KINGSTON — The Little City by the Sea is expecting big changes, as Nor’West Property Group hatches plans to convert Kingston into a walkable community made up of multi-use buildings.

By adding the structures in different areas around Kingston, the group expects to provide better access to shops and housing.

Nor’West, headed by architect Paul Eberharter, is in the midst of implementing big plans for communities in Kitsap County, with four multi-use buildings centered in Kingston and one in Poulsbo. He is also working on four other complexes in Bremerton.

“We want to help the community achieve its goals,” Eberharter said. “A lot of people have wait-and-see attitudes. Our goal is to continue to purchase land and create small urban projects.”

Those urban projects will essentially convert Kingston into a walkable town by placing multi-use buildings throughout the downtown corridor. These buildings will have retail areas for merchants on the ground floors, with office and living spaces on the upper floors. The prospect of living above one’s shop is a fascinating idea to Eberharter. He said he doesn’t understand how Americans moved away from something so accessible. Eberharter sees an opportunity for Kingston to return to its roots of a walking community, if residents are willing to live above their businesses.

“Kingston wasn’t designed to be a car community,” he said, adding the town was originally designed with easy movement in mind, before communities started revolving around cars.

“The community has already gotten together and decided what they want,” he said. “There are many different landowners here who each have their own small lots. Development in Kingston may be slow because of the patterns of the landowners.”

Not only will property owners possibly cause the Kingston development to occur slowly, but Kingston is also quite unique in its parking situation, Eberhart said. Because it was not originally designed for cars, he said fitting parking into projects can be difficult, but not impossible. Many of the Kingston projects suggest ideas for underground parking with the building constructed on top of the garage.

That thought goes hand in hand with ideas suggested by the Kingston Stakeholders, like an underground parking lot under Mike Wallace Memorial Park.

As for the actual residents who will be on the receiving end of these changes, Eberharter said he isn’t overly concerned.

“I certainly think there’s going to be mixed emotions and reactions to what I’m planning,” he said. “The issue is: Where do people live and where do they work? How do you create walkable, urban communities if you don’t start creating them?”

The Nor’West Property Group is doing the same in other areas, trying to invigorate communities with buildings that will cater to a healthier way of living, improving the economy and providing living space without sprawl.

As for the buildings themselves, Eberharter said he likes to experiment with his trade, but as far as Kingston is concerned, it will be traditional all the way.

“Traditional will be better received,” he said. “Kingston is going to have to be traditional. With traditional also comes transitional. It’s important when (the community) looks at the building, what they see and have a reaction to. We will not be building glass boxes.”