Gig Harbor awarded funds to extend road through shooting range property

The city of Gig Harbor has been awarded the biggest chunk of the $11.5 million it estimates it needs to build a road extension linking downtown with the fast-growing northern part of the city.

The city announced that the state has pledged $8 million for the Harbor Hill Drive extension. The project calls for continuing Harbor Hill where it currently ends just south of the YMCA, and connecting it to Burnham Drive near 97th Street Northwest.

Construction will take 12 to 18 months and is expected to begin next fall, according to the city.

Receiving the state grant is a big step for the city. It has had the road extension on its to-do list for roughly a decade, in part to ease congestion at the state Route 16 interchange that connects with Burnham Drive and Borgen Boulevard. It has budgeted $3.5 million in city funds for the project.

But there is at least one hurdle still to overcome: buying land from the Gig Harbor Sportsman’s Club.

The proposed road would impact “a significant portion” of the 68-year-old club’s shooting range, Gig Harbor Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm said.

“The (gun club) board has been supportive of our alignment so far, but nothing is set on paper,” Langhelm said. “Not until there is actually ink on paper can we say we have a successful land agreement.”

Club President Rick Gaida said both sides have worked well together so far.

The most recent design presented by the city shows the road running around the perimeter of the club property, he said.

“One of the main things we’re concerned about is it’s going to go parallel on the west side, right along the rifle-pistol range,” Gaida said.

People unfamiliar with the club’s location could be startled by the sound of gunfire from the range when traveling down the new road, he said.

Club membership has known about the city’s plans since 2005, when the city issued an environmental impact statement related to the development of nearby St. Anthony Hospital, Langhelm said. The hospital is located near the Burnham Drive roundabout not far from state Route 16.

During peak times of the day, it’s not uncommon to find cars backed up on the offramp that connects with Burnham and Borgen.

And more traffic is coming.

The final phase of construction is under way for the planned community known as Harbor Hill. That includes roughly 350 single-family homes and the Heron’s Key senior-living complex around several existing retail stores off Borgen Boulevard and Harbor Hill Drive.

A shopping complex anchored by Town and County Market is also planned near the intersection of Borgen and Harbor Hill.

Gun club leaders understand the changes they face.

“We used to be in the middle of Pierce County. Now we’re in the middle of downtown Gig Harbor,” Gaida said. “We’ve been here since 1947 — that’s a long time. A lot of (City) Council people realize that and they aren’t opposed to us being here.”

Design of the new road is about 30 percent complete, according to Langhelm.

The grant from the state Urban Arterial Program will allow the city to finish its design, purchase land and begin construction, he said.

“The news couldn’t have come at a better time as we see continued growth throughout the greater Gig Harbor area,” Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce President Warren Zimmerman said in a statement.

Gun club representatives anticipate having right of way appraisals done next month. Negotiations with the city will follow in early 2016, Gaida said.

“They understand our position and we understand theirs,” he said. “We’re working together. It’s going to happen, so we’re trying to get the best for both of us.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 5:10 AM with the headline "Gig Harbor awarded funds to extend road through shooting range property."