BRINNON — The proposed Pleasant Harbor Resort would provide an economic boost to this small town in southern Jefferson County, according to several people who attended an open house Wednesday.
Others brought up questions about the environmental impact of the 252-acre resort proposed in 2006 for Black Point, about 2 miles south of Brinnon, while still others said they had misgivings but did not want to speak about them in detail.
“This community doesn’t have any industry left except for tourism and shellfish. Forestry is gone,” said Joy Baisch, a Brinnon small-business owner who favors the project.
“What troubles me is that it has taken so long. We don’t have any family-wage jobs, our school enrollment is down and our food bank use is up.
“We have become a destitute community.”
Said Christy Vliet of Brinnon: “It’s a beautiful project. I know it will change things here.”
She added it could drive some people away.
“My mother-in-law has lived here for years and said as soon as she can smell french fries, she’s moving out,” Vliet said.
Don Herrin, who manages the water system for the nearby Pleasant Tides area, said he has concerns about the resort’s impact on his wells but trusts that the county Department of Health and the state Department of Ecology would not allow the project to proceed if it does not meet safe ecological standards.
The open house, which drew about 40 people over a 2½-hour period, focused on a draft supplemental environmental impact statement that Jefferson County released Nov. 19 on the proposed development by Statesman Corp. of Calgary, Alberta, which is seeking a county permit for the resort.
David Wayne Johnson, DCD associate planner, who is managing the project, has said “ways to have a less significant environmental impact” have been developed during the extended approval process.
The proposal had sparked controversy over the years, especially from The Brinnon Group, which said the development was too large for the area.
The draft supplemental environmental impact statement was slated for discussion at a Jefferson County Planning Commission meeting Wednesday night.
Nicole Black, a Brinnon Parks and Recreation commissioner, questioned the timing of the open house since many summer residents could not attend.
“A lot of our property owners are snowbirds and aren’t here in the winter,” Black said.
“It would be nice to hear from them about this issue and give them a chance to ask questions.”
Public comment will be taken on the draft document until 4:30 p.m. Jan. 5. A final supplemental environmental impact statement is expected to be released by the end of March, with a public hearing set in April or May.
Statesman was represented at the open house by employee Diane Coleman and consultant Craig Peck.
Peck, who has worked with the project for six years, said he expects it to move at a rapid pace now.
“We’ve had some major challenges when the county proposed a larger setback at the shoreline, as the original development had more development at the marina,” Peck said.
“The original proposal called for 2 million cubic yards of dirt being moved. We are now down to 1 million.”
Peck said his mission is to make the project more environmentally friendly by making use of the natural topography and maximizing the use of impervious surfaces.
While the facility would be gated, several areas would be publicly accessible, such as retail space along U.S. Highway 101 and an 1,100-foot zipline.
The resort would not be visible from the highway.
The long-standing cost projection for the complete project of $300 million will be modified, according to Statesman CEO Garth Mann in an email sent last week. He did not say how it would be modified.
Phase one of the resort would include a “maritime village” located adjacent to U.S. Highway 101, Mann said, with three phases, each with a 30-month duration, to follow.
Mann said the resort complex would eventually create more than 300 new permanent jobs.
Peck said many of these jobs would be seasonal and the resort would fill them locally if possible.
He said the resort will not compete with existing businesses.
“We aren’t building a gas station, so it will bring people to Brinnon who will buy gas,” he said.
The two-part report, 269 pages of narrative plus 992 pages of appendices, is available along with other project information at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Pleasant-Harbor.
Hard copies can be viewed at the county office; the Jefferson County Library at 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock; and the Brinnon Fire Department at 272 Schoolhouse Road.
Comments can be emailed to dwjohnson@co.jefferson.wa.us or mailed to Pleasant Harbor DSEIS c/o Jefferson County DCD, 621 Sheridan St., Port Townsend, WA 98368.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
