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Resident alleges Evergreen Point approvals violate Shoreline rules; city staff says Shoreline Master Program was approved by Ecology
Summary
A resident accused the city of favoring a private developer and violating the Shoreline Management Act during public comment March 19; city staff said the Shoreline Master Program is legally adopted and that the Evergreen Point project was reviewed for compliance.
A public commenter told the council March 19 that the Evergreen Point project and related zoning changes amounted to special treatment for a developer and violated the Shoreline Management Act; the comment included allegations of legal and ethical wrongdoing. City staff replied that the city’s Shoreline Master Program was legally adopted and that the Evergreen Point project had been reviewed for compliance.
"You can see Sound West Group desperately trying to seal the deal by December 31 of 2019... it jumped from $42,000,000 to $57,000,000," said Jose Camacho of Friends of Smith Cove, who asserted the city had used spot zoning and more favorable mapping to increase private profits and criticized the Department of Community Development.
Camacho described the change as "spot zoning" and said provisions in the city code "violates the Shoreline Management Act" and called the actions "corrupt" and "illegal."
A city staff member responded during the meeting that Bremerton has a legally adopted Shoreline Master Program that was reviewed by ecological partners and approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology. "The project that was referenced was reviewed for compliance with the Shoreline Master program and the downtown sub area plan and found to be compliant," the staff member said, and offered to answer questions offline.
The exchange occurred during the public recognition segment; the council did not take action on the allegations at the March 19 meeting. The commenter referenced public records requests and project valuations; the city staff reply pointed to the existing Shoreline Master Program and the Department of Ecology review as the relevant authority.
