Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been awarded a grant for the design of an elevated boat ramp at the Point No Point resort according to Regional Director Sue Patnude in an Oct. 12 e-mail message to the Hansville Saltwater Parks Advisory Committee. The funding requires legislative approval prior to final grant award by the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) Board between May and July 2007.

Conceptual drawings submitted with the grant request call for a raised concrete ramp some 27 feet wide and 200 feet long ending at approximately the -1.0 foot tide level. The cabins and boat storage building would be removed while the residence would be retained.

Addressing community concerns with the ramp proposal will now await the WDFW formal planning process.

A vision for the three waterfront parks along Point No Point Road, published in its entirety below, was adopted by the HSPAC and forwarded to both WDFW and Kitsap County.

To comment on the plan or for more information, contact Tony Atkinson at (360) 635-0247.

Draft of Hansville Waterfront

Parks Vision

By Hansville Saltwater Parks Advisory Committee

Kitsap County and the State of Washington currently own or lease properties at three separate waterfront areas in Hansville. These are the Norwegian Point area acquired by the county to provide waterfront access, the Point No Point Resort property acquired by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for motorized fishing access, and the Point No Point waterfront including extensive beaches, wetlands and uplands and anticipated to include the lighthouse itself in the next two years. Future development of these properties is the concern of the Hansville Salt Water Parks Advisory Committee. This paper represents the vision of the advisory committee for use as a guide in preparing park development plans.

Norwegian Point: village commons

Hansville historically was a sport fishing village comprised of small summer cabins and a few year-round residences centered on its very active commercial boathouses. As salmon seasons shortened and larger, faster boats allowed access to the Point No Point fishing area from more and more remote launch points, the boathouse businesses declined and with them some of the village character.

At the same time, Hansville’s beautiful beaches attracted permanent residents and a residential rebuilding surge took place. In future years, as the Hansville waterfront continues to rebuild into a more and more upscale neighborhood and as population increases in the Greater Hansville area, the Hansville village will continue to evolve centered on the Norwegian Point area. A combination of traditional usage, zoning and central location argues for this location. As the residential desirability of the Hansville area continues to climb, so will the local area population. This will create a need for a family gathering place, in effect, a village.

The Norwegian Point property is situated in the central village location and comprises much of the commercial zoning in the vicinity. With suitable development it is ideal to become the core of the Hansville village. With this in mind, this park should be preserved as a “village green” with all that entails.

The Greater Hansville Community (GHC) is desirous of preserving the natural environment and retaining the historical image of the area. Retention of the older of the remaining Forbes Resort buildings would provide the basis for a non-working historical reconstruction of an early boathouse. Under this theme, the existing restaurant could be reopened or a new one constructed. The remaining buildings and dock would be preserved as a historical boathouse reconstruction which could serve as galleries, educational spaces and as space for community meetings and cultural activities. The property will retain its purpose under the acquisition grant of serving as the Puget Sound Terminus of the Hansville Greenway.

Restoration of Finn Creek could be a principal feature of the landscaping bearing in mind that this area is a natural flood plain. Landscaping of the uplands would accommodate parking for projected usage levels. A lawn space suitable for a farmers’ market would occupy the central portion of the park, however noisy or large crowd-attracting activities would continue to be directed to Buck Lake Park. Beach usage, including fishing, would be encouraged.

Hansville will be identified by this park. As situated, it will soon become synonymous with Hansville and thus must be expected to become the centerpiece of the community. Whatever the aspect this park projects, it will become the image of our community for generations to come.

Point No Point Resort: small boat launch

The resort property was obtained by Washington Department of Fish Wildlife under a grant requiring boat launching access. In 2003, WDFW conducted a Charette process to identify the GHC desires for developing this facility. The outcome can be summarized as a restoration of the original fishing resort. (In general when considering development plans for the Hansville waterfront, the GHC consensus seems to invariably favor restoration with a desire to preserve local history. There is considerable GHC support to retain at least some of the original buildings both at Norwegian Point and the Point No Point Resort.)

A critical feature identified by the GHC through this process was the preservation of the traditional limit on boat sizes so as to reduce traffic and parking needs. It should be noted that this property is accessed by a narrow residential road that also serves the beaches at the lighthouse property and has no provision for safe pedestrian access. This road serves what has become an exclusive waterfront neighborhood. The character of this neighborhood has changed as waterfront property values have grown.

It is no longer a beach cabin or vacation cottage area but is now a high-value year-round residential community. Building a commercial boating facility, if proposed, today would no longer be considered an acceptable usage. The combination of the resort and lighthouse properties will bring many, many visitors to the area. The impact of both the traffic and the people on adjoining property owners in this increasingly full-time residential neighborhood must be minimized.

The boat launching facility is therefore acceptable to the community only as preserving some of the historical character of the area and as a convenience for launching small boats for local water sports and fishing. The nearer to a restoration of the original form, fit and function of the boathouse, the more desirable it becomes. Specifically, as called for in the 2003 Charette study, the GHC insists the historical 18-foot boat size limit be enforced in any new development.

The Oct. 9, 2003 Charette document published by WDFW contains a comprehensive list of the desired features for this park, however, when viewed in concert with the other two conceptual parks in this document, some of the features may be redundant. It is anticipated that parking will be at a premium at this end of Point No Point Road due to parking and overflow from the Point No Point shore preservation area outlined below. Coordination between these two sites must be studied as part of initial planning with an eye toward providing both adequate public accessibility and assessing the impact on local residents.

The GHC cannot endorse plans that do not address the total traffic and parking requirement for the combined sites. Existing buildings would be retained only as functionally useful in view of the proposed boathouse restoration envisioned at Norwegian Point. The boat shed has traditionally been used as primary storage for the Hansville Community’s annual rummage sale fund-raising event. The boatshed should remain available for this purpose and storage of small boats on site.

Point No Point: historical shoreline preservation

This site is comprised of the currently owned county beach, uplands and wetlands and the anticipated acquisition of the lighthouse itself. Due to historical significance of the site and the unmatched combination of beach, wetland and upland environments, this site should be preserved in as much a pristine state as possible. Anticipated uses include: beach fishing, wildlife and nature observation, scenic viewing, beach activities, picnicking, lighthouse tours by docents, walking “take off point,” bicycling “take off point.” and kayak camping. To the extent they are adaptable, wilderness area park rules should apply.