KINGSTON — With the predicted arrival of 100,000 new residents by the year 2025, the Kitsap County Department of Community Development has been working to ensure its infrastructure, policies and communities can accommodate the population increase.

It is doing so by updating the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan, a document that lays the groundwork for planning issues from Port Orchard to Hansville.

North End residents were among the first to get a chance to review the 10-year draft comprehensive plan during the first of three workshops scheduled throughout the county.

The draft plan was released Tuesday, the same day as the meeting, said DCD Land Use Manager Eric Baker. Though this didn’t provide residents much time for review prior to the event, Baker said the public in attendance had plenty of questions and concerns.

“Through the course of the workshops, we’ve heard a pretty wide range of concerns,” Baker said. “I think we have an excellent amount of public comment to work off of as we put the plan into action.”

The draft comprehensive plan covers a number of development issues including land use, rural and resource lands, natural systems, housing, utilities and the Kingston Sub-Area Plan.

“This is certainly a good time to look at where the proper growth should take place,” said Poulsbo resident Troy Cahoon. “I think they are trying to limit how much sprawl happens in certain areas like Kingston. They are definitely working in Bremerton, Port Orchard, Silverdale and Kingston to see how those areas will be taking in the people moving here.”

The county is now working on a tight timeline to continue gathering public opinion and is holding public hearings on the plan to assist the process, Baker said. The deadline for the plan is Dec. 31, which represents a six-month extension granted by the state.

“We’re now into the crunch period of the decision making,” he said. “It always was tight though, and we knew that from the beginning.”

During the Aug. 29 meeting, held in the Kingston Junior High commons, North Kitsap residents were encouraged to offer their opinions before the plan moved to the next step of the process.

“I’d like to see (Kitsap County) keep its individuality yet grow in population,” said Kingston resident Lori Flanders. “Kingston is such a great town, I’d like more people to share it without it losing the special small town feel it has right now.”

Not all of the comments were positive, though.

Kingston resident Dave Schwab and Hansville resident Ruth Greb attended the meeting to express their dissatisfaction with the plan and their hopes that Kitsap County will continue to stay rural.

“I don’t like any of it,” Schwab said, adding that there isn’t the proper infrastructure in place for the county to build upon for another 100,000 people. “They’ve got the cart in front of the horse on this one.”