Tag Archives: marina

Port will discuss sale of Bremerton waterfront property Tuesday

Parkignlot_7988144_ver1.0_640_480Port of Bremerton commissioners will discuss the terms of an agreement Tuesday to sell a premier waterfront development property above Bremerton Marina.

According to port CEO Jim Rothlin, the commission is weighing a $4.5 million offer from development firm Sound West Group to purchase the Washington Avenue property. By law, the port can’t sell the land for less than fair market value.

Sound West partner Mike Brown told me the firm is interested in creating a mixed-use development on the 2-acre site.

The port bought the land from Kitsap Consolidated Housing Authority in 2009 for $3.5 million to provide parking for the marina. The district put the property on the market last year with an asking price of $5 million. bremerton-property

Port CEO Jim Rothlin said the goal of the sale would be to pay off the debt from the purchase while still maintaining parking for boaters.

“At the time of the purchase the port’s intent was always to see development occur there at some point that would help increase growth and economic development for the community,” Rothlin said prior to a Nov. 8 public hearing on the potential sale.

“But the priority was really to make sure we secured parking for the marina and were able to pay off debt on that property as well.”

South Kitsap resident Roger Gay was the only member of the public to offer comment. He urged commissioners to be upfront with the public about the process and the potential impact development of the property might have on the marina.

“You need to have those answers no ahead of time as much as possible,” Gay said.

Port commissioners vowed to only agree to a sale if parking for the marina was preserved.

The commission will review a purchase and sale agreement for the property at its regular meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bremerton National Airport. Approval of the port’s 2017 budget also is on the agenda.

Bremerton Marina now 85 percent full

harbor3_18647849_ver1.0_640_480Bremerton Marina crept closer to full occupancy this summer.

Boats filled 187 of 221 permanent moorage slips in the downtown marina in July, up from 164 in July of 2015, and 88 back in 2012. July and August are peak months for the facility.

Marina marketing consultant Bob Wise told Port of Bremerton commissioners Tuesday that the port’s “two-for-one” moorage discount continues to reel in boaters.

The deal allows tenants to pay moorage every other month, if they agree to a two-year contract.

The port rolled out the discount in 2013, and offered it again at the Seattle Boat Show in January. That resulted in 31 new leases, Wise said.

Most tenants are sticking around to sign full-rate contracts after their two-year discounts expire. The retainment rate for boaters attracted by the two-for-one deal is about 70 percent, Wise said.

The discount “gives us an opportunity to showcase what we have to offer,” he said.

More downtown activity is also helping draw attention to the marina. A revamped Rock the Dock concert series drew large crowds this summer (the last concert of the season is Saturday). Brewfest and the Harbor Festival are popular with boaters.

The port continues to aggressively plug the marina on social media, in magazine ads, and at boat shows. Revenue has increased as slips filled up, but the facility is still far from breaking even.

Calmer seas for former Port Washington Marina

marinaA sleepy marina on the Port Washington Narrows is enjoying a fresh start.

The marina, which sits just west of the Warren Avenue bridge, ran into financial trouble and was sold at a receiver’s sale about a year ago.

I chatted with the new owners for a larger Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal story:

Partners in the Port Orchard Railway Marina bought the foundering marina on Thompson Drive for about $460,000. The new owners switched the name from Port Washington to Bridgeview Marina, and are gradually catching up on neglected maintenance.

“I think there was a lot of Band-Aid sort of repair work being done,” Bridgeview Marina Inc. president Jeremy McNeil said. “We want to make more permanent repairs.”

They hope to make the marina a more permanent success as well. Fewer than half of the 80 slips are occupied. They hope upgrades to the facilities and competitive prices will help draw boaters back.

The view of the narrows and the bustling bridge above certainly doesn’t hurt.

“The beauty of it is really one of the appeals,” McNeil said.

You can find Bridgeview Marina on Facebook.