HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/11/95TAPE #1325
UNAPPROVED DRAFT
COUNCIL
;APPROVED
NOV 1 1995
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 11, 1995
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#0050
The regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Bremerton
was called to order in the City Council Chambers, 239 4th Street,
Bremerton, Washington, Wednesday, October 11, 1995, at 5:30 P.M.,
with Council President Sherril Huff-Menees presiding. Council
members present were Bob Winters, A1 Colvin, Morrie Dawkins, Carlos
Montgomery, John Law, David Farr, Richard Neville, and Lon Overson.
Also present were City Attorney Ian Sievers and City Clerk Kathy
McCluskey.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Council
President Huff-Menees and Invocation given by Reverend Pastor
Webster of Westpark Christian Church.
CONSENT AGENDA
A. Minutes - September 20, 1995 #AB95-225
M/S/C/U(Neville/Farr) to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.
CLAIMS/CHECK REGISTERS
Vouchers audited and certified by the auditing officer as required
by RCW 42.24.080, and those expense reimbursement claims certified
as required by RCW 42.24.090, have been recorded on a listing that
had been made available to the Council.
M/S/C/U(Colvin/Dawkins) on October 11, 1995, the Council does
approve for payment those vouchers included and further described
as follows: 188564 through 188566, 188602 through 188799 in the
amount of $1,498,946.57; and Regular Payroll for the period ending
9-30-95, in the amount of $682,225.06.
president Huff-Menees made the following announcement:
(1) City Council Study Session - October 16, 1995, starting at 5:30
P.M., in the Council conference Room. Topics to be discussed:
(A) Presentation By Consultant John Haywood on Risk Management
Review; (B) Computer Upgrade; (C) Executive Session to discuss
review of Personnel Performance.
COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS
Mr. Overson reported today he attended a meeting of the Catholic
Community Services where they received an update report on the
reconstruction project going on at the "old Elks building".
Efforts are underway to rename that facility and of the names
considered all have "Truman" as part of the designation. The
present plan identifies completion date of the facility and
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operational in April of 1996. The project calls for retail space
in the section facing Pacific Avenue and on the second floor.
Anyone interested in using some of that retail space, such as
restaurants, should contact the Catholic Community Services Office
in Seattle.
Mr. Neville wished his wife "Happy Anniversary" today.
Mr. Farr reported on a good turnout at the Neighborhood Information
Network meeting on October 10th. The agenda for that meeting
included a guest speaker from HUD and Bremerton Housing Authority,
who discussed the administration of subsidized housing in the
neighborhoods. Comments will still be received on that topic and
anyone desiring to add their input may contact Mayor Horton's
Office or the City Council Office. Today, he received a call from
Mary Sump, who was involved in a very serious automobile accident,
expressing her extreme thanks to the City employees and members of
the community for their donations of food and money to her family.
She did not know how they would have survived without the generous
help offered.
Mr. Law reported the District #3 Neighborhood Meeting will be held
October 17, 1995, 7:00 P.M., at the Senior Center. The subject of
that meeting will be "What Are Your 1995 Priorities For Bremerton".
He is interested in hearing input on the issue of the City's 1996
budget and any other concerns residents may have. Under the
heading of "have I got a deal for you", the State of Washington has
published in various publications an insert on Washington's
Transportation Plan and in this plan is a Survey, which is to be
mailed back to the State. Anyone wishing to fill out the Survey
may do so by picking up a copy in the foyer of City Hall. He noted
Question #3 on the survey asks whether or not you are interested in
having an expansion of the ferry service. Mailing in the Surveys
is important because the Department Of Transportation will be
counting the replies and in turn those sending in the Surveys will
receive a Washington State Map.
Mr. Montgomery reported on another enjoyable evening at Yesterday's
Dinner Theater. Work on Forest Ridge Park is progressing slowly.
A number of complaints have been made regarding the barricades
having a pedestrian access into the park, which is currently being
corrected. It was noted that someone drove around the barricades
along the side of the hillside. He announced a couple of trees
were removed along 1st Street due to installation of a utility
line. He pointed out the trees were located in City right-of-way-
Mr. Colvin reported on a very enjoyable evening at the Bremerton
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Symphony. He announced on October 15 the Ebenezer African Methodist
Church will celebrate its 83rd birthday and everyone is invited to
help them celebrate. He expressed his "thanks" to the
employees/management of Holly Ridge for their interest in helping
to get rid of the Scotch broom on Warren Avenue Bridge. He hoped
other citizens might join in helping to do away with the Scotch
broom and replant the areas with other kinds of vegetation. He has
no solution for parking problems in Bremerton, if there are
problems. The next District #1 Neighborhood Meeting, scheduled for
November 16, will consist of a roundtable discussion between the
current City Council members and former City Council members.
Mr. Winters stated he hoped the Catholic Community Services would
pick his entry for naming their facility. He reminded everyone of
Kitsap Party, which will be held October 14, and the fact it is a
unique, elegant night out on the town and at the same time raising
funds for many worthwhile agencies. He reminded those attending
that event to please enjoy the food, but to be cautious about their
drinking.
Mrs. Huff-Menees wished Mr. Neville and his wife Kathi "Happy
Anniversary"-
MAYOR'S REPORT
Mayor Lynn Hotton made the following announcements:
(1) The 1996 Applications for Christmas In April/Kitsap are
available in her office. Those residing in Kitsap County and own
their home and can establish a need, may be eligible to have
repairs done to their home at no cost.
(2) The 1996 State Side Recycle Weeks begins October 16. Since
1987 citizens of Washington State have set an example nation-wide
for solid waste reduction. Information on programs and activities
can be obtained by calling 1-800-RECYCLE. The City is sponsoring
a program titled ,'Pollution Prevention Contract", which offers
household options for reduction of toxins and solid waste.
Information on that program may be obtained by calling Terrie
O'Neill, Municipal Services Coordinator 478-5387.
Mayor Horton reported the Growth ManagementAppeals Board rejected
Kitsap County's Comprehensive Plan in total, which she found to be
a surprise to most people. The sense was a portion of that Plan
would be nullified, but having the whole document thrown out is
detrimental to the City as well as the County. The City has been
involved with the discussion with the County and State and other
appellants in the Growth Management Appeals and are committed to
working cooperatively with the County to achieve a remedy. She
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believes there needs to be an understanding of what the Growth
Management Act is all about and the City needs some assurances that
some attitudes are going to change and the County will work
cooperatively for the best interest of all. She does not believe
anyone knows what the final outcome will be on this issue, but
everyone is committed to having a successful end to the problems
faced over the past several years.
Mayor Horton read the following Proclamation:
(1) October 1995 as HEADSTART MONTH. The Proclamation was accepted
by Jeanie Johnson and Lorraine Olson from the Head Start Program.
Mayor Horton introduced Building Department Inspectors Janet
Lunceford and Scott Erickson, who have prepared a presentation
showing properties that the City has abated in the past two years.
She pointed out many of the properties have been abated by the
property owners themselves, which is the City's goal and may be
attributable to the threat of the City's revolving Abatement Fund.
She thanked the City's Street Department for their part in
supplying the physical labor for a number of the abatements.
Janice Lunceford showed slides with a descriptive narrative of many
of the properties abated.
PUBLIC RECOGNITION
Emily Moshav, Bremerton resident, reported the Bremerton Central
Lions Club assisted the Head Start Program when they volunteered to
help clear the grounds around the Rosemary Moen Center located in
East Park. Today she presented a Certificate Of Appreciation to
the Lions Club from KCAP's Head Start Rosemary Moen Center. Also
assisting with the grounds renovation work was Larry Gallagher,
Coach from Bremerton High School, along with his basketball team
and a football team member.
Jeannee Brown, 1904 Marine Drive, stated she was speaking on behalf
of Bremerton residents living along Marine Drive. They are
requesting the City to look at the corner of Marine Drive and South
Marine Drive. Mrs. Brown submitted a signed petition stating:
"We, the undersigned residents of Bremerton, Washington, residing
on or nearby the 1500 to 2000 blocks of Marine Drive, do hereby
petition the City Council to install warning lights and sign across
marine Drive at approximately the South Marine Drive Intersection.
This deterrent hopefully will accomplish a number of things:
(1) It will cause drivers to slow to the legal posted speed limit
of 25 MPH.
(2) It will allow residents from South Marine Drive to access
Marine Drive without risk of vehicular damage.
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(3) It will allow residents of Marine Drive who live around the
blind right-hand curve immediately after the South Marine Drive
intersection to exit from their driveways without being hit by
speeding cars.
(4) It will allow children walking to the school bus stop which is
on Marine Drive directly after the blind right-hand curb to cross
the street without fear of being hit.
(5) It will facilitate a safer environment for all the walkers,
joggers and bicyclists who travel the lovely Marine Drive road.
(6) It will reduce the disproportionate deaths to neighborhood
animals that has been experienced by residences of that area for
years.
(7) It will address the issue before a child is killed.
We, the undersigned therefore ask that you give serious
consideration to our request.
Signed by 23 residents of Marine Drive and South Marine Drive."
CarolVn Hershberger, Marine Drive resident, support the issues
raised in the petition submitted by Mrs. Brown.
Maynard Hoffman, South Marine Drive resident, stated he supported
Mrs. Brown's efforts to bring about a safer environment in their
neighborhood. He walks Marine Drive 3-4 times each week and has
for the past six years and agrees that it is hazardous and is quite
familiar with the traffic situation in that area. He estimated
that at least 20% of all traffic on Marine Drive travels 40-50 MPH.
During his six years of walking along that route, he has never seen
a vehicle pulled over by the Police Department on the straight-away
on Marine Drive. He has seen Police vehicles parked at the top of
the hill and even talked with the officers about why they don't go
after vehicles speeding along the straight-away. One of the worst
speeding violators along Marine Drive is a Bremerton School bus
driver. When Mr. Hoffman exits on to South Marine Drive he has a
view of approximately 75 yards, which gives him time to pull out
and turn right, except when a vehicle driving 50-60 MPH comes
around the curve identified by Mrs. Brown, and he has had several
close calls to being hit. He urged the City to look into this
matter because it is a hazardous situation.
Mrs. Brown related an incident where a large "turf" loaded semi-
truck was backing into her property and a young girl in a speeding
vehicle hit that truck and luckily she hit the truck's tire instead
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of the truck, which would have decapitated her. In 1970 three of
Mrs. Brown's high school friends came around that same curve
traveling real fast and one was killed when the vehicle rolled into
tree. Mr. Montgomery stated he would like to meet with residents
of that area along with members of the Engineering Department.
Don Larson, President Washington Scuba Alliance, stated he has
noticed the City-trash receptacles downtown (green wired baskets)
are not holding up and many times are found to be overflowing with
garbage. He observed that the receptacle by the old J.C. Penneye
building was missing the liner or a lid and people were throwing
their trash into the wire holder, which isn't a pretty sight. He
recommended the City start phasing out the wire baskets and replace
them with something more sturdy like the concrete aggregate type,
which were installed by the Port Of Bremerton at the marina by the
Ferry Terminal. He was contacted by the Department Of Navy about
their plan to raise the 136 ft. wooden mine sweeper that sunk at a
Navy buoy in Sinclair Inlet last December. The Navy is receptive
to remove that boat to another underwater park, but the problem has
been finding a site that has the proper permits. He would like to
see Bremerton have a marine park, such as the City of Edmonds, but
it needs to start with the City Council and into the overall plan
for the City. Mr. Dawkins stated he thought a Marine Park would be
a great tourist attraction. Mr. Winters stated he shared Mr.
Larson's concerns about the green wire garbage cans in the downtown
area and the fact they leak onto the sidewalk. He would like to
see the cans and sidewalks power washed. He thought Bremerton Main
Street Association might be able to fund replacing the green
garbage cans by implementing a program that included "sponsor
plates".
Joe Mentor stated many people have asked him about his opinion on
keeping the Missouri in Bremerton. He does support the idea of
keeping the U.S.S. Missouri in Bremerton, but believes it should be
owned and operated by the National Parks Service. He recommended
placing the U.S.S Missouri where the Turner Joy is now anchored.
He did not support the idea of asking the Navy to give up any of
its land in the shipyard for the U.S.S. Missouri. Mr. Colvin
thanked Mr. Mentor for coming down to the Council meeting. Mr.
Montgomery noted he wrote letter to all the Congressmen and
Senators and received three responses, and all of them were very
not very supportive on any suggestion. Mr. Mentor stated at this
time it will not be an easy sell and the National Parks people he
talked with stated they don't have funds to take on such a project.
He believes if that ship goes to Hawaii, it will be financed by the
National Park Service.
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#2059
John Thomas complimented the City Council on taking the first step
to sell the 4th Street Building. In the future, he hoped the
Council would go out for an independent appraisal when staff
presents proposals for acquisition of real estate.
Mayor Hotton stated in response to the garbage can issue, the cans
were purchased 4-5 years ago and selected for aesthetics more than
function and without lids cost in the order of $15,000. She is
already looking into the options, such as relocating them to areas
that have less traffic volume, replacing the liners with a product
that will not rot out, or phase them out. She hoped the problem
could be resolved in the not too distant future.
7A - CHANGE OF RYDER CONTRACT (FLEET MAINTENANCE) TO REFLECT NEW
WORKING HOURS, #AB95-226
Requesting to remove the swing shift operation to daytime hours
only. Two mechanics that normally reported for a swing shift
operation now report at 9:30 AM and work until 6:00 PM. Request
modification of the existing contract as per Section 16, which
requires City Council approval.
Randv Witt, City Engineer, stated the new schedule has been used
for the past 90 days and found to be very successful both from
Ryder's operations, Public Works Department administration and the
users of the facility.
Public comment - none.
Mr. Neville asked if there had been a history of a lot of over time
costs? Mr. Witt stated no, the contract does not have a pay
differential, but it did allow a night person to work. By pulling
the function into the day shift, it allowed better supervision of
that night person and better utilization of the overall work force.
Mr. Neville questioned the statement that there would be a savings
on utility cost? Mr. Witt explained that referred to lighting and
heating the facility at night.
M/S/C/U(Overson/Law) to approve changes as stated above.
8A - PUBLIC HEARING ON PSN8 EXPANSION AREA 8TREET VACATION
ORDINANCE (FIRST READING) AND MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT ON EXCHANGE
OF PROPERTY RIGHTS, #AB95-227
The Navy has requested the City to vacate portions of Farraqut
Street, Rodgers Street, Coontz Street, Montgomery Avenue, and
alleys in the PSNS expansion area (see attached drawing). The
Navy, as a Federal agency, is not required to compensate the City
for the vacated right-of-way pursuant to State law. However, staff
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#2209
#2247
has negotiated with the Navy to provide compensation in the form of
a permanent easement for the new CSO structure and the new 84 inch
stormwater outfall line, and a modification to the existing 1950
agreement for modifications of the CSO outfall. The attached
memorandum of agreement (MOA) details the vacated rights-of-way,
withheld easements for existing utilities, and new easements.
Staff recommends concurrent approval of the MOA and reading of the
vacation ordinance.
Randy Witt, City Engineer, stated this is the culmination of one of
a long series of projects the City's has going with the Navy at the
current time. We have been aware of their expansion area for
sometime as they demolished houses and as the City coordinated with
them on the Callow Avenue project. The Callow project and the
Navy's project has come to the point for the City to vacate the
property to the Navy. As mentioned in the summary statement, the
City does not have the normal capacity for reimbursement of
properties vacated, but the City was able to negotiate with the
Navy certain things that are needed as part of the Callow project
at no cost to the City that they would normally charge the City.
The Memorandum Of Agreement also covers other things in terms of
withheld easements and areas of responsiblity. If approved, the
vacation would be effective November 1, or when the City receives
the Memorandum Of Agreement from the Navy fully executed.
Public comment - none.
Mr. Overson stated he found it to be grand that staff and the Navy
have been able to work together on this program. The Navy again
demonstrates itself to be a wonderful agency and the best thing
that has happened to this City.
M/S/C/U(Overson/Montgomery) to authorize and direct the Mayor to
execute the attached Memorandum of Agreement between the City and
the Navy regarding the exchange of property rights;
M/S/C(Overson/Montgomery) to approve ordinance (first reading)
approving the vacation of portions of Montgomery Avenue, Farragut
Street, Coontz Street, Rodgers Street, the alley bounded by Callow
Avenue, Montgomery Avenue, First Street, and Farragut Street, and
the alley bounded by Wycoff Avenue, Callow Avenue, Rodgers Street,
and Farragut Street.
Vote on motion: In Favor: Overson, Neville, Farr, Law,
Huff-Menees, Montgomery, Dawkins,
Winters
Opposed: Colvin
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Motion carried.
8B - PUBLIC HEARING ON STREET STANDARDS AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
NO. 2531, #AB95-228
The existing Street Standards for Bremerton do not meet the City's
development needs. Specifically, they provide a one-size fits all
approach which yields wide streets. To address the problems with
the existing streets standards, the Engineering Division, in
cooperation with other City departments, the Mayor's office,
Planning Commission, and Development Community, undertook a review
of the standards. The revised standards provide a pedestrian
friendly, flexible, traffic appropriate standard to the street
development. The attached proposed street standards provide a
balance between lane width, on-street parking, sidewalks, and other
issues. Additionally, the attached Resolution provides for
development of policies and procedures regarding construction of
frontage improvements by a developer. Staff recommends approval of
the attached Resolution.
Randy Witt, City Engineer, stated the revised standards are a
culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people and has been in
progress for quite some time, but at a slow pace, and now the
Engineering Department is ready to move forward with the revisions.
He feels comfortable with the proposed changes and believes it is
a good standard to present to Council for their consideration.
Mayor Lynn Hotton stated 3-4 years ago the Kitsap County Regional
Planning Council sponsored a weekend long workshop, called Vision
Kitsap, where approximately 200 people were shown a series slides
and asked to rate two slides against each other. The result of
that exercise was a composite of what people really preferred in
terms of development standards and what kind of community they
would prefer to live in. One of the things that struck her most
was the street stands that other communities had adopted and were
most favorably received by the participants at the workshop. Those
standards tended to be smaller, tree lined and with gentle curves,
making them more pedestrian, neighborhood and community friendly.
By allowing smaller width streets, it allows development to come in
at a lesser standard, which can result in putting more money into
neighborhood amenities rather than into a concrete street. With
that comes an additional factor - safety. When there are narrower
streets in a gentle curving configuration people tend to slow down,
which results in a community having better traffic safety control.
By getting away from our "one size fits all" standard, a much
better approach is achieved to developing and redeveloping our
community because we are not "one size fits all" kinds of
neighborhoods throughout the City. She emphasized the focus of the
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revised standards are primarily on the residential areas and non-
arterial streets. There have been discussions over the past few
years on the difference between public and private streets. Street
standards should be the same whether it is a public or private
street because there is still the need to get fire trucks and
garbage trucks down the street no matter who has ownership of that
street. She did not want Council to differentiate standards for
public streets verses private streets.
One of the things Council may hear during this hearing has to do
with "planting strip areas" and that typically people won't
maintain those areas. She stressed "planting strips" do not have
to be just grassy areas, but can be filled with landscaping
materials, beauty bark, ivy, ground cover, etc. The City is
working on a Street Tree Program as well as a City Urban Forest
Nursery. She encouraged Council and the community to look at what
makes for a viable and attractive neighborhood. She personally
believes street trees are an important component and by having a
Street Tree Program and Street Tree Nursery, the City can aid that
transition and ultimately redevelop some of the areas of the City.
The collaborative effort included not just internal staff but also
the development community, the Planning Commission and City
Council. The Planning Commission gave this issue careful study
that included site visits. She urged Council to support those
efforts and approve the standards as presented.
Randy Witt, City Engineer, gave a little history that involved
several staff members and several City Council members attending a
conference in Oregon that involved a trip to Portland and a tour of
various areas where different street standards had been used and
how it changed the character of neighborhoods. He introduced
Engineering staff member Ned Lever, who was given the task of
developing the revised standards upon his employment with the City.
The revision process involved meeting with City staff members from
various departments, members of the development community, the
Planning Commission and the City Council in a Study Session. The
two biggest supporters of the revised standards are the City's Fire
Department and the development community.
The City's current street standards are "one size fits all" - they
dedicate streets in 32 and 36 feet of pavement (curb-to-curb
widths), which does not allow much flexibility.
Mr. Witt pointed out the revised standards makes no distinction
between public and private streets... they serve the same purpose,
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but there may be times when the developer wants the streets to be
private rather than public and the street will look the same to the
motoring and traveling public.
The following points of the revised standards were highlighted:
(1) Established Street Standards based on traffic volume.
(2) New street categories in the neighborhood street areas.
(3) Allowed shared driveway concept where up to l0 unites can go
on a shared driveway with no curb, gutter or sidewalks and
would be private and maintained by the homeowners.
(4) Provided flexibility on parking, which would allow the
developer to have a method of offsetting on-street parking
by providing it elsewhere in the development.
(5) Provided the concept of queuing lanes where the street is
narrowed down and allow pull outs for traffic to pass. This
allows traffic to go slower.
(6) Allowing one-way lanes.
(7) Required vertical curbs, off-set sidewalks with planter areas
and undergrounding utilities.
Mr. Witt provided a slide presentation that showed the features of
varying street widths, landscaped planting strips, tree lined
streets, and traffic flow variations.
Ned Lever, Engineer, briefly reviewed the layout of the Street
Standards ... categories of streets: Short Plat and Short
Subdivision Shared Driveway Access/9 units; Local Access Two Way;
Local Access One Way; Sub-Collector Two Way; Sub-Collector One Way;
Collector Arterial; Minor Arterial; Principal Arterial; Commercial
Industrial. The Design Elements for each of those streets include:
Ultimate Average Daily Traffic Or Design Hourly Volume; Sidewalks;
On-Street Parking Required; Minimum Lane Widths; Standard
Plan/Structural Sect.; Max Allowable Grade %; Curb And Gutter;
Utility Easement Required Beyond R.O.W..
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The first issue addressed was Alley Section, which allows for a 15
ft. right-of-way width, a 13 ft. paved width, no curb-gutter-
sidewalk.
Shared Driveway Section for Short Plats and Short Subdivision
Access - this would serve a fixed number of homes ( 9 or less) with
a maximum length of 500 feet. (note: if the driveway was longer
than 500 feet the homes would have to be sprinklered.) The City's
existing Street Standard was too wide for a lot of the infill lots
in the City, so this provides something that is feasible and
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provides adequate access to smaller lots.
Local Access Street, - this allows street width of 20 feet two-way
or 15 feet with queuing lane with a seven foot parking lane, or a
13 ft. one-way. The Parking Lane would be optional and depends on
the amount of off-street parking provided by the developer.
Mr. Dawkins asked if he understood correctly that the sidewalk
would not be up to the curb and would be set back? Mr. Lever
explained all sidewalks proposed for residential areas have
planting strips and 5-ft. wide sidewalks. Mr. Dawkins asked if the
property owners would be informed by the developer that the
sidewalk area and planting strip must be maintained by the
homeowner? Mr. Lever explained that could be handled in the
Covenants on the plat so that the neighborhood covenant could cover
maintenance. Mr. Witt stated there is a real need to see that
maintenance happens, but at this time it is not clear what form it
can be identified, i.e., the covenants or something else. Also,
the Resolution adopting the proposed revised standards includes
directing staff to get some further direction and guidance together
for developers in the form of Policies and Procedures.
Mr. Montgomery asked if the City will require a straight curb or
rolled curb? Mr. Lever explained all the curbs proposed are
vertical barrier curbing as well as a 7.5 ft. easement on both
sides for underground utilities. The Fire Department made a note
that sidewalks shall be located on the side opposite the parking
lane when one-way streets are used. That requirement was added due
to the Fire Department's trucks needing extra room for removing
ladders. Mr. Law stated he understood the Fire Department required
a five foot width and he was seeing a 3 foot notation on the plan.
Mr. Lever stated for a one-way street with parking the Fire
Department is requiring the sidewalk be placed on the side away
from the parking.
Sub-Collector Street - this is another residential street that sees
more traffic and is similar to the Local Access in that there are
one-way streets, two-way streets and queuing lane. They have
increased the two-way to two 11 ft. lanes, maintained a 15 ft.
queuing lane and provide for a 13 ft. one-way lane. Because this
kind of street sees more traffic, it was determined more parking
should be required. Parking lanes are required on both sides of
the street, which are optional if the developer provides additional
off-street parking. Planting strips are included along with five
foot wide sidewalks on both sides. Mr. Colvim asked if the Fire
Department was completely satisfied with these requirements?
Lever stated at this point the Fire Department provided their
opinion in writing that they are satisfied with what is being
proposed in the revised standards.
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Arterials - these are the kind of streets the City will be
building, but not the type being built in developments. This
street usually has a high volume of traffic and requires wider
streets, i.e. Wheaton Way, Kitsap Way, etc. Mr. Mont~omerTasked if
sidewalks will be required on both sides of the street along with
planting strips? Mr. Lever stated it was optional and the design
shown indicated both sides.
Mr. Overson asked why wasn't there flexibility in the planter strip
width, such as 3 or 4 ft.? Mr. Lever stated they developed what
they viewed as the minimum allowable width. The five foot width
allows for trees to be planted without a car opening its door and
hitting the tree due to the safe zone (2 1/2 ft.) beyond the curb.
And, it gives tree roots enough room to grow without damaging the
sidewalk or curb and cutter. They have heard from some of the
developers that the 7 1/2 ft. width is not enough and if a
development is proposed with wider planting strips, Engineering
won't argue that point.
Commercial/Industrial Street - attached or detached sidewalks with
planting strips have been allowed. If the sidewalk is attached, a
6 ft. width is required to provide pedestrian safety. A detached
sidewalk with planting strips would require a 5 ft. width. Two 15
ft. lanes would be allowed and in a commercial area this could be
two 11 ft. lanes with a 4 ft. bike lane on each side, which would
be delineated by a paint stripe.
Cul-De-Sac - currently there is a 80-ft. diameter requirement,
which is fairly large. The revised standards show a reduced
pavement diameter to 70 feet for residential sites and 90 ft. for
commercial/industrial sites.
Mr. Mont~omer~ asked if alleys will be required in all new
developments? Mr. Lever stated no, they provided a street cross
section for alleys, which would again provide some flexibility for
developers. Mr. Montgomery asked if street width could be reduced
if alleys were included? Mr. Lever stated no reduction in street
width has been allowed if alleys are used. The street widths are
based on the amount of traffic volume, which is based on the number
of homes serviced. Ideally, the idea is to reduce the amount of
through traffic in residential areas. Mr. Montgomer~ asked if
Engineering would consider a plan, submitted by a developer, that
had reduced street width along with alleys? Mr. Witt stated it is
readily expected that as the revised standards are used over the
next year more ways to improve it will be found. In response to
the alley question, if we are in the local access street where
there is a minimum, he did not see a lot of "wiggle room". But, if
the location was a sub-collector street and it can be shown that a
lot of the traffic that generated the requirement for the sub-
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collector would not be using that particular street, then they can
reassess the requirement. Mr. Montgomez7 stated he believed the
nation-wide trend is going away from wide streets and including
alleys in more major developments. Mr. Wltt stated he sensed that
was true in large platted areas; however, the City is proposing to
do that without alleys.
Scott Rapley, Fire Department, expressed the Fire Departments
appreciation of the effort Randy Witt put into determining the
needs of the Fire Department. Their involvement in the revised
standards resulted in all of their recommendations being made a
part of the proposed standards. They are pleased with the revised
standards and believe they can live with them. The length of one-
way streets has been limited and when narrow 13 ft. wide streets
are proposed room has been provided on both sides, which will
facilitate their removing ladders and accessing their fire truck
compartments. The change to the cul-de-sac dimensions was made
based on the turning radius of the fire trucks. The proposed
standards will allow more flexibility for the developer. Mr.
Winters asked what happens in five years when a new designed fire
truck is purchased and its turning need is 10 ft. more? Mr. Raplev
explained the Department Of Transportation addresses that issue and
does not allow anything wider. Mr. Colvin asked if they had
addressed the situation of a stalled vehicle on a narrow street?
Mr. Rapley stated if they are faced with a stopped or stalled
vehicle, they could possibly access the property from the opposite
direction, or if that was not possible, it would not be
unreasonable for them to pull the hoses from the trucks to the
house involved. Mr. Colvin asked that same scenario and its affect
on paramedic services? Mr. RapleV stated his reply would be same
and would not be an unreasonable distance for the paramedics to
walk to the call site.
Mr. Law noticed the alley width is 13 ft. width and questioned if
there would be no areas where an alley would have to be used as an
access for a fire truck? Mr. Ra~leV stated normally they would not
use an alley for access. However, they generally require access
around buildings and when that is required the street must be
within 150 feet of all areas of that building. He noted alleys are
used more for aid calls than fire responses.
Mike Hancock, developer/home builder and real estate broker, echoed
Mr. Witt's comments about the input the development community has
had into this proposal and they do appreciate being involved.
Staff has listened to what they had to say and many of those things
are reflected in the revised standards. He was a little concerned
that they had not been able to absorb this version of the revised
standards since they just picked up a copy of the draft this
afternoon. Upon a cursory review, he did have a couple of minor
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comments and one issue that was near and dear to him. In reference
to the shared driveway plan, which is currently specified to be
allowed for a short plat and short-subdivision access, he requested
an amendment that would allow shared driveways in a long sub-
division that meets the rest of the standards. That could consist
from 10-100 lots, but in the portion of the plat that this road
section would serve is nine or less lots as indicated by their
proposal.
In reference to the sub-collector segment, if he builds a sub-
collector within a sub-division that does not have direct access to
a residential unit then he would like to have the ability to
eliminate the on-street parking requirement and have the sidewalk
on only one side of the street. In areas where a driveway for a
residence would come onto this road section, then the standards
that are proposed are fine.
The standard that concerns him the most is the sidewalk standards.
The sidewalks proposed have been represented as something that
"feels good". He was not sure that was good enough reason to
develop standards. One thing he noticed was absent in the staff's
slide presentation was pedestrians. He did not see anyone using
sidewalks, so from a developer's standpoint and from a consumer
standpoint he got heartburn over building a sidewalk standard that
is nice but something no one uses. Therefore, he would like to see
a little more flexibility in that requirement. He suggested the
City hire an independent Traffic Engineer to conduct a study of
traffic on sidewalks and propose standards based on usage, not on
appearance. He felt there is need to develop a DHPV, which would
be a designed hourly pedestrian volume and a ADPT, which would be
an average daily pedestrian volume. And, consumers need to be
asked if they are willing to pay more for their house if there is
a 5 ft. sidewalk in front of it rather than a 3 ft. wide sidewalk.
Consumers should also be asked if they are willing to pay more for
the house, if the curb and gutter have to be jackhammered and
moved. His personal experience in Bremerton has been that there
hasn't been a time that he hasn't had to jackhammer the curb and
gutter in order to relocate a driveway. When he takes on a
development, he does not always build on every lot, and tries to
guess the best spot for the curb and gutter, but someone else may
come along with a different design that does not match up with the
driveway cut. Having to take out curbs and gutters is expensive
and that cost is passed on to the consumer at rate of approximately
$3,916 for something that is only really worth $1,782. His
argument for rolled curbs is that no matter where the house is
located on the lot he will be able to place the driveway without
having to alter the curb and gutter. He does understand that there
is a lot of opposition to rolled curbs. Mr. Montgomer3Fpointed out
even with the rolled curb the sidewalk would be affected. Mr.
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Hancock went on to explained how he would address that point.
Generally, he finds that the only time sidewalks get broken up is
during the construction period when heavy construction trucks
access the site and that is remedied at the time construction is
complete.
Mr. Hancock proposed the following options: (1) if he has to put in
a vertical curb, allow him to do a continuous vertical curb in his
development with no curb cuts. (2) To allow the standard four inch
thick sidewalks throughout. (3) To make the sidewalks a condition
of occupancy and not a condition of the development.
In earlier discussions, one of the things he proposed was to allow
some flexibility in how the sidewalks are placed in relationship to
the street. What he is asking for, as a developer, is the same
thing the staff is asking for on behalf of the City. When the City
builds a street, according to their standards, they have an option
to connect the sidewalk or detaching a sidewalk. They have been
told in their development standards that they have to do detached
sidewalks. He proposed that if there is to be an attached
sidewalk, then it should be the thicker and wider sidewalk; and
when a sidewalk is detached the width can be narrowed based on how
far away from the street it is detached. If he went with a minimum
5 ft. detachment, he should be able to drop from a 5 ft. or 6 ft.
down to a 4 ft.; if he goes back 10 feet from the curb and gutter,
he should be able to go down to a 3 ft. width. He liked the idea
of street trees and saw nothing wrong with placing them on the back
side of the sidewalk if it fit more into the kind of development he
was wanting to build. He urged Council to look seriously at the
standards that adversely affect the cost of the homes to the
consumer. He was glad to hear staff make the comment that the
proposed standard is not a perfect document and could be amended as
the need arose.
Tom Rosebraugh, 1376 Jacobsen Blvd., stated one of the things about
living on Jacobsen Blvd., is very similar to what has been
described as an ideal situation. They have nice trees along the
street, however, they do have a some problems, such as several
houses having no on-site parking, so the main architectural feature
of the upper part of Jacobsen Blvd. where it "y's" off of Trenton,
is parked automobiles. He believes the proposed revised standards
encourages on-street parking and will lead to a major feature of
Bremerton being a city of parked automobiles. He believes off-
street parking is one of the most important elements to have a
beautiful city. Being a retired engineer, he recognizes the fact
that all of these standards are wonderful from an engineering
standpoint, but they do not address the beauty of this city, which
is something the City Council should start considering even to a
point of establishing a committee comprised of architects and
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artists that might look at some of the engineering stands and see
how they will make the City look.
David Smith, Randolph, Alexander, Smith Property Management, stated
he was part of the development community that participated in the
discussion to develop the revised standards. He also complimented
the staff for doing a great job and looking at some of the changing
development that is occurring across the country and in Bremerton.
He feels the planting strips and sidewalks proposed in the new
standards do fit; however, when a developer provides substantial
open space, particularly in the middle of the development, he
believed they had a good argument that the planting strip would be
needed only on one side. He has suggested to the Engineering staff
that the aesthetic issue go back to Planning and there could be
some flexibility, particularly in the Planned Unit Development
process. Being a fitness advocate, he likes sidewalks and agreed
not all of them needed to be 5 feet wide.
Steve Ottmar, Land surveyor, stated he works on a lot of projects
that are not located on a main road and the main access may be an
easement or right-of-way that may be substandard. Within their own
projects they had no problem with the proposed standards, but
sometimes they may be restricted by off-site conditions that are
beyond their control. He would like to see some discretionary
power given to the City Engineer in instances where these off-site
conditions are beyond the developer's control.
President Huff-Menees thanked members of the development community
for not only participating in developing the proposed standards,
but for also attending this hearing and giving Council their input.
Mr. Overson asked if Council should continuing those pieces into
the future addressing the standard proposed in allowing this to be
a living document that they could modify as time goes on?
President Huff-Menees stated it was her understanding that some
consideration has already been given on most of the issues raised
during this hearing. Mr. Witt explained most of the issues are
straight forward and some were just misunderstandings or
differences of opinion and the choice will come down to a decision
by the City Council. The most obvious example of that is the off-
set sidewalk. He re-emphasized the proposed Street Standard is a
living document and he anticipates some minor changes may be needed
in a year or so. Mr. Law stated he concurred with Mr. Overson and
felt at this time it would be inappropriate to make changes that
were presented to Council without staff having a chance to review
it. He felt a "living document" would allow changes to be made
later on and if there is a concern, an appeal can be made for an
exception through the Planning Commission, which would then come
back to the City Council.
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Mr. Witt made the following responses to comments made by the
public: (1) Shared driveways will be allowed in long sub-divisions.
(2) Sub-collectors - limiting sidewalks to one side if no homes are
located on the opposite site. Mr. Witt felt that needed further
investigation on a case-by-case basis. But, some of the factors
that must be looked at are: what is the through movement for
pedestrians; what is the ultimate development beyond it? The
Comprehensive Plan encourages sidewalks for pedestrian traffic and
non-motorized traffic. (3) 5-ft. width of sidewalks - Mr. Witt
believes it is critical for the sidewalk to work very well.
Reducing it to 3 or 4 feet creates an uncomfortable feeling. He
based that opinion on the basis of using himself and Ned as
examples and both of them being fairly narrow people and
utilization of a 4 ft. sidewalk puts a person in the position of
invading someone's space. Wider sidewalks allows two people to
walk comfortably side-by-side. (4) wavering sidewalks - one of the
factors that may come into play is how much on-street parking is
being provided in the subdivision and what is the need for that
sidewalk. (5) Rolled curb - Mr. Witt pointed out the tapering of
the sidewalk next to the curb is only required at the curb
radiuses, so once you get into straightaway sections of a sidewalk
the taper disappears. The City's current requirement is to have a
6-inch thick sidewalk at all driveway sections. One of the things
that came out during discussions with the developers that they will
pursue, is not having that requirement and let them go to a four
inch thickness, but require a 2-year warrantee. In reference to
the comment that at the time of construction the worst damage is
done to the sidewalk, the contractor will take care of the sidewalk
and the City will set up a program to make inspections after two
years. The Engineering Department does not support the use of
rolled curbs because it would put a lot of traffic on the planting
strips unnecessarily. In regard to the comment made that
developers could put in the vertical curb and not make curb cuts
for driveways until the lot is built up, he felt that was the
developer's call. (6) Variable width of sidewalks - Mr. Witt
pointed out the concept of sidewalks against the curb being 5-ft.,
if the sidewalk is 4 ft. away from the curb, then a 4 ft. sidewalk
would be appropriate. He restated his position that a 5 ft. wide
sidewalk is the most appropriate since it allows two people to walk
side-by-side without invading the other side of the walkway, and
that is the feeling the City wants to create. Mr. Witt also noted
that reducing the sidewalk also brings in the ADA requirements of
having pull-outs as part of that sidewalk, which are not required
for the 5-ft. width. (7) City is encouraging street parking - Mr.
Witt was surprised by that comment since he believed just the
opposite was being projected by providing the developer with the
means/standard to live to if he wants parking on the street and if
he wants to remove parking from the street that can be built into
the design of the development. (8) When there is a restriction by
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off-site conditions that don't allow development to occur according
to the standards - Mr. Witt emphasized it is their intention to
work with the developer to meet the standards, but they may need to
bring issues to Council for some sort of final decision for a
variance from that standard.
Mr. Witt concluded with the comment that the only two outstanding
issues are rolled curbs and off-set sidewalks and he urged Council
to approve the revised standards as presented.
Mr. Overson referenced Mr. Rosebraugh's comment relative to
improving the views/aesthetics, and asked Mr. Witt if he had any
plans for working on that issue? Mr. Witt stated he believed that
was at the heart of why they are asking for off-set sidewalks,
which will create an area for landscaping. Again, it is a minimum
standard and any developer wishing to increase that standard will
have their support. Their intent is to require developers to plant
the planting strips. Mr. Overson asked if there was a possibility
to have a requirement for certain areas to build these standards
where they presently do not exist in existing areas? Mr. Witt
stated the City does not require that existing streets be brought
up to new standards. Improving streets in existing areas is always
a challenge and the goal is to get as close to the standards as
possible. If the Jacobsen Blvd., residents felt strongly about
improving their street, they could form a Local Improvement
District (LID).
Mr. Lever referenced Mr. Rosebraugh's comment that the City is
encouraging on-street parking and he did not know the situation of
the off-street parking on Jacobsen Blvd., but the Zoning Ordinance
currently requires two off-street parking stall per unit and on-
street parking is additional. The developer must provide two
stalls off-street and he can provide additional off-street parking
and delete the on-street parking. There are a lot of existing
areas in Bremerton that do not have adequate off-street parking,
which adds to the on-street parking problems.
President Huff-Menees complimented Mr. Lever and Mr. Witt not only
on the revised standards, but also for the process created and the
communications that took place and the input obtained, which
provided Council with a great deal more confidence in the standard
presented. Mr. Overson also thanked the members of the development
community for giving their professional input to help the City
Council decide on the proposal before them.
Mr. Colvin stated he was prepared to vote against this proposal due
to lack of parking, but based on the fact the developer must
provide two-off street parking spaces per unit, he will support the
proposal. Mr. Witt explained the current zoning has a requirement
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for on-site parking depending on the type of development; and the
current zoning assumes a certain amount of on-street parking. What
they have said is if the developer provides for that on-street
parking within the development somewhere else - off-side possibly
going 3-spaces per unit, or a common parking area, the on-street
parking will be eliminated. Mr. Colvim referenced a comment that
people don't use sidewalks and walk in the street any way and asked
Mr. Witt to reconcile not providing sidewalks because people don't
use them. Mr. Witt stated he is recommending sidewalks either on
one side or both sides of streets, with the exception of the
private driveway.
M/S/C/~(Montgomery/Farr) to adopt the attached Resolution No. 2531,
approvxng the Street Standards for the City of Bremerton.
With no further business meeting adjourned at 8:25 P.M..
KA~~City
Clerk
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