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Monday night, October 2, nearly 100 Islanders showed up for the City-hosted workshop on possible uses for the City-owned 13.83-acre Suzuki property at the southeast corner of Sportsman and New Brooklyn. The workshop was intended to elicit community input about whether the property should be sold and how it should be used.
Four organizations submitted conceptual plans for review at the workshop. Two were architectural firms and two were housing agencies.
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Arcstudio proposal
Local architecture and design firm Arcstudio submitted an ambitious vision of a community campus that would include 22 residential co-housing dwellings, multifamily residences including affordable options, and an inn as well as a community kitchen, a teen center, and Parks & Rec gymnasium, artist workspaces, music practice rooms, classrooms and meeting spaces, pea patches and rain gardens, sculpture terraces and space for outdoor art installations, hiking and biking paths, a family/women’s shelter, and a police station.
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Laughlin, Cutler, Anderson proposal
Island architecture firm Laughlin, Cutler, Anderson submitted a proposal to build 50 homes on the property for a range of income levels, with homes running from $200,000 to $500,000. The development would seek to preserve much of the property’s tree cover, nestling homes within the trees and clustering all properties around common open space. The submitters said their proposal would require a rezone of the property to R3.5.
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Laughin, Cutler, Anderson proposal
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Bainbridge’s Housing Resources Board submitted in conjunction with Friends of the Farms a proposal that addresses the Island’s dearth of affordable housing. They propose a development of clustered housing to protect open spaces, protect significant trees, and provide environmental buffers. The housing would be an integrated mix (50-50 percent) of affordable and market-rate homes, all with the goal of net zero energy development. The development would include a public trail system; a neighborhood green/gathering area/playground, and the potential for a Friends of the Farms small-scale commercial farm and farmer housing. The developers would seek design support from the International Living Future Institute for the Living Community Challenge.
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Housing Kitsap proposal
Housing Kitsap‘s proposal is for either 50 market-rate lots and 10 affordable lots or 38 market-rate and 37 affordable lots. The affordable unit property would be sold to the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority. The proposal suggested that HRB could participate as well. The rest of the properties would be developed by Central Highlands, which has done six other developments on Bainbridge. The development would include a community garden, a play area, and rain gardens.
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Housing Kitsap proposal
The next step is for the proposals to be shared with the City Council. What happens after that remains up in the air. The Council could at that time or later decide to sell the property. It could also discuss its priorities for development of the property, providing some guidance for a further round of proposals.
Related Stories
- How Should City-Owned Suzuki Property Be Used?
- Housing Resources Board, a Key Org. in Our Community, Turns 25
- BHS Senior Builds a Garden for HRB’s Island Homes
- Ferncliff Village Affordable Living Community Shows Heart Is Where the Home Is
Photo courtesy of Google maps.