POULSBO — The Port of Poulsbo has cleared a major hurdle toward expanding the liveaboard population at the Poulsbo Marina.
The Hearing Examiner ruled Sept. 25 that the port’s conditional use permit application to convert 13 moorage slips to liveaboard slips is “found to meet the required criteria and the project will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety or welfare of the City.”
The examiner’s decision has been forwarded to the state Department of Ecology, which has final jurisdiction over shoreline conditional-use permit approvals. After a 30-day public comment period, Ecology could sign off on the permit. After approval, the port has some “paperworky” stuff to file with the city, said associate city planner Keri Weaver. The port will then be cleared to increase its number of live aboard slips from 12 to 25.
Residents can review the project file and conditions of approval from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Planning Department in Poulsbo City Hall, 200 NE Moe St. To arrange a time to examine the file, contact Weaver at 394-9748 or kweaver@cityofpoulsbo.com.
Port Commission Chairman Mark DeSalvo said a population of people who live on boats “is a big part of the culture of the port,” and that the boost in 24/7 residency at the marina will provide an economic boost to downtown “without building anything and without any impacts other than what’s already there.”
The Port of Poulsbo has a total of 253 boat moorage slips. Under state law, it is allowed to make 10 percent of those slips available to people who live aboard their boats. But the port was hampered by a 1983 agreement with the city. At that time, the port sought to expand its marina by 24 transient slips and two seaplane berths, and also construct a restroom on shore. The City Council at the time approved the additions, but on the condition that the port limit liveaboard slips to 12 because of limited parking.
Since then, the port purchased the former armory site on Jensen Way and converted it into a parking lot with 56 stalls, including four electric-car charging stations and 12 stalls for RVs and vehicles with trailers.
The port also exceeds the state’s requirements for wastewater pumping stations, and earned Clean Marina Washington and EnviroStars certifications.
“This means that the State of Washington and Kitsap County recognize that the facility is being managed in such a way as to greatly reduce or eliminate pollutants from entering the water,” the port’s liveaboard proposal states. The proposal also quotes the Kitsap County Health District as stating the port has enough facilities to accommodate more than 25 liveaboards.
DeSalvo estimates that when all is said and done, the port will have invested about $40,000 in permit and impact fees.
Port Commissioner Stephen Swann said a round-the-clock presence at the marina is good for the security of the port and the marine environment; port residents are often the first to notice if anything is awry.
“I think we will look back on this someday and will say that expensive port parking lot on Jensen Way will have been a good investment,” he said.
