Planning commission backs Finch Green affordable-housing project, trims trail requirement

The Bainbridge Island Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the Finch Green affordable-housing project (PLN 52,690), moving the proposal to the planning director and signaling support for the project's 22 permanently affordable homes.

The commission's recommendation, made by Commissioner Chris and seconded by another commissioner, asks the planning director and hearing examiner to remove the public-works condition requiring full trail widening along the property's 3,500 feet of frontage but to retain any required ADA ramps and pedestrian refuges for crossing safety. The motion passed on the floor and the commission later added a finding that the retained ramps and refuges are 'roughly proportional' to the project's traffic impacts; that proportionality finding passed 4–0 with one abstention.

Why it matters: The project would use land being donated by Bethany Lutheran Church to create 22 fee-simple homes restricted to households at 80% of area median income and below, with the land held in a community land trust to preserve affordability in perpetuity. Proponents said removing the large frontage obligation was necessary to avoid depleting scarce capital and delaying construction.

Project details and developer case: Applicant representatives told the commission that Bethany will convey the property at no cost to enable 22 permanently affordable homes. Jonathan Davis, the applicant representative, described the site as 8.43 acres with 22 homes of about 800–1,400 square feet each, a parking tract (105 spaces) and community tracts. "We're creating 22 single family homes located on land that is being generously donated by Bethany Lutheran Church," Davis said. He and the applicant team emphasized tree buffers around the site and accessible unit designs.

Funding and trail dispute: Housing Resources Bainbridge's Phaedra Elliott said the project has nearly $3.5 million pledged toward a capital campaign and that the project cannot absorb the roughly $250,000 total trail cost staff initially described without imperiling housing delivery. "The portions of the trail that we're being asked to build is too much for our budget," Elliott said, adding the applicant can fund the southern piece (~215 feet) at approximately $145,000 but cannot fund the full multi‑use path the city requested.

Public works and safety: Paul Nylund, engineering manager for Public Works, explained the island-wide mobility plan designates Sportsman's as a multi-use spine meant to accommodate a 10-foot multi-use path and that ramps and connections are requested so future city work can tie into the improvements. The commission balanced that safety objective with project feasibility and therefore retained corner ramps/refuges while removing the broader trail-widening requirement.

Quote from the motion: Commissioner Chris moved "to recommend approval of the Finch Green affordable housing project PLN 52,690 to the planning director, removing the trail widening conditions imposed by the city's public works administrative department, but retaining any ADA ramps and refuges required for pedestrian crossing safety and accessibility at the intersections with Sportsman Club Road." The motion was seconded and approved on the record.

Procedure and next steps: The Planning Commission's recommendation will be included in the staff report to the hearing examiner, who will make the final land-use decision at the scheduled hearing examiner public hearing (staff noted the hearing examiner's public hearing is set for May 19). Planning staff emphasized the commission's recommendation will be given substantial weight in the director's and hearing examiner's reports.

Community context: Public comment included support from Finch Green proponents and objections from at least one nearby resident who argued the proposal is too dense and raised separation-of-church-and-state concerns; commissioners and applicants responded with design screening and outreach history. The project team said the homes will be sold to buyers while the land remains in the community land trust to preserve long-term affordability.

What remains unresolved: The hearing examiner will consider the formal public record and make a final decision; the commission's action is advisory. The city and the applicant still need to finalize the scope of frontage work that will be constructed and how that will be coordinated with future capital improvements.

The commission's recommendation and the retained proportionality finding were recorded on the public record during the meeting; the project proceeds to the planning director and hearing examiner for final decisions.