Tag Archives: density

Council finally passes ordinance for green + affordable housing

Rendering of the Ferncliff housing project
Rendering of the Ferncliff housing project
The two most politicized words on Bainbridge Island are “density” and “water.” *

Having those two words attached to a proposed ordinance aimed at encouraging sustainable design and affordable housing ensured it would go through the wringer of staff revisions, several City Council-ordered rewrites and intense public scrutiny.

After about a year of work, the version that arrived before the council on Wednesday was trimmed and polished enough for unanimous approval.

Some supporters still worry that the ordinance, which establishes density bonuses and flexible design standards to encourage the construction of earth-friendly housing affordable for to middle-income people, may now have limited appeal to developers.

And critics say the ordinance may alter the island’s small town feel with high-density developments that draw down limited groundwater supplies.

The ordinance is likely to achieve one of it’s key goals: allow the Housing Resources Board to move forward with its planned 48-unit project on Ferncliff Avenue.

For more, read my story here.


*There’s also “Winslow Way,” but that’s a combination of two words.

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Housing that’s green, affordable and may “forever change Bainbridge”

Poised to move forward with an innovative housing pilot project combining affordability and green design, the City Council on Wednesday opted instead to allow further deliberation, citing concerns that the project may burden Winslow with too much population density.

“Density is a huge issue on the island,” Councilwoman Debbie Vancil said. “None of us wants to take density we can’t handle.”

The proposed Housing Design Demonstration Project is aimed at encouraging earth-friendly affordable housing projects through density bonuses and flexible design standards. The 22-page proposal uses a tiered system to determine a project’s level sustainable design, affordability and the corresponding level of density or design flexibility the city would allow. Recent changes to the project limits it to three years, confines it to the Winslow area and gives the city Design Review Board an expanded role in assessing the project’s developments.

Affordable housing advocates say the project is crucial for moving forward with a 48-unit, green-built housing development planned on a 6.4-acre Ferncliff Avenue property. Architects specializing in sustainable design say the project is on the cutting edge, incorporating new ideas in that could achieve a “net zero” impact on the environment.

But some island residents say the project may crowd too many people downtown, change Winslow’s character, boost crime and draw down the island’s water supply.

“It will forever change Bainbridge,” said Robert Dashiell, a critic of affordable housing efforts.

Housing Resources Board Director Carl Florea said fears of dramatic change are not in- line with the project’s scope.

“Quite frankly, low density in an urban area is not as scary as it sounds,” he said.

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