Bainbridge Island City Council Regular Business Meeting – July 28, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 8:41 pm in Council Chambers at 280 Madison Ave N and via Zoom. Mayor Clarence Moriwaki presided. Present were Deputy Mayor Kirsten Hytopoulos and Councilmembers Fantroy-Johnson, Lant, Mathews, and Nelson. Councilmember Schneider was absent and excused. The Council approved the agenda 6-0, and no conflicts of interest were disclosed. Major topics included two proclamations, a large consent agenda, a joint public hearing with the Washington State Department of Commerce on the Housing Accountability Act, the Wintergreen Phase 2 multifamily tax exemption contract, a Planning Commission appointment, and a request to discuss a Kitsap Public Utility District intertie in Fort Ward.

Presentations

• Council approved by a 6-0 vote a proclamation declaring July 28, 2026, as Melanie Marie Keenan, Champion for Water Resources Day. Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos read the proclamation, and Malcolm and Maddie Gander accepted it. The proclamation recognized Keenan's environmental work, including leading the successful EPA sole-source aquifer designation petition for Bainbridge Island in 2009, codified in 2013.
• Councilmember Mathews read a proclamation declaring August 4, 2026, from 4 to 7 pm at Waterfront Park as National Night Out. Police Chief Joe Clark accepted the proclamation and invited residents to attend. Note: the transcript contains an apparent misstatement of the National Night Out date, but the agenda, proclamation, and minutes all state August 4, 2026.

Consent Calendar

• Councilmember Mathews moved and Councilmember Lant seconded approval of the consent agenda. Following discussion of selected items, the full consent agenda was approved 6-0.
• At Councilmember Mathews' request, Item I was discussed: a license agreement with the YWCA of Kitsap County for office space in the Ted Spearman Justice Center. Interim City Manager Schroer said the city had been allowing the YWCA to provide services without an agreement and the license provides assurance of continued access. Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos clarified the YWCA provides support and counseling for domestic violence victims at court. Councilmember Lant noted the agreement could create new insurance costs for the YWCA.
• Items J and K were discussed as major state investments: a $1,000,000 CHIP grant and an additional $582,000 grant amendment, both in partnership with Housing Resources Bainbridge for utility improvements for the Finch Green Affordable Housing Project. Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson noted the infrastructure deferral is only for affordable housing.
• Other consent items approved included accounts payable and payroll; meeting minutes; acceptance of the Winslow Water Tank Replacement Project; a sidewalk assessment and repairs contract with Precision Concrete Cutting Inc. for $85,176.00; a Fletcher Bay Well variable frequency drive and remote terminal unit replacement contract with George's Electric Inc. for $180,873.42 plus a $30,000 budget adjustment; LTAC RFP criteria for $400,000; Human Services RFP criteria for $660,000; and the YWCA license agreement.

Public Comments & Testimony

• J.P. Powell, a Chamber of Commerce communications coordinator and front desk worker, expressed strong support for affordable housing and the 625 housing project, saying many service and hospitality workers cannot afford to live on the island. He cited Census statistics that the island is 83.7% white and up to 95.8% able-bodied under age 65, and said Bainbridge minimum wage is $17.13 per hour.
• Malcolm Gander thanked the Council for the Keenan proclamation and discussed groundwater constraints. He said the island grew from about 21,000 people in 2001 to about 25,000 today, production well extraction has increased, and the city should prioritize preserving recharge areas and redirecting stormwater into the ground.
• Ron Peltier praised Keenan's water advocacy and said the Department of Commerce is forcing unsustainable growth on the only sole-source-aquifer island city in Washington, and perhaps the entire United States.
• Mary Clare Kersten raised concerns about roads, evacuation capacity, traffic, and the island's EPA-designated sole-source aquifer, saying HB 1220 disregards the island's unique status.
• Mary Hekman said the entire island is a critical aquifer recharge area, the new groundwater management plan is the best available science, and development decisions need a hard second look with mitigation. She said she helped draft a Responsible Bainbridge letter flagging these issues.

City Manager's Report

• Interim City Manager Schroer reported on automated traffic safety camera outreach, emphasizing these are not Flock cameras and are triggered only when a violation occurs. State law requires a city ordinance to authorize them. The city will meet with advisory committees and community groups, hold an open house likely in October, and report to Council in November. Outreach was paced to extend into the school year to hear from families about school zones.
• Schroer highlighted a new public workplan dashboard, which is live on the city website and tracks more than 130 projects by initiative, department, and status.

Public Hearing – Housing Accountability Act Joint Review

• The Council held a joint public hearing with the Washington State Department of Commerce on the city's progress in meeting the Housing Accountability Act. Commerce Housing Section Manager Anne Fritzel and Housing Planning and Data Manager Laura Hodgson joined in person. Schroer noted this hearing is part of Commerce's audit process and does not replace the separate future public hearings on the comprehensive plan and development regulations.
• Hodgson explained that the Housing Accountability Act, created by Senate Bill 5148 in 2025, gives Commerce authority to review and determine compliance with the Growth Management Act. Bainbridge Island was one of eight jurisdictions selected in the first year because it had not yet adopted its comprehensive plan and development regulations. Commerce issued a preliminary report on April 23, the city submitted pre-adoption materials on May 14, Commerce sent a follow-up review letter on July 13, and the city requested an extension. The statutory deadline is August 21, 2026. If the city does not comply, it may become ineligible for certain grants and loans, and the state builder's remedy would allow qualifying affordable housing projects to request waivers from regulations that block affordability. Hodgson also said Bainbridge Island is not subject to the state's two-ADU-per-lot requirement or the modest-density middle housing requirement.
• In Council discussion, Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos expressed frustration that the process appears to require market-rate upzoning rather than producing housing affordable to lower-income residents, including workers at 30% of area median income. Councilmember Nelson asked Commerce to grant the extension and shared the frustration that mandatory inclusionary zoning is difficult to count toward compliance, while market-rate upzoning is counted. He also asked whether the builder's remedy exemption for critical areas applies to Bainbridge; Hodgson responded that Commerce, in consultation with the Attorney General, interprets the critical areas protection as remaining intact but development outside those protections must still be allowed. Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson confirmed the city's extension request was received on Monday and would be answered within about a week. Councilmember Mathews asked about the voluntary pathway and noted the city had already lost an approximately $800,000 stormwater grant and was advised not to apply for another because of the late plan. Councilmember Lant asked about regional housing collaboration and water-based living units; Hodgson said county-city collaboration should account for local circumstances, and new water-based housing is unlikely due to the Shoreline Management Act. She also said the city's SEPA 30-day comment period would be considered in the extension request.
• Public hearing testimony included the following positions:
  • Malcolm Gander said he is pro-growth and pro-affordable housing but argued the Growth Management Act requires balancing growth with unique island circumstances, water limits, and recharge protection. He also suggested reducing the city workforce over five years through attrition to free funds for affordable housing.
  • Eric Ludwig, on behalf of the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce and more than 300 businesses, supported the comprehensive plan changes and urged approval without delay. He specifically supported increasing base floor area ratio to 1.0 in the central core, ferry terminal, and high school road zones, and bonus FAR of 3.0 in the central core and 4.0 in the ferry terminal and high school road zones to attract private funding for affordable housing.
  • Ron Peltier argued Commerce's interpretation of the builder's remedy is wrong, that the entire island is a critical aquifer recharge area, and that market-rate housing will not produce affordability. He encouraged the Council not to be bullied by Commerce.
  • Benjamin Harrison, a water resources professional and ETAC volunteer speaking individually, said the GMA requires balancing housing with natural resources, current water use sustainability is uncertain, and the city should implement the groundwater management plan and fix its transfer of development rights program.
  • Jon Quitslund, a former planning commissioner and councilmember, thanked Commerce for funding the housing needs assessment and housing action plan, and said the racially disparate impacts analysis in the agenda packet shows why the work matters.
  • Sarah Blossom, a Planning Commissioner speaking individually, said she was frustrated and defeated, that the mandatory inclusionary zoning program the Planning Commission crafted probably will not count, and that market-rate upzoning will not create affordability on Bainbridge. She said volunteers had spent more than 100 hours on the process and asked the Council to make that time matter.
  • Bevan Taylor, a service industry worker, said the housing crisis is decades in the making and many affected workers are absent from the process. He asked Commerce to ensure the next comprehensive plan meaningfully increases affordable and multifamily housing and expressed anger at those who fought the 625 project, which he described as 100% affordable housing.
  • Lisa Neal listed outstanding items including key plan elements, land capacity analysis, a selected DEIS alternative, SEPA review, infrastructure analysis, and concurrency analysis. She questioned how the city could adopt a compliant plan by August 21 and called the process backward and too focused on builders.
  • Nora Masters said opposition to Project 625 does not mean opposition to affordable housing, citing risks in developer selection, contracts, and cost mitigation. She said she fully supports affordable housing where it makes sense and raised concerns about market-rate upzoning without affordable housing requirements.
  • Stephen Hoskins, a housing economist and pro-housing advocate, said the state housing crisis is driven by exclusionary zoning and that Bainbridge is a prime example of why state oversight is needed. He argued the city's failure to meet the August 21 deadline is self-inflicted and asked Commerce to be skeptical of the extension request.
  • David Smith, an affordable housing developer, said affordable housing is not hopeless. He described the Wintergreen project as combining a $2 million Housing Trust Fund grant, about $80,000 per unit, other subsidies, and bonus density. He supported affordable housing but did not comment on 625, and he suggested the vacant Suzuki property could be ideal for affordable housing.
  • Eric Kortum, a former Historic Commission member, opposed placing affordable housing where the old police station or first fire station stood, opposed state mandates, and said water sustainability must come before population growth.
  • Rob Drury said all natural systems have carrying capacity and the city must quantify data and determine capacity before regulating growth. He said conflating affordable housing with ecological constraints is a red herring, but growth cannot exceed capacity.
  • Michael Schwank, a resident since 1982, said Commerce is trying to put a square peg in a round hole and that the city needs help, not unfunded mandates. He noted the hours spent on the process could have built affordable housing.
  • Gene Mellenbacher, a resident since 2014, said priorities should not make affordable housing and other community needs mutually exclusive, and urged continued public involvement.

Regular Business

• Council authorized the City Manager to sign the Wintergreen Phase 2 Multifamily Tax Exemption contract by a 6-0 vote. Interim City Manager Schroer said the contract provides a partial property tax exemption for 43 units in Phase 2, of which 14 are income-qualified households at or below 80% of area median income.
• Council confirmed the appointment of John Sandage to the Planning Commission, Position 6, for a three-year term ending June 30, 2028, by a 6-0 vote. The appointment was the alternate recommended by the selection committee after a resignation.

Communications

• Councilmember Mathews requested a future Council discussion of Kitsap Public Utility District's proposed intertie in Fort Ward. Council consensus was to broaden the topic to include an update on all interties. The item is scheduled for the August Utility Advisory Committee meeting, and Council discussion could follow soon after.

Council Announcements

• Deputy Mayor Hytopoulos announced she accepted an invitation to a Senior Center podcast about civil dialogue and community trust.
• Councilmember Nelson announced he would appear on the BI Standard podcast and reported on the steering committee meeting about mandatory inclusionary zoning. He said the consultant had difficulty estimating housing units from both prior versions, developers expressed concerns about feasibility, and the planning department will bring back compliant options, including the February land capacity analysis, an increased maximum FAR option with the older mandatory program estimated at about 193 units, or an estimate for the Planning Commission's newest recommendation.
• Councilmember Lant praised the Utility Advisory Committee's farmers market map with colored push pins for collecting cell coverage complaints.
• Councilmember Mathews announced an open house about a planned controlled burn on Hilltop, reminded residents of National Night Out on August 4, said the usual first Saturday coffee would not occur in August, and welcomed a large fiber arts festival visiting the island.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved 6-0; no conflicts disclosed.
• Proclamation honoring Melanie Marie Keenan approved 6-0.
• National Night Out proclamation presented for August 4, 2026.
• Full consent agenda approved 6-0, including contracts, grants, RFP criteria, the YWCA license agreement, and Finch Green infrastructure grants.
• Joint Housing Accountability Act public hearing held with Department of Commerce. Commerce will rule on the city's extension request within roughly one week. The city still faces the August 21, 2026 statutory deadline, with builder's remedy and grant ineligibility as potential consequences if it does not comply.
• Wintergreen Phase 2 Multifamily Tax Exemption contract authorized 6-0.
• John Sandage confirmed to the Planning Commission 6-0.
• Council reached consensus to schedule a future update on all KPUD interties after the August Utility Advisory Committee meeting.