Time is of the Essence

While most of us are recovering from Thanksgiving and are occupied with family and upcoming holidays, the City machine chugs ever onward with a slew of Comprehensive Plan amendments on Council's agenda this evening. The PostScript has been particularly concerned about changes proposed for the Winslow Master Plan that relate to the redevelopment of the Ferry and Gateway Districts. We are republishing here excerpts from comments that were posted on Green Voices for Bainbridge Island yesterday.

To read the full text of the proposed amendments, see Council's agenda for this evening. The public hearing on these proposed amendments will be at tonight's City Council meeting.


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The following excerpt is taken from the public comments of the Cave Neighborhood Community Council, which represents more than 200 residences adjacent to the Ferry and Gateway Districts.


“The Ferry/Gateway Plan was designed to put the city in a position to run parallel with the state's planning of the Ferry Passenger Terminal. Work on the ferry terminal plan is essentially on indefinite hold due to funding shortages, yet the city is rapidly advancing amendments to the
Comp Plan which to some degree even try to dictate to the State Department of Transportation how the passenger terminal should be developed. Though this may be laudable, we suspect if and when the passenger terminal plan is restarted by the state, it may not mesh with the city's plan.

Overall, our neighborhood finds the EIS lacking in assessment, sensitivity to and even consideration of the severe impact of possible new roads and high-density housing on our old established Cave Avenue residential area, and the neighborhoods to the east and north of us, as well as on the rich natural landscapes that exist in this area, especially the Winslow Ravine.

The more buildings, the taller the buildings, the more parking lots and roads – including Alternative Three's proposal to build a vehicle overpass over State Route 305 to connect Wyatt Way and Ferncliff Avenue – will obviously have a far greater impact on our natural and human environment than more modest development. And modest growth far more accurately matches the present small-town character of Winslow, which we believe is the island-wide desire for our urban center. The question our board raises is this: is this plan and EIS "managing" growth or accelerating and perhaps maximizing it? The plan, particularly Alternative Three, puts the Ferry/Gateway Districts in danger of becoming part of Seattle's growth management plan
rather than protecting any distinctive island character.”

To read more go here.



Excerpted from comments to Council by Kirsten Hytopoulos, moderator of Green Voices for Bainbridge Island.

"As with all Winslow Tomorrow related projects, the obvious question here is "What's the rush?"– especially when WSF is obviously strapped for cash, the economy is heading south and there appears to be a surplus of both condominium units and retail storefronts in Winslow. It appears that there is no rush and that these amendments are premature. Why premature? Because, in addition to a lack of present demand for additional capacity, I do not believe that these proposed changes have been properly vetted for the following reasons:

(1)This is another example of piecemeal planning with Island-wide implications. A vision for these districts must be examined and decided within the context of a plan for the entire Island taking into consideration everything from population distribution (e.g.discouraging development outside Winslow) to an Island-wide open space plan to budget restraints to water availability.

(2) The community is by and large not even aware that these decisions are being made, let alone properly informed of their opportunity to be heard on the matter. Council must not act without confidence that the proposed amendments represent a responsible plan for the Island that reflects the will of Island residents.

Staff has assured you, and the Planning Commission appears to have believed, that the proposed Comp Plan amendments are innocuous, and create a very "general" vision for the districts. I would respond that even a broad policy statement is a policy statement, and that it is imperative that you believe that the basic assumptions being put forth in these amendments reflect the community's vision and not that of staff, financial stakeholders or urban design consultants alone. Consider the decision to delete language specifying that the district is "not envisioned to be an extension of the Core" and the addition of language stating that new development in the Ferry district should "complement the character and vitality of the Core District". Some would argue that those changes amount to stating that we should have dense, homogeneous development from Ferncliff to Grow. If that is true, or could reasonably be argued at a later stage, then you must ask yourself if that is how the majority of Islanders want our downtown to grow. Or do we want to preserve key places, such as the semi-rural feeling of the gateway to our City and the scale of our main street?"

To read more go here.