City of Poulsbo acquires 2.68 acres for $1 for Fish Park expansion

By all appearances, this is an oasis of nature in suburbia. It’s also a lesson in building too close to a creek.

POULSBO – The midcentury house with cedar siding and circular drive is nestled in a forest on 2.68 acres. Trees and flowing stream drown out the sounds of traffic on the nearby thoroughfares. Neighbors have told of the wildlife in this area — bears, eagles, deer. By all appearances, this is an oasis of nature in suburbia.

It’s also a lesson in building too close to a creek. The site is wet and prone to flooding. The last owner abandoned it and Freddie Mac foreclosed. According to Mayor Becky Erickson, the house has been vacant for four years.

Soon, thanks to the Poulsbo City Council and the Poulsbo Rotary Club, the house will soon be gone, and the site and acreage added to Fish Park.

Freddie Mac – aka the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation – has agreed to sell the site to the city for $1.

The house, 20831 Bond Road NE, isn’t visible from the street; you likely don’t know it’s there. The driveway is on Bond Road adjacent to Dr. Daniel G. Peck’s dental office. Its acquisition mirrors another made by the city on 8th Avenue; the $1 purchase of a Freddie Mac foreclosure next to a portion of the south fork of Dogfish Creek. That house will soon be torn down and the site will become part of Centennial Park.

According to the council’s March 22 minutes, Mayor Becky Erickson reported she was initially concerned about purchasing the property because of the cost of demolishing the 2,300 square foot house and 240-square-foot carport. But then, Poulsbo Rotary Club agreed to take care of the demolition and costs associated with the removal of the house, as well as environmental remediation of the site.

Three parcels, 2.68 acres, for $1 – can’t beat a deal like that. But the sale and purchase must be completed in one month’s time, and the city must pull $2,500 from park reserves to cover real estate transaction fees, closing costs and title insurance.

Council member Jim Henry made the motion to purchase 20831 Bond Road NE, and Council member Connie Lord seconded it. The motion was approved unanimously.

Notebook: The purchase of the former city hall site on Jensen Way will close on April 24 and construction of the Old City Hall Apartments is expected to begin in the fall, Mayor Erickson told the North Kitsap Herald on April 5. The Old City Hall Apartments will have 75 apartments and underbuilding parking.

The purchase price: $1.2 million. After expenses for building removal and environmental remediation, the city will share 25 percent of the net proceeds with the county, which owned a portion of the old city hall for district court.

Proceeds from the sale of the old city hall site will be used to build new restrooms at Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park and remove a vacant house in Centennial Park and a house on 8th Avenue, clearing the way for expansion of Centennial Park and restoration of the portion of Dogfish Creek that flows across that site.

The former police station on Hostmark Street was sold for $825,000; 25 apartments are planned there. That sale, however, is contingent upon a building permit being approved.

— With reporting by Terryl Asla/Kitsap News Group

The circular drive at 20831 Bond Road NE. The City of Poulsbo is acquiring the 2.68 acres for $1. A flood-prone house near Dogfish Creek will be cleared and the acreage added to Fish Park. Terryl Asla/Kitsap News Group

The City of Poulsbo is acquiring 2.68 acres at 20831 Bond Road NE for $1. The property was abandoned and Freddie Mac foreclosed on it. A flood-prone house near Dogfish Creek will be removed and the acreage added to Fish Park. Terryl Asla/Kitsap News Group