Cheney foundation submits application to develop busy downtown Gig Harbor intersection

The city of Gig Harbor has received the Ben B. Cheney Foundation’s application for development of the waterfront in the city’s historic downtown and the intersection of Soundview and Harborview drives.

The application for the project referred to as One Harbor Point calls for constructing 10 buildings on the triangular corner lot and three single-family homes on the waterfront parcel housing the Green Turtle restaurant and another business.

The buildings on the upland property would hold 35 rental townhouse units, which is more than what is allowed under current zoning for the neighborhood.

In exchange for the increased density, the developer promised to give the city the historical agricultural building, a deck and marina for public use.

That exchange and other details would be outlined in an agreement between the city and the developer. The City Council is responsible for reviewing and approving such agreements. The council has not yet reviewed the foundation’s development agreement request.

The earliest it could discuss the agreement is at its Feb. 27 meeting, said planning director Jennifer Kester. That’s because the council is reviewing a separate application filed by a neighbor of the proposed development who has requested a change to the city’s code dealing with development agreements.

The council must decide how to act on that application before reviewing the One Harbor Point development agreement request, Kester said.

Other details from the application include building heights and square footage.

Seven townhouse buildings would be two stories, the remaining would be three stories. Because they will be built into the hillside, the homes will look more like they are one- or two-stories high, according to the city’s review of the application.

Building size varies from 3,588 square feet for the three-unit buildings to 5,626 square feet for four-unit buildings.

The average size of the individual units is 1,350 square feet.

Architectural design is intended to be “compatible with adjacent residential neighborhoods while providing territorial views across the site” of Gig Harbor Bay and Puget Sound, according to the city interpretation of the application

Sixty-seven off-street parking spaces would be added for people living in the townhouse units, with another 55 spaces added for visitors.

The proposal calls for two combined gated entrance and exit locations — one on Harborview Drive and another on Soundview Drive.

A third exit-only driveway is proposed for Soundview Drive.

Preliminary conceptual drawings on the city’s website show a small public park on the property at Soundview and Harborview drives, and a public viewing platform on Soundview Drive.

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Cheney foundation submits application to develop busy downtown Gig Harbor intersection."