Update – Council preserves parcel of urban forest!
By Laura Daniali | Mar 20, 2014 – Edmonds Beacon
The Edmonds City Council will forgo the sale of a city parcel of land after an outpour of public opposition to the potential loss of the forested area.
Original Action Alert and issue discussion:
The Sale of City Property and How it is Associated With the “Angler’s Crossing PRD”
On Tuesday March 19th at 7 pm during the Edmonds City Council meeting, there
will be a public hearing regarding the sale of the city’s .6-acre parcel. Their land is located
near the intersection of 184th St SW and 80th Ave W. It is considered surplus property
and for the most part all on a steep slope and not in itself a buildable site. Should they
decide to sell it will allow for the Angler’s Crossing PRD to move forward and allow development
of 5 acres of woods in the Perrinville Creek watershed.
See agenda item 10 on the Edmonds City Council meeting agenda
For more information, contact Val Stewart at 425-420-8816, vstewart.edmonds@gmail.com, or
contact Duane Farmen at 425-299-9244, duane.farmen@comcast.net.
Take action by attending and commenting on March 18, and writing, e-mailing, or calling:
Mayor Dave Earling,dave.earling@edmondswa.gov, 425-771-0247
Council President Diane Buckshnis, diane.buckshnis@edmondswa.gov, 206-228-3462
The immediate goal of the local homeowners is to convince the city to retain
ownership of their property and to somehow come up with a financial plan to buy
the property immediately and have it designated as a PROS site.
This Planned Residential Development (“PRD”) is located between 80th Ave W.
and Perrinville, running east from the intersection of 80th Ave W and 184th St.
SW. It is a tract made up of 5 parcels, .6- acres owned by the city and 4 others
owned by Hans Park. The total acreage is somewhere between 5.6 to 5.9 acres.
depending on which land report you read.
Because of the 10% “open space” requirement of this PRD, any new developer will
need to purchase the city’s property to meet that requirement. The previous land
strategy has been for Hans Park to purchase the city property and combine it with
his 4 parcels and sell it as a package to the developer.
There have at least 3 previous attempts to develop this property. The most recent
was a 2005 application by the McNaughton Group who received a permit to
develop the property in 2007. Those plans as designed were for 27 homes; 6 off
a cul de sac from the 80th Ave W side of the project and 21 off Olympic View
Drive. Because of the steep terrain the homes must be clustered and most will be 5
feet off the side property lines. The most recent attempt to develop the PRD did not
come to fruition as the McNaughton Group had financial problems.
The Angler’s Crossing PRD permit expired in 2012, however the tract permit
is still good. There were dwelling 9 height variances granted with the permit
however, those have also expired.
There are 3 existing dwelling structures on this tract. In addition to the Park’s
residence on Olympic View Drive, there is an abandoned home off 80th Ave W.
and another on the ridge above Perrinville which burned in 2010. Only portions of
the walls remain standing.
This property is entirely forested with very steep slopes, several critical areas, a
wetland and is a major drainage of the Perrinville Creek basin. Perrinville Creek
supports a Cutthroat trout population throughout and Coho salmon on the lower
end of the stream.
The Geotechnical study indicated several steep slopes on site. The steepest range
from 83% to 134%. There are two major ravines and also a small wetland in the
center of the property.
The tree study completed in 2005 indicates a good stand of Douglas fir with
several identified with a diameter of 48 to 50″. The forest is a mix of large Douglas
fir, some Hemlock and smaller alder. There are a few cedar and cottonwood trees
along 80th Ave W.
The final plans submitted for this PRD by McNaughton Group provided for a cul
de sac off 80th AV W. with 6 homes and a cul de sac off Olympic View Drive with
21 homes. There was to be an emergency access road connecting the 2 cul de sacs.
The access road would not be available for public use.
The plan approved in 2007 indicated both cul de sacs roadways would have a 12%
grade while the access road would be 15%. There was previous discussions with
the fire department which suggested the access road should be no more than a 12%
grade.
The wetland is roughly in the center of the tract. It provides a ponding area for
stormwater drainage from the homes off 185 St and 185th Pl W. and the slopes of
the ravine leading from the south down into the ponding area. The city’s peer study
indicated the wetland did not qualify to be filled because it does support the local
wildlife population. The Hearing Examiner however, in his decision, did allow for
the wetland to be filled.
Grading to accommodate buildable sites will be extensive. Grading plans indicate
20-25′ cuts, especially along the ridge above Perrinville and some areas requiring
up to 50′ of fill material. One report suggests 35′ cuts will be needed to keep the
roadways grades to 12% or less. Estimates on the amount of soil to be removed
from the site or used as fill could be as much as 35,000 cubic yards.
The permit obtained by McNaughton Group required the bigger stand of fir
trees along the northern boundary to be kept intact as part of the “open space”
requirements for this PRD.
The property with its steep slopes, ravines and wetlands, makes this a good site for
hiking trails and wildlife viewing. In addition there are two fairly level areas, one
off 80th Ave W and the other off Olympic View drive that would accommodate
picnicking areas. There is in addition ample room for a small parking area off
Olympic View Drive where Mr. Park’s home now stands.
This site is a watershed of Perrinville Creek which the city has acknowledged
is a stream in trouble due to excessive and polluted runoff. According to a news
article dated August 13, 2013, the city will receive a $188,772 grant from the
Washington Department of Ecology’s Watershed Protection and Restoration
Program. According to the article the project’s primary goal is to reduce flows in
Perrinville Creek, a tributary to Puget Sound, by reducing stormwater runoff. The
article states; “The flow reduction will provide multiple hydrologic and biological
benefits to both the Creek and Brown’s Bay in the Sound such as: allowing for
the replacement of an anadromous fish barrier culvert, reducing erosion and
sedimentation that is impacting aquatic habitat and City infrastructure, and
reducing the amount of pollutants in the aquatic environment,”
The article also says “The City of Edmonds has allocated $200,000 in its 2013
budget to perform a watershed-based analysis of storm water flows and to develop
alternatives to reduce the flows in the Perrinville Creek watershed. This grant will
allow the city to move the project beyond the analysis stage and into the pre-design
phase, thereby accelerating retrofit of the watershed”.
Our question is why allow for the destruction of the watershed and then spend time
and money to, as they say to “retro-fit” that same watershed.