Eleven lien claims were filed in July against the Blossom Hill project being developed by Bill Nelson and his corporation, Rich Pass LLC, according to public records in the Kitsap County Auditor’s office.
Work on four mixed-use buildings fronting Lynwood Center Road had stopped a few months ago. Most of the exterior construction on all but one of the structures had been completed – except for applying the siding.
Nelson, who also owns Nelson Wood and Glass, didn’t return a phone call this week regarding the future of the project.
The Bainbridge Island developer also owns Edna’s Beach Cafe, which recently was listed for sale by RE/MAX Unlimited on Bainbridge Island. On Thursday, the list price for the restaurant and 1.1 acres – located adjacent to the Blossom Hill project – was $3.1 million as of Thursday.
The liens were filed primarily by subcontractors in the Puget Sound area that had worked on the buildings and the adjoining property. The liens, totaling more than $906,000, included a lien for $396,274 filed on July 28 against Rich Pass by Nelson Wood and Glass. Nelson Wood and Glass and Wenzlau Architects were the only Bainbridge Island firms to file a lien.
The Blossom Hill property, bordered on the north by Baker Hilll Road, extended up to the top the hill. The initial plan was to build the four multifamily and retail structures on Lynwood Center Road, followed by the construction of more than 60 multifamily and single-family homes during the next five years.
The project was not without its share of controversy. Last year, about 2,220 dump truck loads of sand was excavated from a triangle of land between Fletcher Bay and Lynwood Center roads and transported to Blossom Hill.
Eventually the city stopped the action after it was decided that more sand had been removed than allowed by the city’s grade-and-fill permit.