Bucking neighborhood opposition, the Bainbridge city council took the bold step of approving a new plan for developing a long-unused piece of public property on Manitou Beach.

The project — which will include a new earth-friendly parking lot on Manitou Beach Drive as well as a boardwalk to the beach and other modest amenities — will finally give beachgoers a place to legally park their vehicles or lock up their bikes for a short visit to the prime piece of shoreline.

Opposition against improving the property by nearby neighbors stretches back years, and people living in the area have vigorously fought prior attempts to fully open the public land to the public. Neighbors have complained in the past about loud parties on the property, trash left behind by visitors and increased traffic along Manitou Beach.

The neighborhood’s worries are valid. But we support development of the land in the revised plan now being pursued.

The city’s plan is a compromise proposal, and we believe the completion of the project may actually lessen the problems that have occurred on the property in the past.

Originally, the city envisioned a six-stall parking lot. Neighbors wanted no public parking, and the site limited to pedestrians and bicyclists only.

The city came back with a revised proposal for four stalls, including one space devoted to handicapped visitors.

Neighbors then asked for just two stalls. But, as pointed out at this week’s council meeting, with one space set aside for the handicapped, that would leave just one parking space for all of the other visitors from across Bainbridge Island who would want to visit the property on Manitou Beach.

The compromise of four stalls is best. Manitou Beach boasts one of the finest scenic viewpoints to be found on the island, with a postcard-perfect view of the Seattle skyline from across Murden Cove.

Installing the parking lot will finally give the public a return on the $350,000 investment they made more than a dozen years ago. And with parking time limited, we hope the aggressive enforcement of parking limits (as seen downtown) and the likely increase of families and other visitors to the beach, will cut down on the problems that have plagued the property in the past.