Bainbridge Islanders Are United Against Growing Densely? Not So Fast.
The issue of housing growth on Bainbridge Island has been put in the spotlight over the past few months, with opposition to an affordable apartment building at the Island's front door garnering the sleepy enclave a significant amount of media attention. And while the 25,000-person island's reputation as being especially hostile to growth (to the point of satire) may well reflect a major segment of the community, a recent meeting at Bainbridge Island City Hall shows that it's not the whole picture.
Last Thursday, the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission held an initial public hearing on a recommended citywide growth plan, a document which is approaching a year-and-a-half overdue under state law. A major reason for that delay has been considerable internal debate over how to comply with updated growth targets, including new requirements to specifically plan for new residents across different income levels.
Regardless of new requirements, the need for affordable housing in Bainbridge is tangible for many residents. Between 2000 and 2020, the percentage of Bainbridge homeowners aged 55 or younger declined by 26%, as many younger families couldn't afford the single family homes that make up 96% of the parcels on the island. A 2022 community survey found that 79% of Bainbridge Island workers would live on the island if they could find housing they could afford.
Bainbridge is on a tight timeline to adopt a growth plan, with the Washington Department of Commerce last month giving the city 120 days to become fully compliant with state housing law, or face repercussions that could involve the so-called "builder's remedy" – the ability for a developer to get any permit approved, no matter the building envelope, as long as certain requirements for affordable housing are met.
https://www.theurbanist.org/bainbridge-islanders-are-united-against-growing-densely-not-so-fast/