Throughout September, the City is focused on completing several significant projects that have been high priorities for 2019.

Near the ferry terminal, you will see the Olympic Drive Non-motorized Improvements coming closer to completion in the next two weeks. This is a challenging time for the project, as we are very close to finishing all the construction tasks, but the area remains in transition. Important features like bike lanes and sidewalks are still impacted. Please use caution - and patience - as you travel in this vicinity. City staff are working hard to provide as much outreach and public information as possible to inform drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians about the change in traffic patterns. Watch the "how to video" on the project webpage or pick up a brochure at City Hall to learn more. There's additional information on project status below.

Over the next two weeks, the City Council expects to complete work to develop new regulations for subdivisions and to change the City's design guidelines. With these initiatives coming to fruition, the Council will then consider whether to significantly narrow the development moratorium that has been in place since January 2018. At the business meeting this week, the Council outlined an approach to the moratorium which they will formally consider at the September 24 meeting. This approach would lift the moratorium for most areas of the island in early December 2019. City staff will use the time in October and November to complete training on the new subdivision rules and design guidelines, to conduct public outreach on these impacts, and to host public workshops for residents and developers who are affected by the changes.

Under this plan, the moratorium would be lifted for all areas outside the Winslow Master Plan Study Area (see map below). Within the Winslow Master Plan Study Area, the Central Core Overlay District is already exempt from the moratorium as a result of Council action in 2018. The remaining areas of Winslow would be subject to the moratorium until June 30, 2020 to allow the Council to continue work to develop new incentives for affordable housing. During this period, subdivisions would be allowed to proceed, however multi-family projects that have not already completed a pre-application meeting will still be on hold.

Another major topic discussed at the meeting this week concerned new rules related to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), tiny homes, and the potential for the City to allow RVs for housing. The Council decided to put their work on these issues onto separate paths to allow some changes to move forward sooner, while Council and staff work to better define other aspects. Specifically, new rules to encourage ADUs and tiny homes will be finalized in October, and then forwarded to the Planning Commission for review. The topic of allowing RVs for housing will come forward later, as a separate ordinance, to allow additional work to refine rules to address fire safety, water and sanitation, and other potential requirements such as screening or buffers. At a later date, the Council will also take up rules related to "tiny home villages."

At the study session next week, the Council will receive a briefing from WSDOT on the planned roundabouts for Highway 305. While public comment is not accepted at study sessions, the Council will allow members of the public to submit written questions at the meeting. Other topics will include additional discussion of proposed changes to the City's Ethics Program, and next steps for two types of incentives to encourage affordable housing (inclusionary zoning and multi-family tax exemptions). The Council will also continue their consideration of a request from Friends of the Farms (FOF) for the City to provide FOF with annual funding to support the organization's work to manage the City's public farmland.

Please see below for more detailed information about these topics and other work in progress.

 

The presentation will focus on an update on the project design and construction schedule, as well as on the options being considered for the SR 305 and Day Road intersection. 

The City's Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage will present on the City's emergency preparedness partnership with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department and Bainbridge Prepares during the Sept. 17 Washington State Emergency Management Association annual conference in Stevenson, Washington. She will be joined by Bainbridge Island Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Jared Moravec and Bainbridge Prepares Co-Founder Scott James. The trio's presentation,  titled "Shaping The Future of Community Preparedness: a Whole Community Approach on Bainbridge Island",  will highlight the early stages of the partnership, how the partnership evolved into its current structure, and ways the partnership is equipping the island to respond to and recover from a major disaster.

 

Through volunteer engagement, community-based training initiatives, implementation of Map Your Neighborhood, building food resilience, serving access and functional needs, preparing local organizations, and creating a Hub shelter system, Bainbridge Island is uniquely preparing the whole community. Click here to learn more about how the partnership is preparing the island.  

Don't forget - you can also learn about this topic and other emergency preparedness topics during the upcoming Three Days of Preparedness events.