained about the amended BI sign law. She said the goal is to unclutter Winslow Way by limiting temporary signs. But she said Open House signs for real estate are only out a few days a week for a few hours. They are not there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. She agreed those are an “eyesore and public nuisance.” She said in most cities there are separate laws for commercial and real estate signs. Mayor Ashley Mathews said later they will look into it and possibly consider a revision.
Finally, Bloedel Reserve trustee Andy Maron introduced their new president and CEO, Evan Meyer. “This is one of the best public gardens in the world,” Meyer said, adding they would like to become an even bigger community asset and reduce congestion in Winslow and on the roads.