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Home / Washington Business - May/June 2006 / Community Profile - Belfair: Making a Place in Western Washington |
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Community Profile - Belfair: Making a Place in Western Washington |
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Written On: May/June 2006 |
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Written By: by Shawn Sullivan |
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Belfair is a small region tucked away at the end of Hood Canal. However, it is perhaps the largest unincorporated area in Washington. It began as a bedroom community for workers in Bremerton and Tacoma, but recently began growing into a self-sustaining neighborhood. Its rapid development has placed constraints on its inhabitant businesses, with which the community has met with extensive planning and public involvement—despite the lack of bureaucratic control common in most counties.
With funding allocations from the recent gas tax and federal grants, things are starting to change in Belfair. "We are a community on the verge of booming," Wilson Communications President Ken Wilson said. "We have a sewer system, sidewalks and a bypass all scheduled for construction in the area." The only problem is deciding which investment to commit to first.
"Which piece of the puzzle should go first is the most often debated topic at our local meetings," North Mason County Chamber President Greg Oldham said. "We decided, and most community members agree, that we would like to see the work completed simultaneously to avoid having to tear up Belfair on two separate occasions." Mason County is currently in the public opinion phase of all three projects, and a timeline for a decision is yet unknown.
"I’ve been here since 1981," Earl's Marine owner Gerald Thompson said. "I used to look across the street at trees, but now all I see are cars."
Like most people living in Belfair, Thompson's views on the area's growth are mixed. "I enjoy the rural setting and the quiet that Belfair provides — I want to enjoy that while still making money," Thompson said.
Oldham attributes the growth to the area's scenery. "When you get people to see Belfair's scenery, they simply say, 'wow,'" Oldham said. "We are growing so fast that it is only a matter of time before Belfair becomes one extensive resort."
According to local Windermere real estate agents Heath McLellan and Tanya Green, more than 60 percent of the land surrounding Belfair is undeveloped, which offers a huge potential for growth. "The only thing standing in the way of business development is the lack of inventory for commercial real estate," McLellan said. "We need the sewer to come through town in order for our commercial properties to start growing."
One of the largest areas of constant growth in Belfair is the current boom in new construction. "Developers are building several condominiums on the hill above town—and they are selling faster than they are built," Green said. "People from outside of our community are discovering that this place is a diamond in the rough."
Mason County Public Utility District installed a fiber-optic network that provides high-speed internet to every property in the area — another factor driving the recent growth. "With the technology that is now readily available to us, we can do everything we need to continue as a successful business," Green said.
A fiber-optic network provides consumers with fast, reliable and relatively inexpensive internet, with fewer outages and hassles as standard internet. Mason County PUD has joined with local retail providers to offer the ultra-fast internet or networking services.
"For the longest time, we were simply a bedroom and vacation community," North Mason Camber of Commerce Executive Director Debby Baker said. "As time goes on, we are changing into a full-time community."
Developers built the majority of homes in the area primarily as vacation and summer homes, but recently they have focused on single-family homes designed for use all year. "One half of our customers come only during the summer months," Thompson said. "The remainder lives anywhere from Bainbridge to Camano Island full-time." Thompson has noticed the number of year-round residents has risen dramatically over the last three years and expects that trend to continue.
Other unique aspects of Belfair are the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center and the Theler Wetlands Trails and Nature Preserve. PNWSC wants to purchase an irreplaceable 90-acre property to restore historic salmon runs and is the second such organization in the world — the other is located in Japan. The organization wishes to breach an existing dike system to return 45 acres to salt marsh and freshwater wetlands, with walking trails interspersed throughout to encourage visitors to learn about the history and habitat of wild salmon.
More than 100,000 people visit Belfair's Theler Wetlands and Nature Preserve each year to see the ever-changing landscape of the 135-acre preserve. The park has four miles of barrier free scenic trails, with 1,768 feet of floating boardwalk and several interpretive kiosks to educate visitors on commonly seen wildlife. The Mary E. Theler Exhibit Building, located near the trailhead, offers hands-on interactive educational exhibits and displays.
"Recreation is a big part of what draws people to our area as well," McLellan said. "We have a lot of motorcycle and four-wheeler trails in the surrounding area, we have water related activities available all throughout the summer months, and we even have bat walks at night." Bats are common at Theler Wetlands.
The International Speedway Corporation is looking at Belfair to build the first National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing track in Northwest, which is causing a stir within the community. "Sixty percent of the community support the track, and within the business community that rises to almost 80 percent," Wilson said. "We are not simply looking at building a race track — we are focusing on a new industrial park with a race track as a tenant."
The track would be located in a recently rezoned light industrial area designed to draw small- to medium-sized manufacturing firms from outside the region. Building the track within the industrial project is part of Belfair's plan of managed growth. "From a growth standpoint, you want to site this project in a more rural or industrial area to have the infrastructure to support it," Wilson said. "With the track built this way, we can have the industrial area supporting it during the week and have the track supporting it over the weekends."
Belfair may have begun as a small bedroom community, but it has become a region of continued growth in the midst of a picturesque landscape. The area's residents have worked together to ensure a partnership between continued growth and environmental sustainability. Through hard work and public involvement, Belfair has demonstrated how a community lacking a centralized bureaucratic entity can successfully plan for growth.
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