December 20, 2022

Polish developer pitches mixed-use development, with 2,000-seat concert hall, for Bainbridge Island

Screengrab from Cavatina Bainbridge Concert Hall pitch video [enlarge]

This image shows the hypothetical development with the roughly egg-shaped concert hall at the center. The Winslow Ferry Terminal is ringed in red.

It's currently concrete paved space used mainly as waiting and parking areas for the Winslow Ferry, but Polish real estate developer Cavatina Capital Group has big ideas for this area of Bainbridge Island located close to the ferry terminal and just north of Winslow Way East.

The company has teamed up with global architecture and design firm Epstein and Bainbridge Island-based Coates Architecture and Design to work on a conceptual mixed-use redevelopment project that would transform the site into a new residential area with luxury and affordable housing, retail space, hotel, a 2,000-seat concert hall with outdoor amphitheater, and a series of parks and plazas.

A “pitch” video announcing the proposed project was released this spring. Early conceptual renderings show a roughly egg-shaped concert venue in the center of a triangular-shaped development site. The concert hall is flanked by residential buildings and heavily landscaped communal green space.

The concert venue is contemplated to have 2,000-seats, an art exhibit space, community meeting rooms and classrooms for both music and art. The early renderings depict a visually arresting building with fluid forms glittering with glass. On its website, Epstein states Salish and Suquamish tribal art as significant inspirations for the design.

Rendering by Epstein [enlarge]

The hypothetical venue’s design is inspired by Salish and Suquamish tribal art.

In the pitch video, Matthew Coates, founder of Coates Architecture and Design, describes the hypothetical venue as “a shining beacon” that would welcome people to the island. He also touts the projected environmental benefits. The concert building is contemplated as a model for environmental design and would incorporate sustainable practices such as solar power generation, green roofs, geothermal heating and cooling systems, energy efficient ventilation systems, hydroponic indoor plants that promote healthy air quality and other sustainable strategies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The Cavatina Bainbridge Concert Hall and its surrounding developments are entirely hypothetical at this point and the land proposed for the project isn't currently for sale. As first reported by the Kitsap Sun, the parcels, which in the main are home to private parking lots, are under a mix of ownership. The largest section is owned by Winslow Marine LLC. Kitsap Transit also owns a chunk of the proposed development site.

Environmental consultant and local spokesman for the project, Rik Langendoen, told the Kitsap Sun that the development is currently in its feasibility phase but that the project team has had some “exploratory” conversations with select landowners.

Photo from Cavatina’s website [enlarge]

Concert venue, Cavatina Hall, opened in Bielsko, Poland, this year.

In the video, the project is pitched as a new asset for the community of Bainbridge Island, where, perhaps unsurprisingly, CEO of Cavatina, Michal Dziuda, owns property. Langendoen also told the Kitsap Sun that if the majority of the community is not in support of the project it won’t proceed.

Cavatina recently opened a concert hall in Bielsko, Poland. This 1,000-seat hall is the first concert hall in the country to be built and managed entirely from private funds. In addition to the venue space, the six-story project has office and cultural spaces and a recording studio.