County development staff have withdrawn their support of the
Spruce House project.
By Chris Henry
chenry@kitsapsun.com
PORT ORCHARD
Manchester residents had their say Thursday on a three-story
development project some claim is out of scale and character with
the town. Critics of the project say plans to accommodate
stormwater are inadequate and pose a danger of flooding from site
run-off.
Spruce House, a 54,777 square-foot residential-retail complex, was
the subject of a public hearing at the county administration
building. The complex is proposed on a .53 acre site at the corner
of Colchester Drive and Spruce Street in downtown Manchester.
Spruce House is one of
four projects allowed at three stories before a revision of the
Manchester Community Plan in 2007 limited building height in
the downtown area to two stories.
The Anchors at Manchester is the only one of the four that has
been built.
Plans by Gig Harbor developer John Park of BJP LLC call for 11
condominium units on two stories above 7,455 square feet of
retail-office space and 19 parking spaces on the ground floor.
There’s also a 40-space underground parking garage.
Written testimony the county received in an earlier phase of
permitting showed a number of residents displeased with the size
and appearance of the building. An Oct. 12 report from the county’s
Department of Community Development says Park has made adjustments
to the design in response. But the report raises issues with
stormwater treatment and landscaping in its recommendation against
approval of the permit.
The DCD had earlier recommended approval of Park’s application,
said Senior Planner Dennis Oost, but staff withdrew their support
in November, 2008, when neighbors of the proposed project
complained drainage from the site would be directed at their
properties.
DCD contends Park’s current plans don’t meet the county’s
requirement that 15 percent of the project area be covered in
landscaping. And a neighbor, whose garage encroaches on the site
said the design would block his access, Oost said.
Resident Carrilu Thompson testified that flooding is a problem in
the town, which is at the bottom of a hillside.
Planning consultant William Palmer said his client has proposed
several stormwater alternatives. The preferred design would be to
collect run-off and direct it via underground pipes to a
county-maintained manhole on Spruce Street. From there stormwater
enters a pipe with direct discharge to Puget Sound.
The pipe passes through private property, and the owner will not
give permission for its use, Palmer said. He argues that since the
county once owned the property is has a historic right to use the
pipe and so could grant Park permission to use it.
Project engineer Nels Rosendahl said the pipe would have enough
capacity to handle the added run-off from the site, even in the
event of a “hundred year storm.” But Douglas Frick, the county’s
manager of development engineering, said his department has not yet
verified the capacity of the pipe. Nor have possible problems
created by additional flow at the pipe’s outfall been addressed,
Frick said.
Palmer listed several other alternative plans, one of which would
direct stormwater from the site to a nearby creek. Another
alternative required Park to get permission from seven other
property owners, which proved prohibitive, Palmer said.
On the issue of landscaping, Palmer argued the project more than
satisfies the county’s 15 percent requirement. By including
plantings on the building itself, the total landscaped area is
4,083 feet or about 17.7 percent of the total site area, he
said.
The report submitted by Oost states landscaping on buildings should
not be counted in the total. But Palmer said precent for doing so
was set by the hearing examiner’s approval of another three-story
project in Manchester. The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners
overturned approval of Colchester Commons, but Park challenged that
decision and prevailed on April 7 in Kitsap County Superior
Court.
As for the easement issue, Park and his representatives are
negotiating with the neighbor, who claims access to the site
through historical use. They hope to come to a resolution, Palmer
said. In the meantime, Park has filed suit to gain access. The
neighbor has filed a counter suit.
The fourth three-story project, Manchester Place, at the corner of
Spring and Main Street, is owned by Frank Tweten of Gig Harbor. He
has until Oct. 6, 2011 to move forward before a preliminary permit
on the project expires.
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/15/high-end-manchester-condos-struggling-to-sell/
