Concerns over transparency, growth surface at Port Orchard council meeting

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Port Orchard residents raised concerns over transparency, communication and rapid development, while city officials provided updates on a wide range of infrastructure and housing projects at the City Council meeting July 22.

Longtime resident Robert Showers was the most vocal, criticizing the council’s handling of recent meetings, particularly a discussion on the proposed community event center at the July 15 session.

“There seems to be a communication problem between the council, the mayor and the administrative department,” Showers said. “Looking at the expressions on some of your faces confirmed you had never discussed any items associated with the event center.”

He raised additional concerns about inadequate restroom facilities at city events, the impact of new developments on waterfront views, sidewalk conditions and difficulty getting responses from city departments.

“A citizen’s time is just as important as the people who work for the city,” he said. Showers also urged councilmembers to reevaluate the city’s mayor-council form of government and emphasized their authority to say “no.”

Also, Diane Canafax, director and co-founder of Kitsap Animal Rescue and Education, addressed the challenges homeless residents face when they have pets. “One of the biggest barriers to homeless people wanting to find shelter is they can’t take their pets,” she said.

She invited the council and community members to an Aug. 7 meeting with the national nonprofit My Dog is My Home to discuss co-sheltering strategies. Canafax helps operate the pet center at the Pacific Building on Mile Hill.

The council authorized Mayor Rob Putaansuu to sign a contract with Active Construction Inc. for the Sidney Road non-motorized improvement project, aimed at boosting pedestrian safety and accessibility with new sidewalks and drainage upgrades. The project is funded by a $1.39 million state Safe Routes to School award.

“This is kind of an exciting moment,” Putaansuu said. “We’re going to continue that project where we stopped and take it all the way to Hovde Road and complete similar improvements in front of the grade school.”

Meanwhile, Nick Bond, the city’s director of community development, said there’s a need for the Navy to evaluate its impact on Port Orchard’s transportation infrastructure due to anticipated workforce increases.

“We’re going to start drafting a comment letter,” Bond said. “What we ought to be communicating to the Navy is that they need to evaluate the transportation impacts on Port Orchard resulting from the increase in workforce and employment, and the people who are living in Port Orchard and working at the Navy and getting from point A to point B.”

Bond also shared progress on the Kitsap Transit Park and Ride, now expected to break ground in 2026. Property rights have been secured and sewer lift station design is nearly complete.

He presented updates on several housing and commercial projects:

—Kitsap Bank is revising plans after receiving a shoreline permit but is awaiting approval for a building permit.

—429 Bay St., a mixed-use development with 39 apartments and retail space, is rising on the former Lighthouse/“Cheers” restaurant site.

—Forest Song, a 192-unit complex, has broken ground and is expected to be completed next fall.

—Stetson Heights and Ridge are nearing completion, with the final 108 of 412 lots under construction or in permitting.

—McCormick East, a 159-lot subdivision by McCormick Land Co., recently submitted a preliminary plat application.

—McCormick Woods has six remaining phases. A new sewer lift station and road extensions are under review, with development expected to begin next summer. In total, 597 lots are planned.

—McCormick Village Park is expanding with nearly completed pickleball courts and new parking access near Old Clifton Road. The courts will remain under Homeowner association ownership.

—Riverstone Plat and Bridgeview Apartments remain active, though a change in developers followed a bankruptcy.

—The Home Depot project is still in planning stages. A development agreement may come before council this fall. The timeline is linked to the city’s Bethel Corridor Project, slated for 2027.

—Salmonberry Apartments, located near the Home Depot site, recently broke ground. The 28-unit project received a multifamily tax exemption before that program ended.