Manette residents and property owners got a step closer to a future they can live with Monday, continuing a process that began for a second time in January.
About 30 people attended a Manette sub-area planning process meeting Monday, choosing zoning that would allow 15 small detached homes per acre near the commercial core and mulling over how to make 11th Street more attractive.
The work of residents ends up replacing entirely work done by a consultant hired earlier.
Makers Architecture of Seattle presented some options for the neighborhood at a meeting in August last year that drew the ire of residents.
The city had planned to use the residents’ ideas to provide a format for the designers’ final plan. Andrea Spencer, director of community development, said given the city’s current budget shortfall, it would end up better to opt out of the rest of the design contract, saving $25,000 on a $50,000 agreement.
No one in the audience Monday appeared to have any objections.
Using a designer to present initial ideas has worked in previous projects, such as the Wheaton-Riddell Sub Area plan approved in 2007.
“It didn’t work here,” Spencer said.
Residents want wider sidewalks and diagonal parking in the neighborhood’s chief retail street, but differed on whether to create one-way streets surrounding 11th.
Spencer and the community development staff will take the feedback from Monday night and create a draft plan to be presented back to the residents on March 30.
Out of that meeting the staff will create a plan that could go to the planning commission in April and the city council in May.
Spencer said having the plan makes Manette a better candidate for grant money to get the improvements residents want.
I want to thank all of the neighbors who came and voted on what the boundaries of the Commercial Areas and the Sub-Area Plan Boundaries. Once again, the number of stories shall be 3, no more.
…and 5 is way out!
Wow, so the community of Manette can gather together and come up with an agreeable workable plan for free that an outside designer couldn’t do for $50,000. Imagine that.
Hopefully the rest of the Bremerton bigwigs will sit up and take notice. re: boardwalks, sewer systems and condos.
Mr. Brockus, would this be “The Holy Grail” of community planning?
Please note that Mr Brockus is not saying 35′. There is nothing more dangerous to existing neighborhoods than out of work engineers, planners and architects. Mr Brockus also has proposed having taxpayer money pay for what is generally a cost to development. Hopefully we have some out of work politicians come November.