15 downtown changes to be discussed. Did you know about this?

15 Downtown Zoning Changes to Be Discussed on Oct 3.

            The public is urged to attend the Gig Harbor City Council Work Session on October 3, 5:30 pm. On the agenda will be the further destruction of our small, historic, charming and unique downtown.

            The Mayor and City Council set up meetings to discuss rezoning downtown. The public was barred from attending. No recordings were made of these meetings. 

            The Planning Department specifically invited some groups to comment. Everyday citizens did not receive the same invitation.

            The results of these secret meetings were 15 trumped up zoning changes for downtown Gig Harbor. One zoning change would eliminate singe family zoning in ALL of downtown.

            Another of these trumped up changes would rezone the Haub property. This property is home to our Gig Harbor Heron colony.

            The Haubs want to sell this property. This civic-minded family ignored an offer from Citizens for Gig Harbor (C4GH) and a land conservancy group to purchase this land to be used as a park.

The Cheney family wants to purchase this property but the current zoning does not bring in enough money for them. They want to clear cut the trees on this property, and add 35-40 residential units.     

The Cheneys generously donated $25,000.00 to the mayor’s favorite non-profit. If the council votes for the zoning change, the Cheneys might donate the big Egg building to the city. Sea level rise and the Shore Line Master Plan could cause this building to sink or not be viable. What a deal!

            The Haubs and Cheneys want you to know there are no herons. In their greed to pave paradise and develop, the Haubs and Cheneys hired a drilling company. That drilling produced high squeals of noises for over an hour. Herons cannot survive this type of noise and fly away.

            The video of this noise activity brought the state biologist to Gig Harbor. She told the Haubs and Cheneys to stop harassing our herons. The biologist will return in April to see if the city symbol of Gig Harbor, herons, are able to re-establish their heronry. 

 270 + new added cars

            This Cheney property could add 70 cars downtown. Add another 200 from the Judson redevelopment for a gridlocking number of 270 additional vehicles at Judson/Soundview/Harborview Drives. 

            The Olympic Property Group (OPG), developers of Judson Street, said there will be no grocery stores on Judson. OPG told Gig Harbor citizens to get rid of their cars.

            Pierce County told Gig Harbor there will be no new buses if citizens get rid of their cars.

            The Olympic Property Group, Haubs and Cheneys do not live in the area they intend to destroy.  The folks who live in Gig Harbor neighborhoods deserve more say than developers who are here to suck it dry.

            Oct 3, 5:30 pm.  Your presence speaks volumes.

 

            The City Council is waiting to hear if you want downtown protected. 

You can send 1 email to Molly Towslee and she will forward to the entire council.

Email them today at  towsleem@cityofgigharbor.net

Here are the proposed zoning changes for downtown Gig Harbor.
 

• Amend the zoning of 5 parcels adjacent to the intersection of Rosedale and Stinson from Single Family

Residential (R-1) and Residential and Business (RB-1) to Residential and Business (RB-2) or Multiple

Family Residential (R-3).

• Amend the zoning of 2 parcels adjacent to the intersection and between Harborview Drive and

Soundview Drive from the existing RB-1 designation to RB-2 or R-3.   (This is the Heron property.)

• Amend the zoning of 1 parcel adjacent to the North-East intersection of Peacock Hill and North

Harborview Drive from the existing RB-1 designation to General Business (B-2).

• Extend the Waterfront Residential (WR) zoning designation to include 7 parcels south of Vernhardson

Street located at the mouth of the Bay, which are currently zoned R-1.

• Amend the definition of Marina in GHMC 17.04 to specifically permit marine fueling services.

• For the Downtown Business (DB), RB-2 and B-2 zoning districts in The Harbor, permit all residential

uses outright if located over a primary first floor non-residential use.

• In The Harbor area, permit outright Accessory Apartments, maintaining the current design and

performance standards.

• Permit outright Home Occupation in the DB Zone.

• Consider conditional or outright permitted Museums in the DB Zone.

• Permit outright Taverns in the DB Zone.

• Permit outright Community Recreation Hall in the DB Zone, consider conditional or outright allowance of

Community Recreation Hall for the Waterfront

Millville (WM) and Waterfront Commercial (WC)

zones.

• Permit outright Bed and Breakfasts (lodging

level 1) in the WR Zone.

• Conditionally permit commercial parking lots in

the DB Zone.

• Prohibit or only conditionally permit Automotive

Fuel Dispensing Facilities in the DB Zone.

• Consider conditional or outright permitted use of

Commercial Entertainment (theaters, concert

halls) in the Waterfront Commercial Zone.

         

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net 

EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net 

arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net 

  Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!
 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email:  Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor 

Here's a little recap of the Building Committee meeting on August 29.

Good morning everyone;

    Here’s a little recap on the Planning Commission’s report to the Council Building Committee of August 29.

• Council members sitting on this committee are Council member Kadzak, Ekberg and Lovrovich. Council members Kadzak and Ekberg are up for re-election next year.
• The city was not prepared for the number of folks that showed up for this meeting. GOOD ON YOU for showing up!
• The location was changed to a larger room to accommodate this number of interested folks.
• The committee called for a traffic study on downtown Gig Harbor.They called for this study to happen in October when the tourists are gone and kids have returned to school and downtown is not so busy.
• The 15 trumped up zoning amendments were “kicked on down the road”. They were kicked to an upcoming work session between the Planning Commission and Council. C4GH will keep you advised of the date. Council members Kadzak and Ekberg are up for re-election next year.   (Council members Payne and Arbnez and the Mayor are up for re-election next year.)

What we know!

• If there had been no citizens attending this meeting those trumped up zoning changes would have gone forward.

 

What else?

• If you were at this committee meeting you heard mention of residential fire sprinklers.  Council member Arbenz believes not enough people have died for this new public safety policy.  Let's talk about his very concerning statement tomorrow.

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net 

paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net 

EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: Citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/

 Give us a "like" on Facebook 

Gig Harbor Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

Part 2!

Tacoma News Tribune August 27, 2016 Proposal Would Add Rental Housing to Gig Harbor Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor (C4GH) sent you this TNT article yesterday.  Today is part 2. The area in question for the 35-40 new residential units is the triangle at the corner of Soundview and Harborview Dr.

The Gig Harbor Mayor, majority of council and planning department set up secret meetings to discuss rezoning downtown Gig Harbor. The public was barred from attending and there were no recordings made of these meetings.  They were secret meetings.  The Planning Commission/Department went to various business groups and invited them to comment on rezoning downtown.  Everyday Gig Harbor citizens did not get this same invitation.    The result of these secret meetings were 15 proposed zoning changes for downtown.      One of the proposed zoning changes is to rezone the Haub property. Currently this property is zoned to allow 4 residential units. The Haubs wanted to sell their property. The Haubs rejected an offer from C4GH. They rejected an offer from a land conservancy group.  Why? The Cheney Foundation is interested in purchasing this property if clear cutting and rezoning is allowed. But Wait...What about our Gig Harbor herons?  The Cheneys want you to know there are no herons in this rookery.

The green triangle is the home of our Gig Harbor herons.  This is the area the Cheneys want to clear cut.  The red dot at the bottom right notes the location of the drilling unit. Give a little click to the photo. It will take you to a you tube video. The varying high pitched squeals came from that unit for over 1 hour. It was very loud.  No one will ever know if the herons left by choice or by strong encouragement.     After seeing this video the state biologist told the Haubs and Cheneys to stop bothering the herons. The biologist will return in April to see if a heron rookery is able to re-establish.

On May 19 an overflowing council chamber of Gig Harbor citizens spoke to these 15 proposed zoning amendments.  Gig Harbor citizens told the Planning Commission to leave the heron property alone. Citizens said fix the traffic first.  Citizens said slow down with all this unplanned development. MONDAY  August 29th  5pm Gig Harbor Civic Center,  rooms A & B   The Planning Commission will report to the GH Council Building Committee.  Discussion will be on the 15 proposed zoning changes. BE THERE!  We can attend.  We cannot speak.

• Recently the Cheneys generously donated $25,000.00 to the mayor's favorite nonprofit. 
• If the council votes to destroy this wildlife habitat, clear cut the trees and add  35 - 40 units on this corner, perhaps the Cheneys will donate big white building to the city. Perhaps.
• Why would the GH council vote to destroy our environment, destroy wildlife, burden our infrastructure in the hopes of getting a building that could be affected by sea level rise?   

  Let's do the math.    

• Judson Street redevelopment adds 200 cars.
• Cheney development adds 70.
•  270 new vehicles equals a whole lot traffic and cars. 

MONDAY August 29th 5pm Civic Center   City Council Building Committee Be there to listen!

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! 
Sign up for email: Citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor
 Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

One result from the secret meetings...

 A little history.        

Last spring the Planning Commission held secret rezoning meetings. The mayor and council said the public was barred from attending and there were no recordings made of anything that was said during these meetings.  
     The Planning Department  targeted groups and invited these specific folks to voice their opinion.  Most everyday folks were not specifically invited and did not know these meetings were happening.

  15 new rezoning proposals came out of those secret meetings.

INCLUDING

  CLEAR CUTTING AND HIGHER DENSITY HOMES ON THIS SPECIFIC PROPERTY The below article appeared in the Tacoma News Tribune August 27, 2016.

 

August 26, 2016 11:40 AM

Proposal would add rental housing to downtown Gig Harbor

By Brynn Grimley

     The Ben B. Cheney Foundation is looking to buy and develop forested land at a busy intersection in Gig Harbor’s historic downtown to generate income for its charitable giving.

     The foundation is under contract to buy five lots, including two treed parcels that intersect at Harborview and Soundview drives, and a third adjoining property at 7601 Soundview Drive.

It wants to build 35 to 40 housing units on the combined 2.27 acres — nearly four times what is allowed under current zoning. The units would be rentals, affording the foundation a steady income stream.

The foundation also has its sights set on two waterfront parcels at 2905 and 2907 Harborview Drive where the Green Turtle Restaurant, Sunset Yacht Sales, two marinas and a former agricultural building sit.

     Built in 1932, the agricultural structure has since been divided into office suites. Foundation leaders are considering giving the 0.59-acre waterfront parcel with the building and its adjacent marina to the city, said Brad Cheney, foundation board president.

     “The Cheney foundation is uniquely positioned to be able to donate or give that building, if we so decide, to the city,” he said. “We believe that building is cherished by the community. We have hopes of working with the community to give access to the building.”

     The foundation hasn’t finalized plans for how it would develop the second waterfront lot — it could remain commercial or be used for homes, Cheney said. The second marina would remain. Current zoning allows a variety of commercial uses or three single-family homes.

     “We won’t get everybody’s buy in, but we want to do this right.”  Brad Cheney, board president, Ben B. Cheney Foundation.

     The foundation has partnered with Tacoma developer Mike Hickey and his firm the Neil Walter Co. to develop the housing project they are calling One Harbor Point. They are under contract with the Haub family to buy the land.

     Known for its development holdings and philanthropy in the South Sound, the Haub family has strong ties to Gig Harbor and Tacoma.

     German grocery store magnate Erivan Haub donated his family’s Western art collection to the Tacoma Art Museum and paid for a new wing to showcase it with a $20 million gift.

     No applications for the Cheney foundation’s project have been submitted to the city, but representatives will meet with Gig Harbor planners soon. A meeting for Aug. 23 had to be rescheduled, according to J.J. McCament, spokeswoman for the partnership.

     At least two factors could impede the foundation’s plans: zoning and great blue herons.

The zoning issue could be addressed by a City Council-approved development agreement, which could allow the increased density without a lengthy zoning amendment process.

Mayor Jill Guernsey said it’s not uncommon for the city to enter into a development agreement when “big or unique projects” come forward.

     Such an agreement “is likely to be something that is involved in this project,” she said but cautioned she could speak only in generalities because no formal application has been submitted.

     Other large-scale projects with development agreements include the Heron’s Key senior living community (the largest development in city history), and the Fred Meyer project off Point Fosdick Drive.

     The effect of the great blue herons is unpredictable and won’t be sorted out until next spring.

Five years ago the state designated the forested tract at Soundview and Harborview drives as a nesting area for the birds. At least eight heron nests have been identified on the wooded lot, with two other potential nests spotted.

     The great blue heron is listed as a “state monitor species,” which means the state Department of Fish and Wildlife monitors the birds and manages their populations to prevent them from becoming endangered, threatened or sensitive.

     Wildlife officials met with city planners and development representatives in the spring about the nesting area. The development group believes the nests are abandoned and no longer offer the birds refuge.

     “We offered to purchase the land from the Haub family and they were not interested.” Jeni Woock, Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor.

Notes from that meeting provided by the developer indicate the nests were active until at least 2014, but there is question whether they were active after that. They were confirmed inactive in May when a Fish and Wildlife official visited the site.

     Unable to conclusively determine whether the herons have moved on, the state and developers agreed to continue monitoring the site until April 30, 2017.

If no herons return, the state will consider the site inactive, leaving management to the property owner’s discretion.

     Gig Harbor resident Jeni Woock, who heads Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor, said her group tried to buy the land to save the heron rookery.

“When we heard about this our citizen group consulted with a conservation group,” Woock said. “We offered to purchase the land from the Haub family and they were not interested.”

The development team showed Woock project plans for the site, and she said she worries about traffic if the project is built as proposed.

     Noting a different developer’s plan to build apartments at the shopping complex on nearby Judson Street, Woock said she doesn’t think Soundview Drive can handle the increased traffic.

     “The city, of course, is famous for allowing developers to do what they want without taking into consideration how the traffic gets around from one location to another,” Woock said.

     The development team is working on its traffic analysis and hopes to accommodate parking on site, Hickey said.

     The Cheney foundation is targeting an older demographic, 55 years and up, for its project. This demographic drives less and the location downtown means residents can walk places, McCament said.

     Gary Glein, past president of the Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance, said more housing downtown isn’t the reason for increased traffic.

“The Cheney foundation and the Cheneys are local people who have stakes in the community.” Gary Glein, Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance.

     “The biggest traffic problem is people going through downtown,” said Glein, who has lived in the downtown Millville district for nine years. “Residences aren’t as big of generators of traffic as other things might be.”

     The success of a downtown depends on people living there, he said. Adding more residences, he said, “is strategically important to downtown Gig Harbor.”

     “Creating residential by the Cheneys on the Haub property there is a plus,” he said. “The Cheney foundation and the Cheneys are local people who have stakes in the community.”

Unrelated to the project, the city’s planning commission is reviewing multiple properties in the downtown area to determine whether current zoning matches a vision for the city’s future. One of those lots is the triangle at Soundview and Harborview drives.

     The review is part of a process the City Council initiated four years ago, said city planning director Jenifer Kester. The proposed zoning change for the corner lot would allow more residential uses on the property, but no timeline has been set for when that could happen.

     While all this plays out, the development group says it will continue to work on its plans, including finalizing the type of housing to build. Potential designs include condominiums, cottage housing or town homes, Hickey said.

     The units would be rentals and the rent would generate income for the Cheney foundation. It would be the first income-generating housing project operated by the organization.

     “We are using this as an investment,” Cheney said. “The dollars that are earned would go back into the foundation for distribution.”

Cheney noted five of the foundation’s seven board members live in Gig Harbor.

“We won’t get everybody’s buy in,” he said, “but we want to do this right.”

 Monday August 29, 5pm   Gig Harbor Civic Center 

On May 19th Gig Harbor citizens told the Planning Commission they rejected this zoning proposal and the other 14 zoning proposals as well.
  On Monday August 29th the Planning Commission will tell the Council Building Committee what they heard the citizens say on May 19th.
  The Planning Commission needs to be held accountable for their words. 

  Be at  this meeting!!!   Thanks for sharing!!!

 

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net 

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!!
 Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com
http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/
Citizens4GigHarbor Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

 Thursday May 19th
Open House 4:15 pm or 5:15 pm
PUBLIC HEARING 6 PM
If you live anywhere in the world close to Gig Harbor YOU get 3 minutes to speak.

 

 There are 15 recommended new zoning regulations for downtown in Phase 1.  20 people interviewed in secret to change all of our downtown. 

These regulations were the result of the secret meetings.

Here's one of the proposed new zoning ideas:  "In The Harbor area, permit outright Accessory Apartments maintaining the current design and performance standards".
  The Harbor area is every parcel of land inside the thin black lined area.  Dark Green, light green, pink, light yellow.  Each and every one of these properties could add a small apartment.

  Now is  the time to order the Planning Department to fix the traffic, once and for all,  before allowing more development in downtown Gig Harbor.

 Here's another proposed new zoning idea: "Amend the zoning of 2 parcels adjacent to the intersection and between Harborview Drive and Soundview Drive from the existing RB-1 designation to RB-2 or R-3".

Notice the inset box with the tan colored triangle.  This is where the Wa State Dept of Fish and Wildlife has identified the home colony of our Gig Harbor Herons.  The Haub and Cheney families have decided they want to develop this land.  Currently this property is zoned for 4 units.  The proposed new zoning would allow 8-12 units adding more vehicles to the already congested  Harborview Drive.

 Adding 8-12 units would necessitate clear cutting the property that has been home to Gig Harbor herons for generations.  Where there is no wildlife habitat there will be no wildlife. Increasing units on this property makes it more valuable than trees or wildlife.
In the past the Haub and Cheney families had an outstanding reputation for caring about communities and giving back.

 What has happened here, what about Gig Harbor?

Thursday May 19, 4:15 and 5:15pm 

 is an Open House to view the rezoning recommendations dreamt up from the secret meetings.  http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/news/planning-commission-open-house-and-public-hearing-may-19-2016-on-the

     Most folks think it would be more helpful if common understandable words were used to describe the potential zoning changes.  Of course, pictures and drawings speak 1,000 words.
    IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING, please send an email to Lindsey Sehmell at the city. sehmell@cityofgigharbor.net  Tell her  to fix the traffic back ups on Harborview Drive before allowing any new zoning that puts more cars on that road. 

Mayor and Council email addresses: 

guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net 

perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: citizens4thepreservationofGH@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!