The Bremerton City Council decided this year to make significant changes to how federal community block grant money that it receives will be distributed. This year Bremerton is on track to receive about $390,000 of these funds.

The council approved this week to lock the funds – for the next five years – into a specific set of criteria and a zoned target area that includes only the most centered core of downtown Bremerton.

The reasoning behind approving this decision was that investing this money in downtown would push it over the perceived tipping point it has been sitting on for the past nine years and return the biggest bang for the buck. In their minds, Bremerton is not a “success” unless downtown is successful.

For nine years millions of dollars have been poured into downtown Bremerton from federal, state and local taxpayer dollars. Downtown has received the bulk share of major capital projects that have occurred in this city. Major infrastructure improvements, increased public and economic spaces, art installations, flower and light decorations, and fancy inlaid brick paved designs have all occurred. A venerable floodgate of money poured into it while the rest of Bremerton sees the occasional trickle eventually come their way – most times only when downtown does not qualify. Yet despite all of this subsidizing, downtown continues to struggle with major performance issues such as lack of retail growth, vast empty office spaces, negative predatory parking perceptions and more recently the significant narrowing of transportation access points.

While quietly, outside of downtown, a major Bremerton success story is going about the business of bringing in residents, businesses and revenue that currently outperforms the rest of the city. That area is the Kitsap Way area.

In comparison to downtown Kitsap Way is a polar opposite. It has easy access. Its transportation points are wide open. Affordable multi and single family housing is increasing thanks to the Bay Vista redevelopment project. Empty office spaces are few and far between. Parking is free and mostly unrestricted. It does not have any fountain parks, bumped out curbs for out of place art installations, hanging flower baskets or decorative lights on tree lined streets. No brick pavers with compass designs anywhere to be seen. No big taxpayer money spent here. No multi-million dollar major capital projects completed here. No artificial economic environment being created or subsidized by the City Council along Kitsap Way.

The delivery trucks that service the Kitsap Way area are heading out nearly every day at near holiday capacity of packages and delivery stops. While the downtown trucks are practically empty and have the lowest holiday delivery numbers in years.

What else has made the Kitsap Way area so successful, you ask? City code restrictions were eased, number one, and number two, the administration and the city council have left it alone. They have stayed the heck out of the way. Also, Kitsap Way does not have a Business Association playing cannibalistic politics in the background that undermines incoming competition.

With the vote this past week by the council to funnel nearly even more public money downtown, they really missed the bang for the buck vote and honestly, don’t seem to understand they have a successful equation happening right under their very noses called Kitsap Way. A proven solution that they now simply need to start applying to their decisions.