Face of Kingston’s streetscape is changing

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, September 27, 2006

KINGSTON — With the buzz of a circular saw, the bang of a hammer and the calls of workers to one other, Kingston readies itself to welcome two new buildings to its downtown area. The 500-square-foot units, which are under construction by Rick Lanning and his crew from Homeland Construction, will house three businesses and even out the rocky building topography.

“(The buildings) are going to knit the streetscape back together,” said Peter Brachvogel, of BC&J Architecture, Planning and Construction Management, adding that the downtown Kingston buildings are uneven and oddly placed. “These buildings will help thicken the public area.”

Construction started in early August, and the buildings are slowly taking shape, Lanning said. Framing and plumbing are finished, and the electrical work began Monday. The businesses should be ready to open their doors around Nov. 15, bringing a new economic facet to Kingston.

“We’ve got a bakery, called Truly Scrumptious, that’s taken the entire west building,” Lanning said. “We’ve got a gift shop that will be selling candles and that kind of stuff in one of the other spaces. We’re just looking for a third business to fill it out now.”

Though construction has been running smoothly, Lanning said crews hit a bump in the road when officials from the Kitsap County Public Works Department pointed out that the buildings are three feet into the county right of way.

“It’s just frustrating because we’ve had civil engineers and designers helping us to prepare these buildings,” he said, adding that now that the buildings have been mostly built, he’s uncertain how to address the three-foot issue.

“Rick and I covered all the bases with these buildings by going to engineers and the county,” Brachvogel said, adding that the county signed off on the placement of the buildings when it issued Lanning his permits. “Rick is right on the mark.”

The county feels differently.

Kitsap County Department of Community Development assistant director of permitting Jeff Rowe-Hornbaker said that on the submitted building plans, the building footprint did not indicate that it would encroach into the alley the way it has.

“The map we received for permitting showed the building on the property, not in the right of way,” he said. “The most obvious solution is to remove the impediment, or to cut the building.”

Lanning said that he will be examining options with the county to try and find the best solution in the least amount of time.

Aside from the county concerns, Lanning said the buildings have been well received by both Kingston residents and visitors.

“It’s been a very positive experience,” he said. “Downtown Kingston is a really cozy, really comfortable place already. These buildings are adding to that, and I think people are looking forward to seeing them completed. I haven’t heard one person complain about them.”

“There are a lot of broken teeth in the building area,” Brachvogel said. “This will help knit those together, connect them more.”

Lanning also has the final round of permitting coming up for the Belmont Building, which he expects to break ground on in January 2007.