Community turns out to see potential plans for Peninsula Shopping Center makeover

Olympic Property Group is erring on the side of caution as it tentatively approaches a plan to revamp the shopping center along Judson Street in downtown Gig Harbor.

The developers and the property owners are choosing to start the public process before they submit anything to the city, said Jon Rose, president of OPG.

“We are well aware that the good citizens and the community of Gig Harbor are very engaged in all things downtown Gig Harbor,” Rose said.

With that in mind, Rose gave an hour-long presentation to community members Tuesday night at The Inn at Gig Harbor on what the future of the Judson Street shopping area might look like. About 100 people filled a meeting room at the hotel to hear from the project’s developers.

Rose said that the ideas posited currently are “an exploration, not a proposal.”

“There are many ideas swirling around the Peninsula Shopping Center and there are many challenges (to developing there),” he said.

While Rose presented a list of ideas that had been submitted by community members, such as a bowling alley and a town square space, OPG also has a few ideas of its own.

“We didn’t come here with just a blank slate; that would be boring,” Rose said.

What the property group has come up with is a mixed-use space that would incorporate residential units. Gig Harbor’s selling point is it is an ideal place to live, the president said.

Rose showed six sketches to the audience, all of which incorporated residential units.

The potential options on the table include:

The current Peninsula Shopping Center sits on nearly 6 acres. It has 72,000 square feet of building space and upwards of 240 parking stalls out front, with more than 55 parking stalls in the back.

The property has continuously been listed for lease since 2013. In 2011 both grocer QFC and drug store Rexall left the center. In 2015, Ace Hardware closed.

The community meeting was the third meeting OPG has held regarding the shopping center. OPG will host another community forum, utilizing the same format, at 5:30 p.m. May 7.

Previously, the development group met with current tenants and with neighbors. The development group and ownership has said it will honor long-term leases for current tenants.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Community turns out to see potential plans for Peninsula Shopping Center makeover."