POULSBO — The Austurbruin neighborhood is a tight-knit group of homeowners who like nature hikes, working in their community garden and trading green-thumb secrets.

Which is why a recent clear cut near their homes has neighbors up in arms.

In mid September, clearing and grading started on land owned by North Point Presbyterian Church near the corner of Hostmark Street and Caldart Avenue.

The church has an office located on the property and meets at North Kitsap High School. A North Point representative said a church committee is currently in the process of determining a plan and timeline for what exactly will be built on that site.

When Austurbruin neighbors called the city to find out more about the initial clearing, they found the church did not have a permit and the clearing was stopped. During that time, residents met with church representatives to voice concerns.

“We asked if they’d keep a buffer and they made it sound like they would,” said neighbor Erin Herndon.

North Point Senior Pastor Jeff Chandler, who met with concerned neighbors, was out of town at Herald press time.

Once the proper permits were received, clearing resumed. The cut left a 10-foot buffer, however, parts of the buffer are more densely planted than others. Some neighbors can now see North Kitsap High School and Hostmark Street blocks away.

“The noise level keeps my child up at night,” said Christine Carlson.

“I didn’t used to hear a lot of the noises I can hear now,” Lynn Giger, who lives just one home over, added. “We feel like we have to change our lifestyles. I feel like I have to keep my blinds closed and I have to keep the windows closed to not hear the noise.”

Neighbors upset with the clearing showed up in droves to the Oct. 1 Poulsbo City Council meeting to voice their concerns. Carlson’s voice cracked with emotion relaying the experience to council members.

“This has been the saddest devastation of land I’ve ever witnessed,” she commented. “I hope the city will take a good look at the space we do have left.”

“We’ve done some pretty great things in our neighborhood, we think,” added neighbor Kathryn Owen. “That’s who we are and we’re not coming because we’re just mad about what happened. We want to see if we can get something positive out of this.”

Despite neighbor concerns, city staff said what North Point did was completely legal. Currently, inside the Poulsbo city limits, certain clearing and grading can take place without a site plan. Also, such activities can take place without notification to neighbors or a public comment period.

Austurbruin residents understand that the church owns the property and should be able to use it but expressed frustration at the manner in which the land was cleared. A handful of trees left had their roots and trunks scarred by machinery to the point that they will likely die. City Arborist Kevin McFarland has indicated that at least one mature tree on Austurbruin’s property needs to be removed after being damaged by the clearing.

“They said they just wanted to clear the land and I don’t feel they cleared it, I feel they ruined the property,” Giger said.

Council members at last Wednesday’s meeting were sympathetic to the neighborhood’s complaints. The issue of clearing and grading permits has been added to the agenda for today’s public works committee meeting, which begins at 5 p.m.

And as for the Austurbruin neighbors, they said they would like an apology, but would settle for an open line of communication from here on out.

They also want a better buffer. The neighborhood recently received a grant from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and have suggested that they could certainly use some of that money to share in the cost of planting more trees or a hedge row.

“There’s a lot of anger with the people who are immediately adjacent to it but we’re all willing to move forward,” said Greg Relaford.

“We’re just hoping they’ll put in the buffer graciously and that the city will look at its ordinances and make some changes so this never happens again,” Herndon added.