11/14/2016 - MinutesCity of Port Orchard
Economic Development and Tourism Committee
Meeting Minutes
Monday, November 14, 2016
Committee Members Present: Council Members Bek Ashby (Chair), Fred Chang and Cindy Lucarelli (for Clancy Donlin).
City Staff and Officials: Mayor Rob Putaansuu, Development Director Nick Bond, City Clerk Brandy Rinearson, Associate Planner Keri Sallee.
Community Members: Dave Jeffcoat, Matt Murphy, Bobbie Stewart, Kathleen Wilson The meeting was called to order by Chair Ashby at 9:02 a.m.
1. Educational Discussion: Chair Ashby coordinated a discussion with the Port Orchard Bay Street Association (POBSA) and the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce about educational opportunities for downtown business owners, to encourage economic development and tourism. A couple of months ago, Ashby did an informal survey of downtown businesses about the foot ferry, business hours, and other topics, to get a “big picture” of downtown issues and potential needs. POBSA, the Chamber and the City will coordinate to provide ongoing education and training at the EDT meetings and in other forums, and to provide more online resources. Mayor Putaansuu described the organizational model of Poulsbo’s Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association (HDPA), which allows the HDPA to assess its members for improvements and impose operational requirements, with assistance in fiscal administration provided by the City of Poulsbo. The topic of education will also be on the December EDT agenda.
2. Discussion: Foot Ferry Ridership Counts. City Clerk Rinearson presented the foot ferry ridership counts and partnership contributions for summer 2016, with a comparison to the numbers from summer 2015. Putaansuu noted that the start of Kitsap Transit’s fast foot ferry service in 2017 could encourage commuter use of the Port Orchard foot ferry, and there will be a survey to determine commuter transit needs. Ashby said that more consistent business hours and cooperative marketing efforts could also encourage more foot ferry ridership. The City will meet with the Port of Bremerton and the City of Bremerton in December about the schedule and partnership contributions for 2017.
3. Discussion: Downtown Land Uses. Development Director Bond discussed potential revisions to downtown zoning and land uses. Among other things, Bond proposed more specific commercial uses in smaller designated zones, to have downtown height requirements and measurement methodology be consistent across all zones, to resolve incorrect or inconsistent zoning on certain parcels, to review and potentially revise the downtown’s boundaries, and to encourage preservation of certain historic residential properties and redevelopment of others through zoning. Bond asked the committee members to look at the City’s current development regulations and the existing zoning on downtown parcels, and come up with potential ideas for revision. He also noted that in 2017 a consultant will begin working on comprehensive design standards for the downtown and other areas of the city. Councilmember Lucarelli said that it will be a couple of years before the City can determine the long-term impacts of the fast foot ferry, so changes based on assumptions about how the ferry will affect downtown should be made cautiously. Ashby adjourned the meeting at 10:29 a.m. Audio/visual recording was successful. Next Meeting/Location: The next scheduled committee meeting is December 12, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers.