The Manchester View
June 2007
It's Salmon Bake Time!!
Father's Day ~ June 17th ~
12:00~5:00 pm
(or until the food runs out!)
See Details Below...
And keep scrolling down for these stories on the Manchester Plan Update process...
Manchester Plan Given a
Six-Month Breather
Colchester Commons Decision Revisited
Public Facilities, Infrastructure and Parks
Town Meeting Reveals Rifts between Residents
Transportation Plan Revision in Progress
Treat Your Dad to a Salmon Dinner
The Friends of Manchester Library will stage their
annual Salmon Dinner Barbeque in the parking lot in front of the library
on Father’s Day, June 17th.
For $10 per person, you will feast on Salmon, baked beans, cole slaw, garlic bread and a soft drink. Children under 11 years old eat for only $7. Homemade cookies will also be for sale.
At past events, our public officials have been on hand to serve food and local musicians have provided entertainment. No announcements have been made for this year’s event at this early date. But come prepared to be entertained and sated with wonderful food. The event starts at noon and goes until 5—or whenever the food runs out. Don’t be late!!
Huge Book Sale Just in Time for Summer Reading
The Friends of Manchester Library will hold another fantastic book sale on Sunday, June 17th, concurrent with the Salmon Dinner. Although they have sometimes run out of food, you can be assured they will never run out of books!
Come find a tome or two for the lazy days of summer.
All money earned by the friends helps support and maintain the Manchester Library.
Manchester Library Events
Thursday June 14th 7:00 pm
Manchester Reads Discussion Group
The Life of Pi
Tuesday
June 19th 7:00 pm
Bookworms
Last Report of the Miracles of Little No House
Sunday June 17 Noon—5 pm
Salmon Bake (see above)
Thursday June 21st 5—8 pm
The official kickoff for the Summer Reading Program!
Jump into the fun of "Get a Clue" at the Library. Lots of crafts,
games and activities for families including prizes, light snacks and
give-a-ways.
Wednesday June 27th 7:00 pm
Friends of the Manchester Library Regular Meeting
Ooops!
Our apologies to Carol Campbell who was mistakenly called Carol Thompson in the May newsletter. Many thanks to Carol for all her help with the Annual Plant and Book Sale staged by the Friends of Manchester Library.
Although we regret the mistake, we are thrilled to hear the newsletter is being read and are happy to correct our errors.
“The Editors”
a.k.a. Arlene and Helen
Manchester
Gets a Spring Cleaning
For the third time
in the past 2 years, a group of dedicated volunteers has picked trash
off the by-ways of Manchester. On Saturday, May 19th, Debby Trudeau
directed over a dozen folks to clean up Alaska, Colchester, Main and
California. Members of the South Kitsap Morning Kiwanis were also on
hand to help. 
Doughnuts and bottled water were provided along with safety clothing and special “Clean Kitsap” hats.
In less than 2 hours, the work was done and the streets were ship-shape!
If you weren’t able to help that day, you can still pitch in by NOT pitching your trash out on the streets.
Thanks,
The Volunteer Manchester Street Cleaners
Manchester Plan Given a Six-Month Breather
After hearing public testimony on May 14th about an interim zoning regulation for the Manchester commercial zone, the Kitsap County Commissioners unanimously agreed they needed to “put the breaks on” to give all sides an opportunity to determine the intent of the original Manchester plan.
At the heart of the issue is whether or not a building in downtown Manchester can be two-stories or three-stories. The original Manchester plan “encouraged two-story, mixed-use development to a maximum of 35 feet.”
However, the word “encourage” did not translate into a mandate for two-stories and two projects have already been approved at three-stories. So as Commissioner Angel noted, “there was lots of confusion in the plan and in the rules.”
By November 14th, the new plan must be approved with acceptable design standards in place. Commissioner Brown cautioned residents not look at it as a “two-story versus three-story” issue; but rather, to allow some flexibility for developers.
Commissioner Endresen acknowledged that the County should “help citizens have the kind of community they want to live in.”
Colchester Commons Decision Revisited
The hearing examiner will have another chance to determine if the Colchester Commons is compatible with the Manchester Plan and LAMIRD zoning codes.
The Kitsap County Commissioners sent the case back to the examiner after hearing an appeal brought by Doug and Cerissa Holme, owners of the Manchester Family Inn. The Holmes objected to a density ratio which was more urban than rural; and to the interior plaza that could be converted at a later date to commercial space.
A public hearing on the project will be scheduled.
Public Facilities, Infrastructure and Parks
This section of the Manchester plan deals with storm water management and the creation and maintenance of parks and public facilities.
Since agreement could not be reached earlier this year on the storm water pipe proposed by the County, some creative solutions need to be found to address this critical issue.
The committee is also exploring ways to work with the Port of Manchester to enhance Pomeroy Park. And they will be working with the Department of Public Works to see if a small park on Colchester can be developed.
Along with the other sub-groups, the committee will meet on June 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Chambers in the Administration Building.
Members include: Bud Larsen, Helen Robinson, David Blevins and Richard Dilworth
Town Meeting Reveals Rifts between Residents
The Manchester Town Hall Meeting started off with a bang when Dr. Minor, a long-time Manchester resident, asked Carole Leininger, “What gives you the right to set standards?”
Frank Tweeten, owner of the property behind the Manchester Inn, reiterated the charge: “What right do [the people who wrote the plan] have to take rights away?”
While the stated agenda for the May 15th meeting was to be a discussion of the Draft Design Standards for the Manchester Village Commercial Zone, the debate centered almost exclusively on two versus three-story construction.
Developers and commercial property owners argued that a two-story building (one level commercial, one level residential) doesn’t make economic sense. And without a sufficient number of people living in the downtown core, the businesses there won’t be able to thrive.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, who have lived in Manchester for over 20 years, made a case for looking at the issue from a community perspective. The decision, said Mrs. Johnson, should be a utilitarian one: “What is the greatest good for the greatest number?” She also noted that if you restrict the amount of property available to buy, it becomes more valuable, thus increasing the potential profit for the developers.
Other residents warned that the debate had become too emotional and asked for a reiteration of the facts: How many parcels are at issue? Where do you start taking the measurement to arrive at 28 feet? What is the actual impact of the proposed buildings?
Linda Bentley, Senior Planning for Community Development, reminded the over-flow crowd that the Commissioners want the Manchester residents to consider “design guidelines, rather than focus on two stories or three stories.” She noted that the Planning Commission likes to see “incentives” included in plans. For example, the guidelines might allow for a three-story building, but only if a view corridor is maintained.
At the conclusion of the hour and a half meeting, agreement was reached that residents needed to see some visual representations of proposed design standards; and that more input is needed from folks throughout the whole of Manchester, as well as those most impacted in the downtown core.
The Zoning Committee has been meeting regularly and would welcome more input. Carole Leininger and Carrilu Thompson are co-chairing this group. The next meeting will take place at the Manchester Library on June 12th at 6:30 p.m. The group will be taking a vote on height restrictions for the downtown corridor. All Manchester residents are welcome to attend.
Transportation Plan Revision in Progress
In addition to zoning issues, transportation ordinances will have an equally large impact on the character of Manchester in the downtown core. To that end, the committee is looking at alternative routes for truck traffic . One proposal sends trucks from Mile Hill to Woods Road, down Beaver Creek and then onto Beach Drive. Two sharp curves on Beaver Creek pose a problem for trucks currently. However, if the curves were “flattened out” they would be navigable.
The committee is also exploring ways to extend pedestrian walkways and to create diagonal parking in the commercial district.
The Transportation Committee will meet on June 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Chambers in the Administration Building.
Members include: Ray Pardo, Debby Trudeau, Wanda Larsen, Linda Chapman and Conrad Pyler.
