Kitsap County Commissioner Chairman Charlotte Garrido took the opportunity at the groundbreaking for The Trails at Silverdale, to remind everyone that some people thought the county was only dreaming when it put in the infrastructure at Kitsap Mall Boulevard and Greaves Way.
“Some people thought we were being too futuristic,” Garrido said. “But because we were looking to the future, today we are celebrating the results.”
The Trails at Silverdale, a 220,000 square-foot retail development is being built at that location and an official groundbreaking took place at noon on Thursday.
“We persevered,” Garrido said. “And today the changes we dreamt of are taking place.”
Garrido, and fellow county commissioners Linda Streissguth and Bob Gelder were on hand at the event, where Jean Paul Wardy, president of CenterCal, the corporation developing the retail center, spoke about how great it is to do business in Kitsap County.
“Everyone here has been so good to work with,” said Wardy. “We’ve never been to a community that’s been so good to work with.”
While no specific names of tenants were released Thursday, Wardy said the center is 70 to 80 percent “committed.”
“There’s been lots of interest,” he said. “We will be making announcements in the near future.”According to Wardy and Fred Bruning, co-founder and CEO of CenterCal Properties, the center will be a “vibrant mix of retailers as well as a collection of established chains looking to better serve the Kitsap region.”
Bruning was not at the groundbreaking, but released written comments that described the center as a mix of shopping and dining experiences in a park-like atmosphere.”The vision for this project was first conceived more than 10 years ago with the infrastructure improvements which were made by Kitsap County,” Bruning said.
“We feel privileged and thrilled with the opportunity to execute that vision and create something we believe will make the entire region proud.Commissioner Streissguth thanked CenterCal for believing in Kitsap County.”Thank you for investing in Kitsap County,” she said. “We celebrate many things today. The word is definitely getting out that Kitsap County and Silverdale are great places to live, work and do business.”
She stressed that the new center will bring jobs to the area and will result in upward of $300,000 in sales tax revenue for the county annually.Commissioner Gelder noted the noise being made by the earth-moving equipment behind where the officials spoke.
“You gotta love the sound of progress,” he said. “CenterCal had the vision a few years ago to know that Kitsap County was on the way to recovery.”
He added that CenterCal and The Trails at Silverdale, will be the catalyst for even more growth to come.Clearing on the 30-acre site began last month.
The shopping center will be built on about 18 acres, according to documents filed by CenterCal last year when it submitted applications with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Department of Ecology.
The center will include a movie theater, restaurants, grocery store, fitness stores and retail outlets.The Trails is planned to be a gathering place where people can come and just enjoy themselves. It will include a movie theater, restaurants, retail and a grocery store. A park-like atmosphere, with a water fountain, outdoor fire pits and places to sit and enjoy nature also are planned.The center was named for the Clear Creek Trail which is nearby.
Construction will begin this fall and the center is planned to open in the fall of 2015. Robinson Construction of Bellevue is under contract with CenterCal to build The Trails at Silverdale.
