KINGSTON — With the conclusion of lawsuits brought against the Apple Tree Point development project, Kitsap County is preparing to move forward toward construction again.

It’s been slow going.

Eleven years ago, when the 106-home project was first proposed, it was swamped with concerns from Kingston residents who live in the area. A meeting to re-introduce Apple Tree Point to the community Tuesday night was similarly mired with such worries.

Concerns about stormwater, sidewalks and traffic echoed through the Kingston Community Center as many Lindvog Road property owners made it clear they still oppose the development.

“I have always been concerned about the stormwater on the property and the number of lots in the development,” said Kitsap County Commissioner Chris Endresen, sharing the frustration of many residents that runoff could turn their yards into ponds or cause dangerous landslides. “In this phase of the project, Phase I, the stormwater won’t be an issue. It could be though in the later phases.”

Apple Tree Point is a three-part project, said Kitsap County Department of Community Development Senior Planner Jeff Smith, adding that the first phase consists of 34 lots on 17 acres, with six acres of that being set aside for open space. The final project would consist of 106 houses on 126 acres on the corner of Lindvog Road and Berry Street.

“Moving the stormwater off site shouldn’t have a negative impact,” said Kitsap County Department of Community Development assistant director of permitting Jeff Rowe-Hornbaker, speaking of the plan for stormwater to be retained in a detention pond near the Phase I development and then carried through pipes to the Puget Sound. “As far as (land) slides are concerned, we are still reviewing that now.”

The issues of concern quickly moved from stormwater to traffic, sidewalks and paths through the development. Many residents who live on Lindvog are looking forward to sidewalks, or even bigger shoulders, so they and their children can walk and bike safely along the road. But residents were also concerned about motorists who often exceed the posted 25 mph limit along the stretch.

“I see it all the time,” said Kingston resident Kay Peiguss. “I walk Lindvog almost every day.”

She added that the county planners who presented the meeting said, “We’ll get back to you,” and “We have no control over that” too often.

Another concern that tied into the meeing’s traffic and sidewalks discussion was that, if constructed, a proposed path in Apple Tree Point would only go as far as the Kingston Meadows development.

Apple Tree Point developer and co-owner Kate Fortune and the county have no jurisdiction to build beyond the 126 acres, county officials pointed out.

Rowe-Hornbaker said such a path and sidewalk in Kingston Meadows would had to have been added at the time that development was built.

“There’s not much we can do about that now,” he said.

“There have been no improvements to help out the residents,” Peiguss said, adding that the county had too many excuses and should just do the work. “Somebody must be held accountable for why this didn’t happen in the first place.”

Not all of the residents who attended the meeting were opposed to the development. Kingston resident Pat Menge intends to buy two of the lots and can’t wait to see the development go into the construction phase.

“I agree that people at that time should have been made to make improvements and sidewalks,” she said, adding that it shouldn’t stop this project from moving forward, or doing improvements of its own even if they end at the property line.

“I would say that we are hearing the same arguments that we heard 13 years ago,” Fortune said. “Some of the arguments are without foundation and are just getting repeated. It’s the same people as last time. They have valid concerns, but one development cannot fund all of the sidewalks. The others should have done their share.”

The project will move forward with its construction plans, Rowe-Hornbaker said, and the county will look into residents’ concerns.

Endresen also promised she would look into the sidewalks issue through the Kitsap County Public Works Committee to see if there is another way to get road improvements.

The county will host additional meetings as Phase I progresses. Anyone with concerns can contact the county via www.kitsapcounty.gov or by calling (360) 337-7150.