City begins public outreach for CDBG/HOME consolidated plan and updates transportation element; survey and mapping results shared

City staff and Kitsap County officials gave informational briefings to the Bremerton City Council on Feb. 19 about two planning processes: the five-year consolidated plan for CDBG/HOME funds and updates to Bremerton’s comprehensive plan transportation element and active-transportation network.

Bonnie Tufts, Kitsap County’s CDBG/HOME program manager (introduced for questions), and City staff described the consolidated-plan process as the five-year framework required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that guides use of entitlement Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership dollars. Staff said the joint process with Kitsap County will inform funding priorities for projects that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income individuals, including housing rehabilitation, public services and public facilities. The city’s community survey and agency consultations will inform the first-year action plan that staff expect to post for public comment and bring to council at a May public hearing; the consolidated plan and year-one action plan are scheduled for submission to HUD in November.

Planning staff also presented draft updates to the transportation element and an updated active transportation plan (bike/pedestrian network). Vicki Grover reviewed public outreach to date: an introductory public survey (January 19–February 15, 2024) that received 605 responses, an interactive GIS map public comment period that produced 225 comments and 8 emails, and other outreach including postcards and event tabling. Staff said the interactive map generated public preferences and changes to proposed corridors (examples cited: preference for Fourth Street over Fifth or Sixth Streets in certain corridors; requests to extend networks north of Warren Avenue and along Burwell).

Grover explained that Growth Management Act requirements now call for multimodal concurrency assessment and that the technical appendices include near-term (6-year) and long-term (20-year) project lists and a financial plan. Staff noted that draft documents remain available at Bremerton2044.com and that the public survey is open with a March closing date (exact day not specified during the meeting). Staff invited further comment and said they would present the consolidated plan’s year-one action plan to council in May and submit the consolidated-plan package to HUD for certification later in the year.

A public comment highlighted language access: a resident said the postcard recruitment for the active-transportation survey was available only in English and urged the city to reach non-English-speaking households to ensure equitable participation.

Both items were informational at the Feb. 19 meeting; no council vote was requested or taken.