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C-4 and BP (Olhava Master Plan) Development Moratorium 

Next Opportunity to Participate:

Background:

What is a Moratorium:

  • A moratorium is a pause on some new development, land use, and construction applications in order for a City to consider new and/or revised development and zoning regulations. The State of Washington grants Cities the authority to adopt a moratorium under RCW 36.70A.390.

What Part of the City and Types of Projects Does the Moratorium Effect: 

  • All building permit applications or land use applications for development on vacant undeveloped property zoned Commercial (C-4) and Business Park (BP) within the Olhava Master Plan that have not received an approved land use permit from the City at the date of adoption of this moratorium. From and after the effective date of this ordinance, the City shall not accept new building permit applications and new land use applications for the development of vacant undeveloped property zoned C-4 or BP in the OMP and shall not process or approve any pending applications or issue any permits that are not vested under applicable law.

What Doesn’t it Effect:

  • Any property owner with a Commercial (C-4) and Business Park (BP) zoned property that has been issued a valid, unexpired land use permit pursuant to PMC 18.270 prior to the effective date of ordinance 2023-11 may apply to modify said permit pursuant to PMC 19.90.040.B 1-4 and/or apply for any building permit for the approved land use and is not subject to the moratorium.

Why a Moratorium:

  • The Olhava Master Plan (OMP) was approved in 1995 by City of Poulsbo and proposals to develop parcels within the Master Plan are reviewed in the context of the 1995 OMP, including the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), mitigations, conditions of approval, and the subsequent Development Agreement, recorded 4/29/2004; the OMP anticipated a mixture of residential, commercial and business park uses and allocated those uses a maximum amount of square footage and these maximum amounts were identified within the OMP, Final EIS and Development Agreement, and the OMP was anticipated to be developed over a 10 year period, but currently continues to be developed.
  • The City has received a land use application proposal that exceeds the maximum amount of square footage allocated to the business park zoning, and will require an amendment to the OMP to be approved by the City Council in order to authorize exceeding the maximum amount of business park square footage allocated.
  • The Olympic College’s Poulsbo Campus is located and subject to the OMP, Final EIS, and Development Agreement and the Board of Trustees for the Olympic College have announced plans to move its Nursing and Allied Health Division programs to Olympic College’s Poulsbo Campus; the existing Poulsbo Olympic College campus is anticipated to expand to 100,000 square feet of facilities between existing and proposed buildings, including five acres of vacant land south of the current campus and is within the Business Park zoning, which may exceed the maximum square footage for college use and would also exceed the maximum amount of business park square footage allowed by the OMP, Final EIS and Development Agreement; and the expansion of the college will also require an amendment to the OMP to authorize exceeding the maximum amount of square footage allocated to the business park zone and possibly the square footage amount allocated for college use in order to be approved by the City.
  • The OMP is nearly 30 years old and no longer reflects the preferred land use development patterns and uses as established by the recent amendments to the Growth Management Act, as well as preferred by the City Council; the City Council now desires to review the OMP to evaluate and consider the maximum square footage amounts, non-residential uses, and analyze opportunities for increasing housing capacity on OMP area’s remaining, undeveloped parcels, in tandem with the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan update process.

How Long Will it Last:

  • This is a 12-month moratorium. As the process moves forward, staff will have better understanding of the timeline. The work plan includes study, public outreach, a draft proposal and public hearings before both the Planning Commission and the City Council. This is a lot to do in 12-months, but the City Council, Planning Commission, and staff are already working diligently. If the City Council needs to approve an extension, they would first hold a public hearing, demonstrate significant progress, and outline the steps remaining.

Documents:

Contact plan&econ@cityofpoulsbo.com with questions. 

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