Council creates shared-street authority, designates SW Ashwood as 10 mph shared street

The Port Orchard City Council adopted an ordinance establishing procedures for designating "shared streets" and designated Southwest Ashwood Street in McCormick Village as a shared street with a 10‑mile‑per‑hour speed limit.

Staff said the ordinance implements state law enacted this year (Senate Bill 5595), which allows cities to designate a public street where pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles share the same space and to set a 10 mph limit for such streets. City staff presented examples from Bothell and European towns and said SW Ashwood — a curbless, 20‑foot‑wide neighborhood street that already has textured entrance paving and advisory signage — met the ordinance’s eligibility criteria.

City staff described basic design criteria, including consultation with transit, fire‑access standards and a menu of design features (entry signage, textured paving, narrowed sections). Councilor Deener moved to adopt the ordinance and councilmember Ozarki seconded the motion; the measure passed by voice vote.

Councilors asked about maintenance, plowing and whether the city would be on the hook for more expensive surfacing. Staff said most of the street is standard asphalt and that textured paving appears only at entries; they said shared streets can reduce overall infrastructure for new neighborhoods because they omit curbs and wide gutters and therefore can lower stormwater generation and long‑term maintenance needs in appropriate contexts.

Why it matters: The ordinance gives the city a tool to encourage pedestrian‑oriented design in new residential and mixed‑use areas, and the Ashwood designation is the first application of the new state authority within Port Orchard.