Kingston advisory council tasked with creating downtown master plan
Sep 26 2008
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following was culled from notes provided by Kingston Citizen’s Advisory Council secretary Mary Kulish from the KCAC meeting Sept. 3. The next meeting of KCAC takes place at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 in the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue headquarters station on Miller Bay Road to accommodate a special presentation by David Moseley of Washington State Ferries.)
The Kingston Citizens’ Advisory Council met Sept. 3. Co-chairs Greg Platz and Denise Lietz were unanimously re-elected to another term. Platz announced long-time KCAC member Dave Hildebrand, whose term ended in August, would not ask to renew his seat on the council. A replacement is sought.
The final list of prioritized action items from the Kingston Sub-Area Plan, including worksheets from community meetings, were submitted to Kitsap County via Pete Sullivan, associate planner for the county’s Department of Community Development who represents the county on KCAC.
Kitsap County Commissioner Steve Bauer was a guest speaker at the September meeting. He praised KCAC members for their work on bringing the sub-area plan document to fruition, saying it would be a good guide for the county as it makes decisions about the growth and look of Kingston and will have an impact as pieces of the plan are implemented in years to come.
The plan has been forwarded to state agencies for comment and then will go to the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners before a public hearing in November. Sullivan said he is translating the process into a narrative, which he will make available to KCAC, and will keep the council informed as the plan progresses.
Creating a master plan for downtown
Commissioner Bauer asked KCAC to help the county develop a master plan for downtown Kingston. Bauer complimented the Kingston Stakeholders’ work on beginning to create a vision for the development of downtown and said it was time to take those ideas and turn them into a comprehensive plan that includes design standards, infrastructure, traffic flow and more
“I have a very powerful, positive vision that this master plan, when completed, will build a core to downtown that attracts outsiders and services locals,” Bauer said.
He noted it now looks like it may be a three-to-four-year project to get money and construction done in the Village Green. He said when complete, it will be a “defining gem” for Kingston’s core with a community center, senior activity room and housing, library, space for the Boys and Girls Club, and meeting areas.
He said the chief concerns are agreement on design standards, manageability of infrastructure, parking downtown, stormwwater drainage and traffic, especially in conjunction with the ferries.
It is imperative, he said, that development be done in such a way that the community buys into it and it is made easier for individuals to build their own projects while fitting into the master plan.
Bauer proposed KCAC become the umbrella group for all committee work on the master plan and host, as needed, public meetings to discuss the plan in stages before it comes to the county in fall 2009.
Bauer said the county would contract with someone for design and conceptual work.
Council members Betsy Cooper, Karen Ross, and others said it is important for boundaries of the master plan to be defined before the process gets under way. Bauer agreed.
KCAC member Annie Humiston said the Village Green, downtown, the Lindvog area up to the medical center at Barber Cut Off Road and the schools are already noted as boundary areas in the design standards document approved a few years ago. She said that document should be revisited for its information on design standards and other issues, tweaking it for updates as necessary so that “we don’t have to reinvent the whole process.”
KCAC member Walt Elliott said it is important to involve downtown residents in the master plan process, and Lietz said even folks who live outside the core are important in the planning because the downtown is where they do shopping and other activities.
Bauer concurred with both, saying that if the county is going to accomplish the task there has to be a broad base of discussion.
The commissioner said the money situation for the county, as for many individuals, is tight so when creating the master plan and its solutions, “we have to think outside the box creatively and do more with less.”
Platz wanted clarification on whether the master plan will be an amendment to the sub-area plan. Scott Diener, policy and planning manager of the county’s DCD who also attended the meeting, affirmed that would be the case. Diener said the county is looking at the county Comprehensive Plan and amendments being completed in October 2009 so Kingston’s master plan should be done by August 2009.
Platz asked what the county needs from KCAC to meet that deadline. Diener said the county would have milestone meetings and public meetings with public vetting throughout the process.
Platz suggested KCAC create a master plan subcommittee to work on the project outside regular council meetings and then report back to the council monthly. He and other council members noted the Stakeholders and Port of Kingston should have roles on the subcommittee. After a motion was passed to create a subcommittee, KCAC members Rick Lanning and Alex Thomsen were appointed to lead the master plan effort.
Community members interested in joining the subcommittee should contact Platz at (360) 509-3181.
Community reports:
Rotary: Clint Boxman said the beer garden at the marina concerts this summer raised $3,000 to $4,000 and Rotary is seeking service projects to support. One underway is making and installing benches for a Hansville park.
Downtown Revitalization Association/Kingston Stakeholders: Ross reported the water gator that volunteers drive around to water hanging flower baskets would be repaired thanks to Commissioner Bauer offering some financial support through his discretionary fund. Boxman said Rotary may be able to cover remaining costs. Ross said a bench and new garbage can were installed across the street from Main Street Ale House and are getting a lot of use. She thanked the Kingston labor school, which helped with the project.
Carpenter Lake/Creek: Steve Heacock said the request for a permit for the trail between Gordon Elementary and Kingston Hills neighborhood trail has been submitted.
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