Bremerton has the largest concentration of jobs and residents in Kitsap County. Bremerton’s population has fluctuated due to military build-ups and reductions.

Bremerton's downtown has undergone significant changes in the past decades, as much of its retail base shifted to the Kitsap mall in the Silverdale area. The city has endeavored over the years to envision a new role for the downtown, and to position it as a destination where residents of the city and county can come for cultural and other entertainment opportunities.

One component of efforts to revitalize the downtown has been to take advantage of its waterfront access. A number of years in the making, a series of major improvements and developments are now under construction (or in the final planning stages) along the waterfront and throughout the downtown. Some of these key accomplishments include:

• Major improvements to the ferry terminal, with improved bus access facilities.
• Government center, which will hold congressional as well as county offices.
• Waterfront conference center.
• A few renovations of existing buildings, to break large floor plans into smaller, more-leasable units.
• Planning for a parking garage that will be used by shipyard employees during the day and by others at night under a managed-parking program.
• Planning for a Park and Bremerton Naval Museum, which will buffer the new waterfront developments from the naval shipyard activities.

The city is also looking at smaller steps that can make a difference in the "feel" of the downtown, including streetscape improvements, some changes to on-street parking, and fostering an arts district that includes galleries, and possibly artist live/work spaces. The city's efforts have been aided by a strong economic development council, as well as by an active transit agency.

At almost 1,200 acres, the center accounts for nearly 8% of the city's land. The center did not fare particularly well in the 1990s, with losses in population and housing, although there was some employment growth.

• The center population declined more than the city, with most of the decline being those in the over 65 age group. Some growth did occur in the 35-49 and 50-64 age groups.
• The number of housing units in the center declined while it increased in the city. While the ratio of owners and renters remained stable, rents increased slightly.
• One area where the center did well was in attracting jobs, experiencing more than double the rate of job growth as the city as a whole. The center continues to hold over half of the city's jobs.

Interviewees were fairly united in their assessment that downtown Bremerton had finally turned a corner, and that it was significantly improving. Most felt that city government - the past and current administrations - had and are continuing to play a significant role. Every interviewee agreed that what the city needed now were strong boosters, and that this spirit was found at City Hall. Surprisingly, regulatory reform and the creation of new public incentives for developers seemed to be somewhat of an afterthought - most felt the process was fair and they seemed satisfied.

A major factor in assessing and planning for Bremerton is the fact that a relatively small group of landholders control a significant portion of downtown land. Interviewees had differing opinions as to the role and involvement of this group, but there was a lot of agreement that relations between this group and other downtown stakeholders had improved significantly in recent years. Interviewees believed the current set of mostly-public projects were likely to be the catalyst needed to make theses landholders, and other private interests, reinvest in downtown.

As the center and city evolve, a number of challenges remain: creating office space for private businesses to increase day-time workers in the center and capture some of the intellectual talent that currently commutes across the water, attracting residents to live in the new waterfront condominiums about to be constructed, securing the "fast ferry" to speed up commutes, and continuing to work with some of the long-time property owners who control a significant portion of the land in the center.

For more information, visit the following regional growth center related sites:

• City of Bremerton
  • Community Development Department
  • "Bremerton on the Rise" Article
• Bremerton Chamber of Commerce
• Downtown Revitalization Projects
• 2002 Regional Growth Centers Report, Bremerton Profile  [pdf]

SEE OTHER CENTER PAGES Centers    Bellevue    Bremerton    Everett    Kent    Renton    Tacoma