Affordable housing tops the list for a packed Bainbridge Island City Council agenda Tuesday as the last two meetings were canceled.
The council also plans to cancel the Aug. 22 and Sept. 5 meetings.
At the Aug. 8 meeting, city manager Blair King will talk about council discussions regarding affordable housing at the old police station site near the ferry dock. The discussions have been taking place in executive session as real estate talks are exempt from the state’s open public meetings law.
A city memo explains it’s an appealing location due to its proximity to shopping and the transportation hub. This early study will look at constraints to affordable housing due to city code, confirm scale and financial feasibility, and establish a path to success. A private affordable housing development partner would be responsible for final design, permit processing, layout, unit count and financing.
Initial financial feasibility anticipates up to 8,000 square feet for ground-floor commercial use. The height is proposed at 45 feet, consistent with current zoning. The cost is about $475,000 per unit or about $47.5 million for the total project. A 100-unit rental project is financially feasible with a count of 31 studio units (330 square feet each); 30 one-bedroom units (565 SF); 27 two-bedroom units (700 SF); and 12 three-bedroom units (925 SF). The range of affordability is very low to low (60% and below area median income).
An earlier feasibility study done by ECONorthwest concluded that a mixed market-rate plus affordable housing project was not financially feasible.
Sources of income include $19 million plus in Low Income Housing Tax Credit, along with tax-exempt and city gap financing.
The council later in the meeting expects to reduce land permit fees for affordable housing projects.
And the consent agenda allows King to take bids to demolish the old police station for an affordable housing project as the new Ted Spearman Justice Center on Harrison Avenue is opening.
Also on that agenda is $24,000 more for the center; accepting bids for the Ferncliff water main extension; allowing Verizon to put an antenna on the Winslow Water Tank; $465,000 for the water tank replacement project; and a $100,000 grant for sea level rise.
Also on that agenda, which usually is approved without discussion, is an item explaining that one of the five pieces selected by the council for the next Something New annual art rotation project has been sold—the one called Unam by Ken McCall. The council is being asked to approve a piece called Dragonfly by Leon White as a replacement for the City Hall location.
Finally, that agenda lists Akio Suyematsu Day from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 20 or 27. He died July 31, 2012, the last Japanese American farmer on BI. Events in his honor have followed. This year’s event would include speakers, displays, a tractor parade, guided walking tours on the 40-acre property, drinks and light refreshments.
Under general business, King will have a busy meeting.
He is expected to explain the police quarterly report, which shows: Calls for service up from 4,007 last year to 4,725 this year; traffic infractions up from 76 to 199; collisions up from 54 to 69; and driving under the influence up from eight to 10. Crimes against property are down from 260 to 141; crimes against people down from 40 to 30; and adult arrests down from 72 to 54.
Also at the meeting, King will talk about progress made with the Climate Action Plan, the city’s workplan priorities, the Sustainable Transportation Plan and explain what the next BI Reads Book is.
The council expects to amend city transportation impact fees to a proposed $5,000, which would help pay for 49 projects costing $73 million in the STP. It expects to amend regulations on waste reduction, including removing the 25-cent cup fee. And it will also find out results of a survey that show 529 people, or 56% of respondents, favor spending $70,000 to put a tree mural on the new water tank.
Finally, the council will look at a $300,000 request for cultural funding, a plan to solicit for political lobbying services and make appointments to the Climate Change Advisory Committee. It will also consider a request to ask that King be allowed to attend Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council meetings. He said recently that BI is at a disadvantage without that representation.
No mention on the agenda is made about a key item to be discussed at the last meeting that was canceled: a presentation from the City Thread’s Accelerated Mobility Playbook. The national nonprofit consulting team helps cities advance mobility projects. Their presentation shows that mobility infrastructure helps solve problems dealing with population growth, traffic congestion, housing affordability, climate change, job access, street safety, air quality and public health. BI’s goal is to complete 15 miles of mobility projects from the STP by 2026.
