A 22-acre high-density proposed development in Bremerton’s planned Wheaton-Riddell District Center uses the concept of new urbanism to provide a mix of residential and commercial amenities in a compact, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.
The international movement of new urbanism — which encourages mixed-use neighborhoods that include residential, retail, hospitality and office space —has been used successfully in large cities and has been shifting more toward the suburbs.
Paul Eberharter, a Kingston-based architect who is spearheading the project, says the concept of new urbanism is not new at all; it goes back to ancient cities where people worked downstairs and lived upstairs. He says modern development has separated different uses through zoning, but he sees the concept as a way of creating urban infill.
Eberharter, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Washington, found that many developers shied away from the new urbanism ideas. So he helped create Nor’west Properties LLC with the goal of working on these types of projects, including City Villa.
City Villa could include as many as 330 residential units and up to 80,000 square feet of commercial space. The residential units will vary from apartments and condominiums to so-called brownstones, row houses that share a common wall.
The commercial areas will be part of seven buildings of about 6,000 square feet each that will include retail stores and restaurants on the first floor and offices on the second, with condo units on top. Nor’west Properties was in the process of closing on a loan in mid-May to purchase 19.8 acres of the property; 2.6 acres were purchased last year.
City Villa is part of the Wheaton-Riddell Sub Area Plan that would create the Wheaton-Riddell District Center, a total of 106 acres the city envisions as becoming a destination spot where people will live, work, shop and play. The district center was identified as a vision during the city’s 2004 comprehensive plan update. As part of an agreement with the city to change zoning from R-10 to R-15, Nor’west Properties has been developing a master plan for the district.
Eberharter said the master plan is “a fairly general document that gives a blueprint for future development but is not specific with zoning codes.” In contrast, the City Villa plat design, which is nearing completion, will include zoning codes. He expects the plan to be forwarded to the Bremerton Planning Commission in August, and later move on to the City Council in September.
Once the plan is approved, the company will apply for permits. Construction is expected to last about five years and be completed in six phases starting sometime in mid-2008. Eberharter estimates total costs including land, design and construction to come in around $102 million, and said the company has interim financing to get the project to the next phase.
