A subarea plan and Planned Action EIS are now underway for a portion of the Gateway called the Hawk Property in a second phase of study. This location in the City limits and UGA will provide a secondary center for the City and bring added jobs and a range of housing choices to the community.

In the first phase, BERK provided a comprehensive analysis of market conditions, citywide employment and residential land capacity, public services, SEPA compliance options, and fiscal conditions to help answer several questions: 1) Can the City justify inclusion of the “northern notch” in the UGA? 2) Is the Northern Gateway Area suitable for urban development? 3) Is there market demand for various land uses? 4) Would annexation and development be beneficial to the City’s fiscal position?

A subarea plan and Planned Action EIS are now underway for a portion of the Gateway called the Hawk Property in a second phase of study. This location in the City limits and UGA will provide a secondary center for the City and bring added jobs and a range of housing choices to the community.

The project examined how to reduce or reconfigure approximately eight urban growth areas (UGAs) to meet a decision by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board (CPSGMHB). The CPSGMHB required that the County re-examine its UGAs, focusing on two key questions: 1) What is an appropriate minimum urban density in Kitsap County? and 2) What density should Kitsap use when calculating the amount of urban land necessary to accommodate population growth through 2025? BERK prepared a growth trends analysis to help answer these questions. BERK also prepared 2010, 2018, and 2025 countywide (urban and rural) population estimates at small analysis zones to support land use, public service and capital facility planning. BERK managed the preparation of a Supplemental EIS addressing three UGA and land capacity alternatives. BERK led the update to Kitsap County’s Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) addressing a new six-year period, and demonstrated an ability to serve growth through the year 2025 within new UGA boundaries.

BERK managed development of the winning 2012 Race to the Top – District application, helping bring $40 million in federal grant funds to benefit our region’s most challenged students. The award will strengthen connections among pre-school providers and districts; support student learning in math and science; promote college and career readiness; increase access to online learning and counseling tools; and bolster data reporting capabilities.

Seven school districts – Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton and Tukwila – as well as the Puget Sound Educational Service District collaborated in the grant proposal as the Road Map District Consortium. BERK worked closely with administrative and union leaders from the districts, as well as regional education reform partners to develop the winning investment proposal focused on the region’s highest need students.

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