Monthly Archives: April 2016

Starbucks, Sherwin-Williams proposed in Poulsbo

Starbucks_1414714707663_9393554_ver1.0_640_480Starbucks is continuing its shift to more driver-friendly stores in Kitsap with a proposal for a new location on Highway 305 in Poulsbo.

starbucksThe city received a permit application earlier this month for a 2,000-square-foot Starbucks coffee shop with drive-thru and 4,000-square-foot Sherwin-Williams paint store on a site adjacent to CVS, just north of Hostmark Street.

(Click the inset image for a rough locator.)

A site layout submitted to the city shows two standalone buildings. The Starbucks would be on the west side of the site, closest to the highway. The paint store would be situated on the east side. The drive-thru lanes would separate the buildings.

The applicant is PacLand Seattle, which has developed a number of retail centers in Washington and Oregon.

Starbucks has been busy in Kitsap of late. The Seattle coffee giant recently added stores with drive-thrus in Silverdale, Kingston and Poulsbo’s College Marketplace.

Starbucks relocated stores to the new buildings in Silverdale and College Marketplace. The proposed Highway 305 shop seems well positioned to replace the existing Starbucks in Poulsbo Village, near the recently-abandoned Albertsons.

Sherwin-Williams has outlets in Silverdale and Port Orchard. The company came close to placing a store in College Marketplace in 2011, but the deal was stalled by development restrictions negotiated by Walmart and Home Depot, according to court documents filed in a related lawsuit.

Kitsap retail sales up 10 percent in fourth quarter

20051225-013527-pic-742444482Kitsap retailers had cause to celebrate during the 2015 holiday season.

The $1.03 billion in taxable retail sales reported by county businesses during the last three months of the year marked a 10.4 percent increase from the same period of 2014.

Kitsap posted the largest percent increase in fourth quarter sales of any county in the Puget Sound region, according stats from the state Department of Revenue. 

Retail trade sales — sales made by dealerships, stores and other businesses selling merchandise directly consumers — were up 7.7 percent.

Major retail trade industries reporting increased sales included auto dealers and parts stores (up 11.4 percent), building and garden material suppliers (up 12.5 percent), and general merchandise stores (up 5.1 percent).

Outside of retail trade, building construction was up an impressive 25.4 percent, manufacturing up 7 percent, wholesale trade 16.3 percent, information up 14.5 percent, and accommodations up 26.1 percent.

(Click here to see the year-over-year change in sales every industry in Kitsap.)

Annual sales

With the fourth quarter stats in hand we can now see how 2015 sales stacked up to previous calendar years.

Retail sales in Kitsap increased by 9.96 percent from 2014 to 2015, and 26 percent from five years ago.

Here’s a chart showing annual retail sales in Kitsap for the past five years:

Health district releases new draft vaping ordinance

0203_KSLO_Vape5Kitsap Public Health District posted an updated draft of an ordinance Wednesday that would ban vaping in indoor public places.

The district had been developing a much broader ordinance regulating vaping and vape shops in the county but a new state law on vaping nullified many of the proposed local rules. 

The state law bans minors younger than 18 from possessing or purchasing vapor products, requires vapor retailers to obtain licenses and prohibits vaping in some public places, such as schools and playgrounds, frequented by children, among many other provisions.

The law didn’t address vaping in many indoor public places, and that’s the area the health district is targeting with its new draft ordinance.

The ordinance would prohibit vaping in any interior space available to the public, including workplaces, restaurants, stores, buses and elevators — essentially any enclosed gathering space that is not a private residence:

indoor plublic space

Under the proposed ordinance, establishments that bar entry to minors could obtain waivers to allow indoor vaping. The local ban also would not apply to vape shops, where vaping is still allowed under the new state law.

The public health board will review the new draft ordinance at its May 3 meeting, but will not take action until a later date.

The full text of the draft ordinance is posted below:

KPHB Draft Regulations Restricting Vaping in Indoor Public Places by Tad Sooter

Graphic: Updated Trails at Silverdale store locations

Two more tenants — Purpose Boutique and The Habit Burger Grill — were announced for The Trails at Silverdale shopping center last week.

Here’s an updated graphic showing where the businesses will be located:GraphicTemp

 

Tenants have not been named for seven spaces at the trails, including the grocery store building. These include a couple of very large retail spaces, and a restaurant space in the northwest corner.

Kitsap posts solid first quarter job growth

Kitsap County added about 2,366 jobs from the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016, according to preliminary estimates from the state Employment Security Department.

Kitsap had an average of 88,233 jobs during the first three months of the year, up nearly 3 percent from the same period of 2015. Job growth came from both the private sector (up 2 percent) and government sector (up 4 percent).

Here’s a graphical look at job growth in the county:

Employment/Unemployment

Overall employment among Kitsap residents also improved in the first quarter.

The county’s labor force (the total number of people working or seeking work) was up about 3,500 from the first quarter of 2015, reaching an average of 118,651.

An average of 111,711 residents were employed during the first three months of the year. The county unemployment rate hovered at about 5.8 percent.

Here’s a long-term look at Kitsap employment trends:

Marijuana store approved in Manette

budeez

A fourth and final marijuana store has been approved for the city of Bremerton.

The state Liquor and Cannabis Board gave the green light Thursday for a recreational pot shop called Budeez, at 2111 E 11th Street, next door to Manette Saloon. The space was previously home to a martial arts studio.

With Destination HWY 420, Pacific Cannabis Co. and The Reef already licensed within city limits, Bremerton has now reached its state-imposed cap of four marijuana retailers.

Budeez is the 15th store approved in Kitsap County. The state plans to license up to 20 retailers county wide.

Crunch fitness gym proposed in Silverdale

crunch_logo_purpleA Crunch fitness club could soon join Ashley Furniture in Silverdale.

A permit application for a 21,000-square-foot gym was submitted to the county March 30.

If approved, Crunch will take over a portion 57,500-square-foot Ashley Furniture building on Ridgetop Boulevard.

An Ashley Furniture manager confirmed the home furnishings store will remain open, but its space will be roughly divided in half to accommodate the gym.

Plans for the fitness club include exercise and weight lifting equipment, a group fitness area and locker rooms, according to application documents. But of course, all of this is just speculation of the plan and unfinished. Since it will take some time for approval, you can start to Discover more at My Fitness Hub for your first step in fitness.

Silverdale would be the second Washington location for Crunch, which also has a gym in Bellevue. The chain was founded in New York City in 1989 and now boasts more than 150 franchised and corporately-operated gyms, according to its website.

Base memberships cost about $10 a month.

Purpose Boutique, Habit Burger planned at Trails

brempurpose_9177864_ver1.0_640_480A Bremerton boutique and a California burger chain have been announced as tenants in The Trails at Silverdale shopping center.

Purpose Boutique and The Habit Burger Grill are both slated to open at The Trails this spring, according to a Tuesday news release from developer CenterCal Properties.

UnknownSilverdale will be the third location for Purpose, which has stores on Pacific Avenue in Bremerton, and on Central Way in Kirkland.

The Habit Burger Grill operates dozens of restaurants in California, but just one in Washington (it’s in Kent). The Irvine-based chain describes itself as a “fast casual restaurant concept that specializes in preparing fresh, made-to-order char-grilled burgers and sandwiches.”

Other businesses slated to open in The Trails this year include Corner Bakery, DSW, Forever 21, Jersey Mike’s, Old Navy, Sleep Number, and Verizon.

Chipotle, MOD Pizza, Silverdale Smiles Dentistry, and Total Wine already opened this year in the Greaves Way development. 

$97,000 awarded for youth job skills programs

431751_5554031_ver1.0_640_480The state awarded more than $97,000 to a local workforce development agency to create internships and training opportunities for young people, according to a news release.

The YouthWorks funding was awarded to the Olympic Workforce Development Area Consortium, which oversees WorkSource offices in Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson Counties.

YouthWorks is a collaborative program between workforce councils, schools and other educational agencies to provide job search skills, career assessments and work experience jobs to high school dropouts and other youth re-engaging with school after dropping out.

Locally, the YouthWorks project will partner with Olympic Educational Services District, West Sound Technical Skills Center, Olympic College, West Sound STEM and Stand Up for Kids, an organization that reaches out to homeless youth to teach basic life skills.

“This YouthWorks investment opens wonderful opportunities for our youth to gain valuable work skills and experiences,” County Commissioner and Olympic Consortium Chair Charlotte Garrido said in the release. “It will enhance our local workforce and spur our economy.”

Subdivision approved near Ridgetop JH

hogan.lane
Subdivision location

A 61-lot subdivision has been approved near Ridgetop Junior High School in Silverdale.

The hearing examiner for Kitsap County gave the go-ahead March 29 for subdivision of two, 5-acre parcels on Hogan Lane, east of the Ridgetop Boulevard/Waaga Way interchange.

15 02528 NOA Final
Preliminary site plan

A preliminary site plan for “Hogan Heights” filed with the county shows rows of lots surrounding a circular access road with an entrance at the end of Hogan Lane.

The development will be built out in two phases, according to a county staff report.

The owner and applicant for the project is Marana Investments Company, Inc. of Bremerton.

Marana bought the lots in 2014 for $400,000, according to assessor’s documents.