(Port Orchard, WA) - Kitsap County’s Board of Commissioners has considered various options for the Givens Community Center building in Port Orchard and plans to list the building for sale in the summer of 2027. The building is currently under a temporary certificate of occupancy due to not meeting certain code compliance requirements.
The Givens building was built in 1940 and purchased by Kitsap County in 1992. The decision to sell the building was made after the County determined that rehabilitation is not financially feasible. Costs to bring the building to minimum compliance are estimated at $3.5 million, while full rehabilitation could run as high as $30 million.
The Givens Community Center has historical significance to the community, with several long-term tenants. Kitsap County will identify space relocation options for internal services and provide the external tenants with time to relocate prior to listing the building for sale.
“The Givens Community Center has served some of South Kitsap’s most cherished residents, including our retired senior community as well as our youngest neighbors, for over 30 years. The decision to sell the building was made after careful consideration of the County's ongoing budget constraints combined with the uncertain costs of restoring an 86-year-old structure,” said Commissioner Oran Root. "I'm committed to an open and transparent process that puts the people we serve first and ensures our essential services keep running smoothly.”
Current tenants at the Givens Community Center include the OESD (Head Start preschool program), Discovery Montessori School, the Senior Center, and several Kitsap County internal services (Kitsap1, Kitsap Recovery Center, Information Services, Aging and Long-Term Care).
The Department of Public Works will manage the sale of the Givens building and will execute a detailed relocation plan for the County’s internal services, which is expected to be completed later this year in anticipation of listing the property for sale in summer of 2027.
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