On cue, Groundwater Management Plan on agenda

Winslow Way affordable housing, street funding, too

The Groundwater Management Plan was top of mind among public comments about the Comprehensive Plan at the most-recent Bainbridge Island City Council meeting.

So, almost on cue, an update on the plan will be provided from consultant EA Engineering at the Jan. 20 council meeting.

The council also will discuss the affordable housing project at the site of the former police station, along with the need to increase funding for street maintenance.

The council at its last meeting on the GMP Sept. 24 asked for a consultant hydrogeologist to answer questions at a future meeting. The council is concerned because BI is a sole source acquifer so groundwater recharge is of utmost importance. The council seeks expert advice about that related to population increases and climate stresses.

City leaders want to know if water resources can be sustainably managed under a 20-year population increase, and what actions need to be taken to mitigate impacts of groundwater withdrawal? A draft of the plan is expected in April.

An analysis says there would be enough water to accommodate the growth, which aims to produce more-affordable housing on BI. However, monitoring would need to be ramped up also for wells and streams, the memo says.

The first two stages of the GMP are nearly complete—documenting existing conditions and modeling scenarios. Impact mitigation work is under way.

BI has surface-, ground- and storm-water, with groundwater the only drinking source. There are 1,400 wells—some private and some for communities— that are 10- to 1,000-feet deep. BI monitors for the risk of seawater intrusion and pumping more than an aquifer’s safe yield.

The modeling looked at groundwater recharge, sea-level rise and population growth/pumping under various circumstances.

To set the record straight, contrary to a public comment at the council’s last meeting, the Kitsap Public Utility District says between 2001-21 the groundwater production rate on BI did not increase over four times the rate of population increase.

Regarding the affordable housing project on Winslow Way, the Low Income Housing Institute will construct 90 affordable units at a cost of over $49 million for a mix of household sizes, ages and income levels. They would be 1 to 3 bedroom sold at 60% of the Area Median Income.

It is envisioned the ground floor will be for commercial enterprises, along with parking for 108 stalls. The project may suggest car share as an incentive to reduce parking. The projected height of the project is 45 feet.

There would be 3,900 square feet of green space in a plaza with outdoor seating and opportunities for community events. There would be four live-work units fronting Winslow Way that would support local artists and small businesses.

Meanwhile, the final agenda item on the Roads Preservation Program says the goal of the street maintenance program is to preserve the life of the streets at the least cost possible.

The city has 282 miles of paved road and uses difference techniques to maintain them. 29.5% of them are very poor to fair. Between 2014-22 $500,000 a year was spent on road maintenance. In 2019, an analysis suggested spending $1.8 million a year. Nothing changed until 2023, when $1 million a year has been budgeted. For the future, from $2.5 million to $5 million will be needed. A slide to be shown Tuesday says minor repairs can cost $5,000 per city block, while street reconstruction on neglected roads can cost $250,000 per city block.

The council will discuss funding options to increase money for road maintenance. Ideas include: a levy; council or voter-approved bonds; property tax increase; sales tax hike; or car tab fee increase.