POULSBO — What once was considered the site of Little Norway’s new city hall might finally find its purpose as Poulsbo’s newest park location.

After engineering consultants from Parametrix determined that the 2.75-acre parcel wouldn’t work for a municipal campus, the city council decided its best use was as open space or recreational area.

The Morris Property, which was purchased in 2001 for a new city hall, sits just west of the public works building at the corner of 7th Avenue and Iverson Street.

The city spent $600,000 on the and another $76,000 to determine whether it could feasibly house city hall, before its parks and recreation department stepped in.

The Kingston-based Larson Casteel Company is developing the master plan for the property, which is tentatively slated to become an urban park.

Residents will get an opportunity to chime in on the park’s future during an open house beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Poulsbo Library, said Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey.

“It sits in a real unique part of town, and we thought a public meeting on the site would be a great place to start,” McCluskey said.

The property is located close to a shopping district, medical facilities, the library and residential areas as well, which gives it an urban feel, she said.

“It’s a park that people are going to stop at for a short time,” she said.

Because of its small size, the setting won’t be like Raab or Nelson parks, but it has its own possibilities with Dogfish Creek running through it, McCluskey said.

“It’s an asset to the community because that is the south fork of Dogfish Creek. Dogfish Creek is seen as a viable salmon stream,” said Laurie Larson of Larson Casteel Company, adding that public involvement in the master planning process is vital because it is their park.

The treed setting is surrounded by development, but it is the one piece of nature which hasn’t been touched, she said.

“I think this is an undiscovered asset for the city of Poulsbo. Our goal is to come up with a plan that best suits the property with respect to its critical areas and limitations,” Larson said.

“It’s actually a real benefit to the public, because it keeps a part of the Dogfish Creek corridor in the public’s hands,” said Councilman Mike Regis.

More importantly, the master planning for the property will help determine the use of the public works building property, once the department moves to a new location, Regis said.

“It wasn’t a perfect match for a municipal campus, but it’s a perfect match to enhance the public interest in Dogfish Creek,” he said.

Having a local firm like the Larson Casteel Company assist with the planning brings a countywide perspective to the salmon recovery efforts that are possible as part of the park’s development, he said.

“With it we’ll be able to enhance the salmon runs,” Regis said.