Hansville readies for draft plan's last public review

Nearly seven years in the making, the Greater Hansville Area community plan will have an impact on both commercial development and everyday life if adopted by the Board of County Commissioners later this year.

"Land use, transportation and environment are the three critical areas in the plan," Community Development Associate Planner Pete Sullivan told members of the Greater Hansville Area Advisory Committee at a June 9 meeting.

The Hansville plan is much more detailed than a traditional DCD plan, Sullivan said. To demonstrate he held up the Hansville draft which requires a binder with a three-inch spine. By comparison, he held up Manchester's plan contained in just a one-inch binder.

The current draft is partially based on an unofficial assessment of the community, known as the Hansville Futures Plan, begun by the Hansville Community Center in 2003 that brought together 24 of the organizations in the area to survey the needs and the goals of the area.

But Hansville had no official organization affiliated with the county until 2007 when the county organized the GHAAC. Once that step was complete, an official planning process could be undertaken, according to former GHAAC Chairperson Judith Foritano.

Because community plans fall under the Growth Management Act, public participation is required before any plan can be presented to the county planning commission for recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

The current plan, begun in March of 2008 at the request of the county commissioners, is likely to be finalized in late fall. It would cover the next 10 years before being revisited.

Once adopted, the plan will provide a policy framework for land-use decisions by the county that affect nearly every type of public use from housing to economic development to recreation because it is the basis for decisions about capital investment and operations in the county budget. Goals, policies and projects within the plan become legal instruments under the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan.

"We now have a draft plan that is comprehensive enough to reflect the range of concerns that have come up during the planning process. It's scope is broader than most plans because our citizens wanted it to be," Art Ellison, GHAAC chairperson, said.

The Hansville draft covers areas typical to other plans, such as land use, transportation and environment, but then goes into more detail with chapters on demographics, arts and culture, economy, education, housing, human services, public safety and technology.

Among the goals the plan puts forth are the preservation of the area's rural character by creating incentives for Olympic Property Group to preserve land and to assist OPG in master planning when feasible. Another priority is to build "protections to Puget Sound" into the development process through such elements as making stormwater regulations consistent with low-impact development and creating incentives for retaining trees.

Other high priorities include creating a GHAAC subcommittee to review development proposals, create a cultural arts center, coordinate Norwegian Park planning with downtown improvement, reinstate a Kitsap Transit route, evaluate emergency response capabilities, and improve Finn Creek tidal gates or allow it to meander on county park property.

A copy of the draft plan is available on the Kitsap County Web site at www.kitsapgov.com or at the Hansville community site at www.hansville.org. Hard copies are available at the Hansville Store, Little Boston Library and the Driftwood Key Clubhouse.

"DCD's goal is simply to be sure that Hansville residents have the best information to help them comment on the plan and to help them make the plan a success," Sullivan said.

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