Residents Ask Council to Revisit Manzanita Stormwater Project

Residents who walked the M&E property near Day Road asked the Bainbridge Island City Council on November 10 to pause a proposed stormwater facility there. They raised two questions about sending runoff into the ground: how much water would continue to reach Manzanita Creek, and whether the work fits the terms under which the City received the land.

During the budget hearing, former councilmember Ron Peltier described a ditch that runs along the property and carries water toward the creek. He urged councilmembers to walk the site before committing more money. Another speaker who served on the open space commission when the property was donated questioned the City’s interpretation of restrictions on new structures.

“I would encourage you to ask some questions, do your due diligence, and preferably go out to the property,” Peltier told councilmembers.

Where the water would go

The City’s Manzanita watershed project page traces the work from an assessment of runoff and sediment through an infiltration feasibility study and a stormwater park rendering. The idea is to give runoff a place to soak into the ground. The technical evaluation examined the M&E Farm and Fieldstone sites.

Peltier acknowledged that infiltration can put water into the ground. His question was how redirecting runoff would change flows in the creek. The speakers also asked how the City determined that the proposed structures would enhance the conservation value of the donated open space.

Council adopted the six-year capital plan that evening. It took no separate vote on pausing the project, interpreting the deed, or resolving the creek-flow question. The objections remain public testimony.

Mayor Clarence Moriwaki announced the vote on the overall spending package: “The budget and capital improvement plan is passed.”

Council closed the final public hearing on the 2027–32 Capital Improvement Plan on November 10 and adopted the plan that evening. Residents can still write to council@bainbridgewa.gov at any time about the Manzanita stormwater project, including its effects on creek flow and the use of the donated land. Those messages go to councilmembers as general correspondence. The November 24 and December 8 hearings address the Comprehensive Plan and related land-use proposals.