Council, developer should work together on green community

David Fisher

Special to the Gateway

The 174-lot community named “The Courtyards at Skansie Park” at the corner of Hunt Street and Skansie Avenue is going to happen! The City Council has done everything in its power to stop the community, as requested by most of the citizens of Gig Harbor, and now the council faces a $15 million lawsuit.

Our citizens are afraid of more traffic, more people, more growth and high density. They want to leave things as they are. They love the evergreen trees and the small-town feel.

However, how can we stop growth and development? Do we really want no more houses to be built within Gig Harbor city limits? Gig Harbor should be fresh and vibrant, and that includes growing in a positive direction.

The Skansie Park community could be positive for Gig Harbor if the developer and the City Council can start communicating and working together. We need to set lawsuits and legal appeals aside and talk. We need a vision for future housing!

We need affordable housing that enhances the community, and by affordable, I mean housing substantially less than the median new home price in all of Pierce County.

The Courtyards at Skansie Park, by its very location and design, is “Green” as defined by the U.S Green Building Council. It is:

Within an existing community.

Served by existing infrastructure.

Encourages walking, biking and other physical, outdoor activities.

Conserves land by compact development patterns and promotes community livability; transportation efficiency and walkablity.

Surrounded by natural forest and contains recreational parks in the interior.

The home designs and landscaping could be “green” if it becomes a priority of the city, developer and buyers.

The city’s Comprehensive Plan requires “community diversity and increase housing opportunities,” meaning home prices should be variable from low to high to meet the affordable needs of all people.

The developer and the council need to talk to make The Courtyards at Skansie Park an affordable, vibrant, positive and green neighborhood.

David Fisher, a former candidate for the Gig Harbor City Council, is an architect who lives in Gig Harbor.