Preventing urban sprawl, while reusing the resources and infrastructure communities already have in place is what drives the Smart Growth concept.

   “Smart Growth in Puget Sound, Kitsap: A Special Opportunity,” was held Nov. 28 at the Admiral Theatre in downtown Bremerton. The conference brought many of the factions of Kitsap’s multi-fractured growth management debate together for the first time all in one place, with one common goal — intelligent planning for future growth in a manner that addressed jobs, land use and preservation of the environment.
   Most participants felt the event was a successful first step in moderating the level of frustration and polarization that all parties in the ongoing growth debate in Kitsap feel on a daily basis.
   The keynote speaker was Gov. Parris Glendening of Maryland, who is known as the founder of the smart growth movement. He discussed how the choices community leaders make today, impact the quality of life for future generations and how Smart Growth opens up the options communities have so the polarization that exists in places like Kitsap County isn’t necessary.
   Glendening stressed that the heart of Smart Growth was based upon communities maximizing and reusing the infrastructure they already have in place, and planning growth around those resources as a method of controlling urban sprawl.
   The Maryland governor also discussed the cost of that polarization in terms of tax dollars communities spend dealing with issues raised by each of the growth factions.
   Also addressing the gathering was Gary Garczynski, vice president of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) and Peter Calthorpe, reputed as a cutting edge planning expert.
   Kitsap’s growth wars have historically been marked with a “winner take all” mentality on both sides. Garczynski explained how that philosophy was flawed for developers, environmentalists and the residents of a given community and how the NAHB supported the Smart Growth concept as a way to meet the needs of its members and the communities they serve.
   Calthorpe is a nationally known speaker on planning issues and is also the lead planner for the 440 acre Port Blakley project in Bremerton — the latest battleground for the local growth vs. no growth battle.
   All of the speakers stressed the need to accommodate all sides of the question in a fashion that was a win-win for everyone — the environment, the business community, and most of all the current and future residents of Kitsap County.
   All stressed that cooperation and trust were essential — something that has been sorely lacking where growth management issues in Kitsap County are concerned.
   The event was split into two sessions, an afternoon session that began at 1:30 p.m. where the three speakers all appeared, and another in the evening from 5:30 to 8:30 which included a series of hands-on exercises on community issues.
   The event was co-sponsored by a wide range of local and statewide groups — many of who are usually on opposite sides of the growth question but all with an interest in seeing the smart growth concept adapted in Kitsap County. They included Kitsap County, the Puget Sound Regional Council, 1,000 Friends of Washington, The Homebuilders Association of Kitsap County, Port Blakley Communities, the Sierra Club, Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council, Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council, The Sun, Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority, Kitsap Transit and Washington Conservation Voters.

Exercises for the evening session included:
  • Live and Move, Here - Choose what you like
    about Transit-Oriented Development, a real
    possibility in Kitsap.
  • Designing Great Places - Put the buildings
    on the land, right.
  • Building Communities Efficiently - Stretch
    scarce public $$$$, and win big.
  • Live Downtown - Invest in our cities and
    move there.
  • Transportation Matters - Make a choice today
    and affect our community tomorrow.
  • Smart Growth Central - Know the facts and
    figures, and then speak your mind.
  • Creative Site Design - Be on stage with a
    project, appeal to the decision-makers.
  • Top Ten List - Choose the 10 best ways to
    develop Kitsap in environmentally friendly ways.
  • Policy that Matters - Decide how our state,
    local and regional agencies can help.
  • Is it All Up to Chance?