HANSVILLE — With the construction season rapidly coming to a close, many developments are preparing to hibernate until springtime. The Hansville Homestead project is no exception, and will emerge in early 2007 with a flourishing of houses and a new name: Sterling Highlands.

The project has evolved since it started construction in May, and the name change signals the metamorphosis has come full circle, said developer James Laughlin.

The road along that circle has been bumpy, however, and Hansville Homestead is about eight months behind schedule.

“We’re not building houses yet,” Laughlin said. “We’re still working on making the county happy. The paving is complete, and we’re waiting for the final plot approval from the county.”

When the first phase of construction is complete, 43 new homes will stand on 205 acres just off of Twin Spits Road. Twelve of the lots have already been reserved, Laughlin said.

“I’ve got a developer buying 10 lots right now,” he said, adding that other developers and private parties have expressed interest in building homes at the site.

But before that work gets underway, those building houses at Sterling Highlands will be asked to proceed with caution on their way to and from the site.

Traffic congestion and construction trucks traveling at excessive speeds led a number of Hansville residents and groups to complain about the project early on.

“We had a complaint about the traffic the trucks were causing,” said Kitsap County Commissioner Chris Endresen, adding that she hadn’t received any other complaints about the development.

Since the project got underway, traffic flow has improved, said Greater Hansville Area Traffic Safety committee member Neal Kellner. Initially, there were a number of complaints from Shorewoods residents about trucks driving through Hansville’s neighborhoods.

“We’ve had no further problems in Shorewoods with them,” Kellner said. “Once the county got involved, they backed away and started following the speed limits.”

Hansville Community Center president Lynn Hix said she’s noticed the number of trucks traveling back and forth through Hansville everyday.

“The speed limit hasn’t been very well adhered to by the big trucks,” she said.

“One company, Ace Paving, has been exemplary with its drivers,” Kellner said. “The vehicles are obeying the speed limits, and they are the only company I can name that’s doing so.”

Once completed, Sterling Highlands is expected to bring an additional 200 people to Hansville, adding to the traffic in the area, Hix said.

“It’s not a happy thing, but one deals,” she said. “It’s going to happen.”