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Port Orchard survey shows interest in walking trails and playgrounds for Sherman Avenue stormwater park
Summary
City staff reported about 80 public survey responses and will develop three preliminary park concepts — a trail/conservation park, family nature park, and community garden/recreation park — then form a steering committee and return for public engagement.
City planners told the Port Orchard Land Use Committee that public outreach for the Sherman Avenue Stormwater Park produced strong participation, identified preferred amenities and will feed into three high-level concept alternatives and a steering committee to guide the next design phase.
Nick Bond, community development director, said the outreach effort included mailed notices to property owners, door hangers to apartment tenants and targeted contact of apartment managers; staff received about 80 survey replies. “Turnout was very good, especially considering the size of the geographic area that we’re dealing with,” Bond said. Jim Fisk, principal planner, noted the outreach effort exceeded prior city-led efforts except when consultants mailed notices for earlier projects.
Survey responses show consistent support for walking and running trails and playground equipment; low support was reported for a skate/pump track. Staff also received emailed suggestions — one nearby resident asked for a Frisbee-golf course — but both Bond and Fisk cautioned that Frisbee golf may be infeasible because the park is constrained by wetlands, stormwater facilities and critical-area buffers.
The Sherman Avenue site totals about 19 acres, Bond said; he added that more than half the site is encumbered by critical areas and earlier stormwater design work already consumes part of the acreage. Staff advised there is room for an access point and parking lot near the park entrance with space for a playground or other features, while trails would be threaded around stormwater features and buffers.
Staff recommended developing three concept alternatives (trail and conservation park; family nature park; community garden and recreation park), convening a steering committee within roughly 45 days (end of February/early March), then presenting high-level concepts for public feedback. “The idea is, let’s introduce some alternatives, get feedback, and then just like we did with the McCormick Village Park, we can choose one of the three alternatives or come up with a hybrid,” Bond said.
Ending: Staff plans to convene a steering committee in the next 45 days, prepare three high-level concept alternatives and return to the public and committee for more detailed feedback and design direction.
