Condos to ‘change the face’ of Bremerton

The folks with the golden shovels may have tossed just a little dirt, but symbolically they may as well have moved a mountain.

The groundbreaking at Harborside Condominiums Friday, July 29 represents a major shift in Bremerton’s way of life.

“I think this is the single most important day in this city other than when the shipyard started,” said Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman. “Great cities are places where people live...in an urban downtown and we’re gonna become one of those.”

Bozeman said he envisioned Bremerton’s downtown looking more like vibrant European cities, where people live, work and shop in the same place.

The mayor said the Bremerton waterfront of old had often been little more than the place to catch the ferry to Seattle, but no longer.

He spoke to the gathering of city and county government officials and future condominium residents of the new Anthony’s restaurant, Kitsap Credit Union building, “word-class” Harborside Park and 335-slip marina that would be joining the condominium building downtown.

Bremerton Port Commissioner Bill Mahan said the marina will be a two-part project, beginning with new slips on the right side of the USS Turner Joy and “in the future, you’ll see an even bigger marina,” expanding on the left side of the ship as well.

Mahan said the port and the city have shared in a “unique” and positive relationship, working together to support each other’s projects with the hope that many condo owners will also have boats moored at the new marina.

“(It’s) gonna change the face of this city phenomenally,” Mahan said. “I grew up here. It’s a wonderful feeling to see this all come back now...and be a part of it.”

Bozeman credited Norm McLaughlin of KCCHA for helping him to think big about the project.

“He said we can’t build anything cheap, we’re gonna do it right,” Bozeman said. “We did it right.”

“Who would have thought people would be buying million dollar condominiums in Bremerton?” Mahan asked.

The condominiums will include 78 units ranging from $312,000 to about $1.2 million. Reid Real Estate has been the marketer for the residences.

Jerry Reid, the company’s owner, said the condos are a rare commodity.

“You can count on one hand the number of luxury waterfront condominiums in urban settings throughout the Puget Sound,” Reid said. “You have something that’s impossible to duplicate anywhere else.”

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