Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Streetery Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council extends ‘streetery’ program; debate over 5-foot sidewalk clearance fails to change motion
Summary
Council voted to extend Poulsbo’s outdoor-dining (streetery) program until paid parking or front‑street improvements are implemented and tasked staff to revisit pricing; a proposed amendment to require a minimum 5-foot clear pedestrian path failed to get a second.
Poulsbo’s City Council voted Dec. 4 to extend the city’s streetery (outdoor dining) program until a paid-parking system or front-street improvements are implemented, directing staff to return later with rate adjustments to reach fair-market pricing.
Councilmembers noted competing goals: supporting downtown businesses and protecting pedestrian safety. Councilmember Newell unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to ensure no streetery reduced passable sidewalk width below 5 feet; the amendment did not receive a second. Councilmember Eckert and others emphasized that the extension would be temporary and revisitable as Front Street design work proceeds.
The motion that carried directed staff to continue the streetery program and, if paid parking is later adopted, to bring a proposal on rate adjustments so meter pricing can be set to market levels. Council discussion also flagged a need to study specific downtown locations (for example, where planters or reduced setback might make a 5-foot clearance impossible) and to coordinate with engineering on safety measures.
"We need to make sure no streetery reduces the passable sidewalk width to less than 5 feet," Councilmember Newell said when proposing the failed amendment; councilmembers debated practical effects on certain downtown businesses before declining to adopt the change. The extension passed with a motion and second; staff will report back with potential rate changes and implementation guidelines.
