Village Green plan back to drawing board

KINGSTON — Not realizing a redesign lay in its future, the Kingston Community Center Foundation was hoping to continue developing the Village Green Park Master Plan as preparations for the site grow.

KINGSTON — Not realizing a redesign lay in its future, the Kingston Community Center Foundation was hoping to continue developing the Village Green Park Master Plan as preparations for the site grow.

It was made public April 28, however, that Kitsap County Parks and Recreation officials are accepting a $48,000 Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation grant for the Navy housing property on West Kingston Road. A grant that, in turn, won’t allow any non-recreational construction on the property. This leaves KCCF members in the lurch, said architect Miles Yanick of the Bainbridge-based Miles Yanick Company, and he had about 20 residents working to devise a new plan at the KCCF’s Wednesday meeting.

“The county announced that they will be accepting the grant from the IAC for the Navy housing property,” Yanick said. “They basically told us this plan is no longer valid, and we’re back to square one. Or square minus .5.”

Essentially, the original plan placed the community center, senior housing and parking about 50 feet into the Navy property. Because of the grant, which stipulates the only allowable structures are those designed specifically for outdoor use, Yanick and landscape architect Robin Hanway offered the KCCF and the public four new possibilities.

Option one would move the buildings and parking 50 feet north, out of the IAC area. But some concern was raised by KCCF president Bobbie Moore about them crossing a nearby stream buffer. Yanick assured her the buildings were shifted enough to the east so they wouldn’t be in the buffer.

“I think option one gives views to both, and they aren’t stacked on top of each other,” said Kingston resident Mark Rustad.

Option two would relocate the community center and senior center to the eastern property line.

“The disadvantage with this is the seniors will be staring at the community center on one side and the pump house on the other,” said Kingston resident Dan Price. The one advantage Yanick drew attention to was the large amount of open space the plan provides.

Option three involves the community center in the same position as option two, with the senior housing moved north abutting California Street. This was unpopular because of the distance between the center and housing, which could take away funding options from the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority.

Option four would change the landscape drastically by moving the already established tennis courts from West Kingston Road up near California Street, placing the community center on the current court location with the senior housing just north of the center.

“I don’t like this plan because you’re moving everything for $48,000,” Price said. “I’m guessing it would take more than that to move the tennis courts.”

Yanick worked with the meeting attendees to manipulate how buildings could be laid out in the first and fourth proposals to better suit what the KCCF desires. Residents decided those two ideas were the most feasible.

Yanick will review and revise the two and present them at the KCCF’s June 13 meeting.

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