While much of the current debate surrounding the two South Kitsap Industrial Area annexation petitions to the city of Bremerton has focused squarely on sewer service provisions, Bremerton City Council President Will Maupin said it is too soon to make any commitments on the subject.

Currently the area is under the development regulations set forth in the 2003 SKIA subarea plan, which was amended in 2006, but if the two petitions are accepted by the Bremerton City Council, that plan will become null and void, Maupin said.

“We will probably have to pass some temporary zoning until we can develop a subarea plan of our own,” he said, adding that the new plan will most likely be centers-based in keeping with the city’s current comprehensive plan philosophy.

As part of the subarea planning process, city officials will have to ensure that all 14 urban services required under the state’s Growth Management Act are provided, even if the city itself doesn’t actually provide the services and uses other agencies such as South Kitsap Fire and Rescue to provide fire protection services, he said.

“When it comes to fire service for the south area, it would be provided by South Kitsap Fire and Rescue,” Maupin said.

Although Port Orchard Mayor Lary Coppola and Port Orchard planning director James Weaver have made a case for Port Orchard providing sewer services to the area, Maupin said he is hesitant to make such a commitment until the subarea plan is complete at the earliest.

“Currently there is enough capacity to serve the area,” he said. “But at some time in the future we are going to have make the decision that is in the best interest of the property owners without other residents of Bremerton being affected and us having to increase their sewer rates.”

One idea on the table is for a stand-alone wastewater treatment facility to be constructed to serve the area and the use of treated effluent for the Gold Mountain Golf Complex and other allowed uses, Maupin said.

“We don’t want to make any commitments on services until we have completed an in-depth analysis to determine the best way to provide them,” he said.

As for the conjecture that Bremerton is fast-tracking the annexation process, Maupin insisted the city is merely fulfilling its obligation to respond to the current annexation petitions as it would for any other annexation petition in the city’s UGAs regardless of their physical location.

One thing that has come from the current discussion is a reaffirmed commitment to clearly communicate with all parties involved throughout the entire annexation and land-use planning process, he said.

“We will be working to make sure no one feels they are being blindsided,” Maupin said, adding that a meeting with Coppola, Port of Bremerton Commissioner Bill Mahan and himself on Monday morning resulted in increased understanding about each entity’s point of view.

“It went well,” he said.