Editor's Update, 2/9/2011
Opinion: $8M funds were approved by the state legislature to alter the creek away from the highway widening. Finance Chair Ross Hunter had a lot to do with funding approval along with impetus from the city, the regional watershed coalition and engaged citizens. The City approved $2M for the project. No work has been done on the project after more thant two years. Engaged citizens think it's because of an archaeological site and lack of flooding onto the new highway. The new highway was elevated during construction and severe flooding hasn't encroached the highway. The comments below this post may be of interest to you. B.Y.
OPINION: The Department of Transportation "flyway" construction on SR 520 & Redmond Way is just the beginning of more to come.
If the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) gets it's way SR 520 will be widened to within 50 feet of Bear Creek. Yes, that's right! However, WE may be able to improve the project if WE speak up and write to the City of Redmond by December 9.
Many citizens consider Bear Creek a vital part of our city culture and heritage. Thousands of years ago Sqwak indians lived off the salmon and mussels of Bear Creek. Today, families walk behind Redmond Town Center to observe and enjoy the scenic creek, salmon habitat, and riparian foliage. Teachers take their students to the creek in the Fall to release salmon fry. In 1999 the Chinook salmon were declared a federal threatened species. WSDOT will have to remove many of the trees that provide shade and cool water needed for survival of Chinook. Treated, roadside stormwater with drain into the creek. And, the creek would remain a straight-line ditch without off-channel salmon rearing opportunities.
See an aerial photo of Bear Creek & 520 widening site: http://tinyurl.com/2ks8t2
Concerned citizens can't stop this project but we can write the following city planner and state representatives to request WDOT not build on top of Shoreline buffers -- within 50 feet of Bear Creek Chinook habitat.
The most important person to write right now is Cathy Beam, Principle Planner, City of Redmond. Comments are due to Ms. Beam by December 9. You can email Cathy at: cbeam@redmond.gov . Or fax: 425-556-2400. Questions? Call Cathy at 425-556-2429.
In your email to Ms. Beam: reference to File # L070501 or just mention the SR 520 widening project. Mention your concerns about the salmon habitat, noise buffering and anything else important to you and ask to re-route Bear Creek away from the WSDOT 520 widening project. Be sure to leave your name and address.
Your letter to Ms. Cathy Beam is very important because it also registers you to participate in the Shoreline Permit and Buffer Variance Permit proceedings should you so choose. This site will be updated on a regular basis for your convenience.
Five years ago the Shorelines Management Citizens Advisory Committee spent months carefully crafting a Shorelines Management Policy for Redmond. 150 foot buffers were approved by the City Council --which WSDOT is now requesting to ignore in their Buffer Variance Permit application. Is this fair? Is it right? Will you write your representatives?
Contact Senator Rodney Tom, Representatives Ross Hunter and Deborah Eddy HERE:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Results.aspx?city=Redmond&street=10019%20169th%20AVe%20ne&zip=98052 Citizens outside of Redmond can locate their Representative's contact information at this link, too.
Representative Deborah Eddy is a crucial contact for us since she is Vice-Chair of the "Local Government Committee". Her committee deals with land use and local permitting issues. Ms. Eddy's website is HERE: http://www1.leg.wa.gov/house/eddy
Representative Campbell: House Select Environmental Committee http://www1.leg.wa.gov/house/campbell
Senate members or Natural Resources and Recreation Committee http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/NROR/members.htm
James Peter, Permit Review, WA. Department of Ecology mailto:dapa461@ecy.wa.gov
FYI, Washington State Environmental Hearings Office Website is: http://www.eho.wa.gov/. This office hears appeals to the Shoreline Management Act. The City of Redmond hears appeals to the Buffer Variance.
Feel free to post personal comments here.
By Bob Yoder
Opinion updated on 2/9/2011
Opinion: $8M funds were approved by the state legislature to alter the creek away from the highway widening. Finance Chair Ross Hunter had a lot to do with funding approval along with impetus from the city, the regional watershed coalition and engaged citizens. The City approved $2M for the project. No work has been done on the project after more thant two years. Engaged citizens think it's because of an archaeological site and lack of flooding onto the new highway. The new highway was elevated during construction and severe flooding hasn't encroached the highway. The comments below this post may be of interest to you. B.Y.
####
OPINION: The Department of Transportation "flyway" construction on SR 520 & Redmond Way is just the beginning of more to come.
If the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) gets it's way SR 520 will be widened to within 50 feet of Bear Creek. Yes, that's right! However, WE may be able to improve the project if WE speak up and write to the City of Redmond by December 9.
Many citizens consider Bear Creek a vital part of our city culture and heritage. Thousands of years ago Sqwak indians lived off the salmon and mussels of Bear Creek. Today, families walk behind Redmond Town Center to observe and enjoy the scenic creek, salmon habitat, and riparian foliage. Teachers take their students to the creek in the Fall to release salmon fry. In 1999 the Chinook salmon were declared a federal threatened species. WSDOT will have to remove many of the trees that provide shade and cool water needed for survival of Chinook. Treated, roadside stormwater with drain into the creek. And, the creek would remain a straight-line ditch without off-channel salmon rearing opportunities.
See an aerial photo of Bear Creek & 520 widening site: http://tinyurl.com/2ks8t2
Concerned citizens can't stop this project but we can write the following city planner and state representatives to request WDOT not build on top of Shoreline buffers -- within 50 feet of Bear Creek Chinook habitat.
The most important person to write right now is Cathy Beam, Principle Planner, City of Redmond. Comments are due to Ms. Beam by December 9. You can email Cathy at: cbeam@redmond.gov . Or fax: 425-556-2400. Questions? Call Cathy at 425-556-2429.
In your email to Ms. Beam: reference to File # L070501 or just mention the SR 520 widening project. Mention your concerns about the salmon habitat, noise buffering and anything else important to you and ask to re-route Bear Creek away from the WSDOT 520 widening project. Be sure to leave your name and address.
Your letter to Ms. Cathy Beam is very important because it also registers you to participate in the Shoreline Permit and Buffer Variance Permit proceedings should you so choose. This site will be updated on a regular basis for your convenience.
Five years ago the Shorelines Management Citizens Advisory Committee spent months carefully crafting a Shorelines Management Policy for Redmond. 150 foot buffers were approved by the City Council --which WSDOT is now requesting to ignore in their Buffer Variance Permit application. Is this fair? Is it right? Will you write your representatives?
Contact Senator Rodney Tom, Representatives Ross Hunter and Deborah Eddy HERE:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Results.aspx?city=Redmond&street=10019%20169th%20AVe%20ne&zip=98052 Citizens outside of Redmond can locate their Representative's contact information at this link, too.
Representative Deborah Eddy is a crucial contact for us since she is Vice-Chair of the "Local Government Committee". Her committee deals with land use and local permitting issues. Ms. Eddy's website is HERE: http://www1.leg.wa.gov/house/eddy
Representative Campbell: House Select Environmental Committee http://www1.leg.wa.gov/house/campbell
Senate members or Natural Resources and Recreation Committee http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/NROR/members.htm
James Peter, Permit Review, WA. Department of Ecology mailto:dapa461@ecy.wa.gov
FYI, Washington State Environmental Hearings Office Website is: http://www.eho.wa.gov/. This office hears appeals to the Shoreline Management Act. The City of Redmond hears appeals to the Buffer Variance.
Feel free to post personal comments here.
By Bob Yoder
Opinion updated on 2/9/2011
26 November 2007
ReplyDeleteDavid Pater
Department of Ecology
Washington State
To Department of Ecology:
As a member of the Shorelines Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Redmond, I
Very Concerned about WSDOT”s plans for widening 520 into the Bear Creek
buffer zone.
The Shorelines Management Act requires a 150 foot buffer, which is barely
adequate for returning Chinook who spawn in this creek. Coho and Sockeye also
use Bear Creek for spawning, and as such is a major salmonid resource corridor.
As you know, the Department of Ecology has been doing studies on Bear Creek
as it is not in compliance for temperature and other criteria required for stream
purity standards. By encroaching on the buffer, the WSDOT plans will jeopardize
the quality of Bear Creek.
It is my understanding that WSDOT refuses to acknowledge the importance of protecting the Bear Creek Buffers, and has not responded to Redmond’s repeated efforts to address this problem.
Since this is a State issue, I appeal to you and your department to please do something about WSDOT’s plans. They should NOT encroach on Bear Creek
Buffers.
Thank you,
Wendy Walsh
Woodinville, WA
Bob, as you know this project is already funded and is part of the 520 fly-over, extending Hwy 202 to
ReplyDeleteWest Lake Sammamish. The WSDOT has published detailed plans for this project, and is, of course, subject to our State Environmental Protection Act. The salmon species in Bear Creek are monitored and counted by volunteers. Bear Creek conditions are measured by the State Dept of Ecology. The State has already completed a wetland restoration project for the upper "headwaters" of Evans Creek (near The Gray Barn) for the first phase of improving Hwy 202 (redmond - fall city road). The flyover is phase 2, and the widening of 520 is phase 3. All of the growth on Novelty Hill, Union Hill, and the Sammamish Plateau make this widening project essential.
In light of observed flooding in the Bear Creek near SR520, extraordinary caution is justified for this proposed highway project.
ReplyDeleteAt a meeting with the Legislators of the 45th and 48th districts yesterday the Mayor and Councilmembers addressed the issue of inadequate buffer for Bear Creek, and I think the issue of buffer has some sympathy from the legislators. I am assuming that the encroachment is based on adding HOV’s lanes on either side of the highway. If you have more data about the why’s of the DOT plan I would be interested. While adding HOV lanes makes good sense to me, I’d like to see how they integrate with the bridge structure’s across Redmond Way. Frankly it is one of the things I have not had time to study in depth with all of the other more pressing issues. The transportation economist and project planner in me says that it is important to make the linking improvements in a timely fashion so that when the new pontoons are floated into place the whole system works. This means the HOV lane additions on the eastside need to get started even before the pontoons are constructed. The reason I see the overpasses as a key to decisionmaking is if we are not going to have HOV lanes on the overpasses, it may make sense not to add an HOV lane in the westbound direction until just at the WLS Parkway exit as it is today. We know we have backups eastbound in the evening and an HOV lane would be useful in the eastbound direction. I don’t know if we get congestion going westbound where all of the branches and entrances come together near Redmond Town Center and Bear Creek. The westbound exit to WLS Parkway already has a tight radius so I wonder what it will be like if it is moved another 12’ north when an HOV lane is added. I will do some research.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to update you that the Mayor and Council met with a number of our state legislators last evening, including Senators Rodney Tom and Eric Oemig, Reps. Hunter, Eddy and others. Gary Smith and members of Watertenders brought this issue to light. Our reps asked some very specific questions about the size of the buffers in question and were asked by several of us in the Redmond contingent to assist in breaking the impasse with DOT. Richard Cole and I will be meeting with the legislators again next month and this issue is on my list to follow up with them. I'll keep you posted.
ReplyDelete- Kimberly Allen