The end of the Black Point Resort?

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The twenty year saga of the Pleasant Harbor Marina and Golf Resort may have finally been dealted a death blow in court this last week. The County Hearings Examiner has ruled against the developer and county.  See attached.

The developer must build infrastructure and recreational features before he can sell lots to raise money. This was always an underlying requirement that for years the developer attempted to modify with legal challenges to the county.

Building roads, sewer and water systems, reworking the intersection with Highway 101 and building out the golf course are expensive enough, but the conference center + 208 hotel rooms would seem to make the whole venture financially infeasible.  Hard to think of a bank or traditional lending source that would touch this proposal.

The project has cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in time, labor costs and legal challenges by the developer to not pay what they considered costs that they said they shouldn’t pay. The county finally settled out of court to avoid even more costs.

This county’s commissioners made a massive costly mistake in approving this project in the late 2000s. There was a significant vocal opposition to it, posing the very issues that have brought us to this sad end. Other than outright killing the proposal, the county expected that the developer would build out the infrastructure before he sold lots. That didn’t happen. There has been logging on the site, but little else that would qualify in the mind of the hearing examiner.

The Olympic Peninsula Environmental News has covered this sad situation since the beginning. You can search the site for background stories if you wish.

We are very grateful for the continued work of the Brinnon Group, who has spent thousands of hours and funds fighting this. You can help offset their costs by donating what you can.

https://www.brinnongroup.org/take-action

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Jefferson County, Land Development | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Black Point Resort Releases Final EIS

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort is back on track again, after years of dormancy due to economic conditions. This project, which is opposed by all three tribes in the area, due to it’s considerable possible impact on shellfish and fishing areas around the Duckabush estuary and surrounding beaches, along with wetland destruction (with mitigation) and water table concerns, is going to be discussed in a community meeting on January 6th in Brinnon. I highly recommend you read the letters to the project contained in the links below, and draw your own conclusions.

It is very telling to read the analysis of The Brinnon Group. They raise many concerns, including the cost to taxpayers both in the South County and the county as a whole. They state:

The county has a goal of improving tourism revenue in south county. This proposed resort does not meet that goal.

It will pay mainly poverty level wages andwill drive down the level of wages in the surrounding area. It will cost the few taxpayers (many on fixed incomes) in this small county more in taxes for infrastructure, life safety services, and social services than it returns in revenue.
It may raise utility rates for south county.

It degrades the unique environment that is economically important to the whole peninsula. It damages or depletes the entire Black Point aquifer.

It also appears that the developer is not paying sufficient taxes to cover the cost of infrastructure and public services needed by the resort itself, resort members and resort staff. (it is worth reading the concerns of the Brinnon Group as it pertains to taxes and benefits).

Job benefits are grossly overstated, with duplicate jobs being counted multiple times (if one job is needed in phase 1, and the same job is needed in phase 2, it is counted twice, not once).

 

 

Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) released for the proposed Master Plan Resort at Pleasant Harbor, Black Point, Brinnon Washington.

Public Meeting and testimony to be heard before the Jefferson County Planning Commission on January 6, 2016 at the Brinnon School, beginning at 6:30pm.

Project Documents: http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/commdevelopment/Brinnon_MPR.htm

Opposition to the project can be found here, for more information on downsides of this resort.
http://www.brinnongroup.org

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »