KINGSTON — The Kingston Community Center Foundation is hoping to take a step down the path to make Kingston a walkable community — yielding to a variety of ideas on extending roadways and creating beautiful streets as part of the proposed Village Green project.

At the first of three meetings to gather public input for the foundation’s master plan Wednesday, more than a dozen residents in attendance seemed pleased with the center’s design and took aim at connecting it to open spaces in other parts of town.

“We’ll be refining work we did last fall and adding enhancements,” said principal architect Miles Yanick of the Miles Yanick Company. Elements which foundation and community members have mentioned in the past have included, senior housing, a new library, room for the North Kitsap Boys & Girls Club and Kitsap County offices. “We’ve considered potential county offices, but nothing’s been determined on that yet.”

The new Kingston Community Center is currently slated to be built behind the Kingston Navy Housing, which is scheduled to be vacated no later than June 30 to make room for the county park. Kitsap County purchased the 3.6 acres, and the buildings, from the Navy in December 2005 as a piece of the Village Green.

Connecting Kola Kole Park with the Village Green, which will encompass all the downtown parks in Kingston, was also discussed at the meeting. Suggestions on how to accomplish this included extending Oregon Avenue to the new community center, and lengthening California Street through the park area.

“There is mixed used zoning there,” said Kingston Stakeholder and resident Dave Wetter, referring to Oregon Avenue. “It would be good for businesses going into those spaces to have pedestrians in the area.”

Kingston resident Walt Elliott brought up the Seattle Green Streets Program as a possible model for review. The program adds landscaping and creates more room for pedestrian traffic along roadways.

He feels Kingston is a good candidate to attempt something similar, and that the program could be employed to band the Village Green together.

But, in this case, pedestrians might have to yield to the needs of motorists.

“Starting several years ago, we started looking at a walkable Kingston,” said KCCF President Bobbie Moore. “That shouldn’t conflict with getting cars out of driveways.”

Future KCCF meetings will incorporate that, allowing residents to see how their ideas and suggestions affect the Village Green design.