POULSBO — After avoiding the dreaded “m-word” for months, a united Poulsbo City Council voted to bring a halt to new development in the city Wednesday night.

Under two moratoriums proposed by Councilman Dale Rudolph, the council decided not to allow any new applications within 200 feet of any critical areas and also said “no” to any new Planned Unit Developments under the section 18.80 of the Poulsbo Municipal Code for the next six months.

“I would like the council to consider a moratorium on all projects affected by the Critical Areas Ordinance,” Rudolph said. “I don’t want to see a stampede of applications coming into the city in the next couple of months to get under the wire.”

Almost all of the other jurisdictions around Poulsbo have already adopted new CAOs which are more stringent than the city’s, he said.

“We need time to allow the CAO to move forward, so we can implement it,” Rudolph said, noting that the reason for singling out Planned Unit Developments is that the city is revising its PUD ordinance and many of the proposals it is facing are in critical areas, he said.

The moratorium comes on the heels of a public outcry over more than 500 homes proposed for the Noll Road area. Almost all are Planned Unit Developments in the Lemolo Creek Corridor. More than 200 people have attended neighborhood meetings about the proposals to express their concerns during the past two weeks.

Many of those same residents along Noll Road opposed the annexation of the 133.82 acres in March. But by September, 100.28 acres in the annexation area had development proposals pending with the city’s planning department.

“We could get a flood of PUDs, and it’s almost to that point,” Rudolph said.

After listening to Rudolph’s plea for a moratorium, Councilman Ed Stern said there is a certain amount of irony in the idea.

“Normally a moratorium is caused by a lack of planning, but in this case it allows for planning,” Stern said.

Despite being opposed to moratoriums in the past, Stern said this proposal would allow the city to implement its new land use laws in an appropriate manner.

The moratorium discussion brought a smile to Councilwoman Connie Lord’s face as she mentioned recent calls she has received in which residents asked for such a measure to allow the city to get a handle on its growth.

“I applaud the transitional situation, and I would expect it grants us time to get our things in place,” Lord said.

The city is in a period of transition and its staff and officials need time to implement the changes and make the transition as smooth as possible, she said.

“We have things that need to be adopted, and this is a good way to do it,” Lord said. “I support it.”

As acting mayor during Mayor Kathryn Quade’s absence, Councilman Jeff McGinty said he had heard from staff about the mass volume of projects recently coming in at a rapid pace.

“Maybe it’s time to slow down for a little bit and proceed with this option,” he said.

The moratorium allows the city to stop and then move forward with growth before it goes too far and its impacts can’t be limited, McGinty said.

As the council appeared to reach a consensus on the moratoriums, City Attorney Jim Haney clarified the issue of which projects would be considered vested under the existing CAO and which would not.

When an application is deemed technically complete or counter complete, it is vested, Haney said.

“Under the vested rights doctrine if a complete application is filed at the counter and it’s complete, it is vested,” Haney said.