POULSBO — Mayor Becky Erickson pulled consideration of Central Highland Homes’ application to build more homes at the Summerset development, at the July 6 City Council meeting.

City officials said conditions of approval haven’t been met.

The developer cried foul.

“This is an ambush,” said David Smith of Central Highland Homes. “How did this happen?”

Smith repeatedly interrupted the meeting, refusing repeated requests to sit down and protesting the mayor’s decision to pull the item from the agenda.

City engineering technician Aaron Hulst and city engineer Diane Lenius had reviewed the 128 mitigations and conditions of approval, and recommended approval of Highland’s request. However, when both staff members were unavailable to present their findings at the July 6 meeting because of vacation or illness, two other staff members were tasked with bringing themselves up to speed on the project and making the presentation.

What they saw when they toured the site raised concerns: a tripping hazard presented by a sprinkler head in the middle of a walking trail; piles of sand, gravel and construction debris on sidewalks; and large open pits.

They asked Barry Berezowsky, director of planning and economic development, to inspect the site as well. Berezowsky said he came back to the office and talked to Smith, apprising him of the problems and the fact he would have to recommend that the application be denied if it came before the council that night.

Denial would mean that Central Highland Homes would have to begin the application process all over again and go to the “back of the line.” This could have resulted in as much as a three-month delay, costing Highland the summer construction period.

Berezowsky said he urged Smith to voluntarily remove the project from the July 6 agenda. When this did not happen, Erickson chose to pull the item from the agenda so that it could be brought up at a subsequent council meeting once the problems had been satisfactorily addressed.

“[Mr. Smith] was not blindsided,” Berezowsky said, noting again that the city had discussed the matter with Highland and offered options.

In the citizens’ comment period at the end of the meeting, Michael Brown, principal of Sound West Group, which is helping underwrite the project, took a calmer approach, noting that many of the problems officials identified had already been corrected. He thanked the council for postponing the decision and allowing them to correct the issues and seek approval at a subsequent meeting, rather than requiring them to start the approval process all over again.

Interviewed after the meeting, Erickson said all developers could expect to be similarly held responsible for meeting city codes and ordinances before they would gain city approval to proceed. This especially pertains to landscaping.

Developers will no longer be able to postpone completion of landscaping in public areas for up to 12 months by posting a bond. Now, all promised landscaping will have to be completed before the city will sign off on a project.

“I won’t have children having to play in the mud,” Erickson said.