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Local business owners tell Port Orchard council permitting delays, code enforcement are harming downtown recovery
Summary
During public comment, residents and downtown property owners urged low-cost facade improvements and urged the council to address cumbersome occupancy/permit processes after prolonged delays; a builder also flagged longer building-permit turnaround times over the past four years.
Multiple speakers during the April 8 public comment period urged the city to take low-cost steps to improve Bay Street’s appearance and to address perceived permitting and code-enforcement burdens that are slowing tenant turnover and new construction.
Stan McKenzie, a Port Orchard resident, suggested a coordinated paint/color scheme along Bay Street to create a Cape Cod nautical theme that would be inexpensive and could improve visitor perception. "I suggest painting the facades of the Bay Street buildings with the color combinations that you would get from the nautical themes of Cape Cod," McKenzie said, adding that such an effort could be a low-cost way to stimulate tourism while longer-term renovations proceed.
Rick Boston, a Port Orchard commercial property owner, described a multi-month process he said followed tenant turnover at a downtown property. He said a code compliance inspection by a city code enforcement employee in December flagged non-permitted interior dividers and a temporary drywall patch over a damaged interior door. Boston said he engaged an architect at his expense and submitted drawings, but four months later had not received an occupancy permit and said he had been warned by code staff not to enter the space; he put the cost to him at more than $10,000 plus the architect fee. Boston asked council members to tour his property; he said Council members Heidi Fenton and Eric Wharton had already done so.
An online commenter who identified as a local builder (in the engineering/planning discussion) told council the time between application and receipt of a building permit has "tripled in the last year" and that plat developments have taken more than a year to receive permanent approval. The speaker said staffing and system issues may be part of the cause and urged the city to study permit timelines to prevent construction delays that push projects into unfavorable construction seasons.
Council members acknowledged the comments and said they would follow up. At least one councilor observed that staff and process changes could be considered to reduce permit turnaround times. The public comment period concluded without immediate council action on the individual requests.
