POULSBO — New documents governing development at the Olhava site are expected to be before the city council in early 2004.
The first is a development agreement, which is meant to clarify a number of issues for Poulsbo, First Western and the City of Poulsbo. At its Dec. 17 meeting, the Poulsbo City Council unanimously agreed to set a public hearing on the document for the 216-acre site for Jan. 21.
“This isn’t required,” Planning Director Barry Berezowsky explained. “It was brought to the city by First Western. They thought it would be in both parties’ interest to add much more specificity and certainty to the process.”
The development agreement includes:
•Timelines and fee schedules for traffic impact fees
•Timelines for improvements to public facilities on the property such as sanitary sewer and storm sewer
•Deadlines for public facilities to be turned over to the City of Poulsbo
•Requirements for paying impact fees to and making agreements with Kitsap County and the State Department of Transportation
•Requirements for common design elements to commercial buildings
Currently, the City of Poulsbo has an existing master plan and environmental documents for the entire Olhava site as well as a site plan in place for the proposed Wal-Mart. Berezowsky explained that the development agreement is meant to supplement these documents and add more certainty for all parties.
“This will allow certainty on the city’s side as to when we can expect payment of fees and how much,” Berezowsky explained as an example. “And the developer can discuss this with those interested in developing at Olhava since these fees would be passed through them.”
A binding site plan for the Olhava development is now under review and will also be before the council sometime in early 2004.
Berezowsky explained that this document has been required by staff before they will schedule any other pre-application meetings with potential Olhava commercial tenants. The document will lay out the specific property lines to give planning staff a better notion of the specific size and orientation of pieces of the whole.
“It’s nothing more than a subdividing of land for commercial purposes rather than residential,” Berezowsky said.
The Olhava development agreement is available for public review at the Planning Department during business hours. City Hall will close at noon Dec. 24 and be closed Dec. 25.
The binding site agreement will be available in the near future.
The proposed Olhava development agreement public hearing will begin at 7:15 p.m. Jan. 21 in council chambers. The item will also be discussed by the Finance/Administration Committee at 5 p.m. Jan. 7 and the Public Works Committee at 5 p.m. Jan. 14.
