Point No Point boat launch public hearing Nov. 10

HANSVILLE — Residents can tell the county why they want or don’t want a boat launch at Point No Point Beach at a hearing Nov. 10 in Port Orchard.

The Kitsap County Hearing Examiner will hear public comment next week, when the state Department of Fish and Wildlife presents its applications for a Shoreline Substantial Development Permit and an Administrative Conditional Use Permit.

The agency wants to construct a 90-foot boat launch, beach restoration and upland improvements on the 3.47-acre property, with parking, drive lanes and ADA-approved restrooms and stormwater facilities.

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in the Board of County Commissioners Chambers, 619 Division St., Port Orchard.

Penny Warren, Fish and Wildlife’s westside land supervisor, previously said she will apply for state grants in January, for which the funding would be available in 2013.

The area was once a popular fishing resort. It was the last operating resort in the area, and closed in the mid-1990s. It offered boating and cabin rentals under one owner or another since the 1930s, according to a historic structures report by Kitsap County.

Fish and Wildlife purchased the site west of the Point No Point Lighthouse in 1996 for $860,000, according to Warren. The department intended to rebuild it, but did not start procedures until after it had been condemned in 2002.

After Fish and Wildlife proposed to redevelop the property in 2009 — tearing down the rusting ramp and old resort cabins — the county appealed the project, citing issues with Fish and Wildlife’s environmental review. In 2010, state and county officials agreed to work together on the project. However, neighborhood organizations such as the Greater Hansville Area Advisory Council have been vocal about their opposition, citing concerns with traffic issues and vandalism.

 

Contact North Kitsap Herald Megan Stephenson at mstephenson@northkitsapherald.com or 360-779-4464.

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