A backroom wink and handshake won’t cut it anymore.
Bainbridge Island has placed an emphasis on equity the past few years, and now it is looking at the issue when it comes to parking downtown. The council recently gave city manager Blair King the OK to have staff look at what’s going on and come back with solutions. The city already has started fining people for parking violations. Warnings had been given for years, but that didn’t deter illegal parking. However, police chief Joe Clark has found that some groups, such as BI Rowing, and some neighborhoods have received preferential parking treatment, based on previous unwritten practices not approved by council. We “can’t find any paper trail at all” for those allowances, King said. “That’s not how we want to conduct business.”
The intention of the review is to provide equal access to downtown parking for all residents and visitors. The parking section of BI code is outdated and should be updated for clarity and to reduce duplication with topics covered in state law, city documents say. A Downtown Employee Parking Permit and weekend boat-trailer parking along Brien and Bjune drives are being evaluated. King said the employee parking permit doesn’t have a lot of information, including a cap on the number.
Councilmember Ashley Mathews said she has one. They park behind buildings and in alleys. The permit lasts six months. A fee is paid at the police station. “We’ve lost parking on the east side of Winslow Way because it’s fenced off” because of development coming at the site of the old police station. Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki said he feels bad for the rowing club because it has been allowed to park longer than others for years. He suggested they shorten their practice times. “Rules are rules. We have to be fair across the board.”
The council was told that the boat launch area is underutilized, so Mayor Joe Deets said the city could add “up to thirty parking spaces without doing anything.” Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos said now would be a great time for the city to “encourage greener practices.” She said if city employees and business workers used public transit that would cut down on the need for parking.
During public comments, two people spoke on the issue. John Foy of BI Rowing talked about how popular the program is with people of all ages. He said a two-hour time limit on parking could hurt all of its programs. Stefan Goldby of the BI chamber said the lack of public transportation, especially on Sundays, makes it so that’s not really an option for many. He again emphasized the lack of workforce housing on BI so people who live off-island have to drive into town and park. He mentioned the big city parking lot and sharing resources.
Justice Center
The council authorized increasing from 22% to 42% King’s change order authority for construction of the Ted Spearman Justice Center and to authorize a related budget amendment to move $980,000 from the operating budget to capital projects. The modifications were required to complete the final payments to Clark Construction. The 2023-28 Capital Improvement Plan includes $21.52 million for the Justice Center, and the operating budget includes $536,384 that is carried into 2024. The budget amendment would cover costs of furniture, computer hardware and software needs, and elevator maintenance.
Hytopoulos asked King to explain what was going on because the issue has been so controversial.
He said the original cost of $20 million was based on 2018 estimates. So like most projects, the cost increased due to inflation—in this case close to $1 million. Also, the city made some changes due to input from the Racial Equity Advisory Committee. King made a recommendation to include an emergency operations center, so that added another $320,000. The council also OK’d the use of public art and solar, adding another $350,000. King said all that happens when remodeling an existing building. “There is a lot of unknown.”
Appraisal report
The council heard a report about appraisals regarding the former medical commercial building at 8804 Madison, which is now the Justice Center. Complaints were brought up by the public regarding the appraisal of that site. The purchase price was $8.975 million. S. Murray Brackett reviewed the four appraisals: $9.7 million, $7.52 million, $7.6 million and $7.04 million. He said the one selected was in the middle of the range and was “done in a professional manner.”
Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki said many materials from the demolition were turned into homes for interns who work on farm property. “I pulled hundreds of nails out of hundreds of boards for that,” he said.
Traffic calming
BI Public Works director Chris Wierzbicki said traffic calming devices will be installed on Grow Avenue before the end of April after the council OK’d the work. Councilmember Leslie Schneider said it’s good to see the project progressing as there have been a few other efforts, and residents are likely frustrated that it’s taken so long.
City documents say the traffic calming will address day-to-day traffic speeds on Grow and will also serve to mitigate traffic speeds associated with any “spillover” traffic in relation with the upcoming Madison Avenue reconstruction project.
Winslow, Comp plans
The council received reports on the Winslow Subarea and Comprehensive plans. The plans serve as policy documents that guide city services and decisions regarding land use, housing, transportation and more. They serve to unify and further the work of other recently adopted policy including the Climate Action and Sustainable Transportation plans, city documents say.
Alternatives for both plans are being analyzed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to ensure the public and decision-makers have technical information related to impacts and tradeoffs of potential actions. Next steps include work on a draft EIS that combines review of Winslow alternatives with the island-wide alternatives. The city expects the draft EIS to be complete in late spring. Staff is working with consultants and the Steering Committee to map out ideas, concepts and plans for public engagement.
Public comment
Two youths talked about how Mexicans and Latinos are treated differently on BI. Calvin Culver said BI is tailored for the wealthy, and that minorities “struggle to speak out” due to “fear, being judged and being looked down on.” He said his father works in construction and brought the family to BI to escape poverty and to seek better opportunities. He said too many can’t afford to live here and live off-island. He said different voices need to be heard, and government does not properly represent minorities. “We aren’t invisible and should not be treated as such.” The other young man agreed, saying they face injustices. He said Hispanics should be represented on the Race Equity Advisory Committee, and to be truly inclusive, the community needs to embrace Latino history.
