Three-story apartments not in our best interest

It’s wonderful how Poulsbo has thrived in recent years.

Residents are restoring old homes and continuing the style and character of the town’s wonderful heritage.

Many businesses have flourished to help make a great tourist and marine destination.

Visitors come, spend their money and leave a small footprint.

The residents enjoy great restaurants and the shopping. Poulsbo is truly a pedestrian friendly town.

However, the plans for a three-story apartment house at the end of the business district, at the old police station site, may not be in the public’s best interest.

Even now, parked cars have difficulty during rush hour and pedestrians are hard to see because of the slope of the driveway. Currently, it is essential parking for the people working in the downtown and this protects neighborhood parking, which is very scarce. Where do you think those cars are going to go?

Nobody likes the idea of diminishing a property owner’s expectation of making the best use of their property and, if this was private property, such a development would be understandable, but in this case the owners are the citizens of Poulsbo and more half-empty shops and retail traffic is not in their interest. The added property tax gained for the city would be offset by the damage to all the property owners whose view of the port will be damaged. Commercial development of this property is poor land use.

Jensen Way is the obvious choice for retail development. It has sidewalks, parking, lighting, and is supported by lots of streets. Liberty Bay also has greater holding capacity for more guest docks and moorage.

Nick Jewett

Poulsbo

Editor’s note: A private developer is in the process of buying the former police station site. It will then be privately owned, and not publicly owned.

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