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You Make a Difference!
Thanks to the great turnout at the March City Council meetings and to CNW’s initiative, the comment period for anyone to submit comments directly pertaining to the new application by Wood Trails, LLC (formerly Phoenix Development) to build homes in the Wood Trails area has been extended to April 3. (The proposed development occupies the hillside between Wellington and the business/industrial district at the bottom of the hill. See this map for the details.) Missed the meeting? You can watch the video testimonials online at the City’s web site.
Important Deadlines on April 3
- If you have not yet emailed or hand-delivered your comments to the City, you still have time!! Email them to Erin Martingale at the City of Woodinville. Erin’s email is Erinm@ci.woodinville.wa.us. Wondering what to say? Look for talking points below in this email.
- The April 3 City Council Meeting is important to attend in person. Here’s why:
- City Council will be in Executive Session from 6pm to 7pm to get advice on potential litigation threats. But our strong voices – and physical presence in Council Chambers – will let them know we are watching their every action. Even certain Council members who operate under someone else’s agenda will pay more attention when the Council Chambers are full of interested, attentive citizens! You give courage to them—without our presence, they may succumb to fear, uncertainty, and doubt and “give in” to the developers threats. The 70 citizens from our community who sat in Council Chambers on March 13 was not lost on the 7 members of the Council and we need every one of them to support the true spirit of what R-1 development means (not the twisted proposal that Phoenix has turned in!!)
- The City Council Agenda for April 3 allows additional public comment on Ordinance 532. Please consider speaking at the podium to express your views. We advocate that the Ordinance language must be changed – see below for talking points.
Talking Points for Your Email to Erin Martingale Commenting on Proposed Wood Trails Development:
- The application contains outdated information that does not take into account the changes to code that have occurred in the past 8 years.
- It also doesn’t consider the Sustainable Development Study findings and recommendations.
- The application fails to consider the 2,144 pages of documentation previously submitted by professionals in physics, environmental sciences, engineering, law, and other informed disciplines which pointed out numerous areas of inaccuracy and deficiency in the original application. The most-recently-submitted application is largely unedited and continues to assert this faulty information.
Talking Points for Changes to Ordinance 532:
- It is imperative the Ordinance 532 be modified to increase the minimum lot size in R-1 to be consistent with the lot size rules in the other areas. The R-4 and R -6 rules proposed limit the minimum lot size to 66% and 69% of the size as defined by the zone. Eliminate all on-site critical areas transfer credits and develop with a minimum lot size of 35,000 sq ft as recommend by city staff. However, the lot must have at least 28,750 square feet free of critical areas and the building structures must be at least 100 feet from the critical areas.
- Lots should not be allowed to be combined for development in a way that increase the total ho mes that would be allowed if the lots were developed separately. (The purpose of this point is to avoid manipulation of critical areas, i.e. Taking an existing lot of 20 acres that has critical areas and cannot be developed and combining it with an adjacent lot of 20 acres and then by combining the sites yield 40 homes)
- In addition, Ordinance 532 should require that lots created in R-1 must have the minimum size to support on-site septic.
- Lastly, the Woodinville Municipal Code should be modified to read that sewer hookups in the R-1 area are not required and households in the R-1 area with septic systems shall not be required to connect to sewer. I am requesting the language be changed so that R-1 households are not required to connect to sewer if they choose not to do so. Further they should not be charge sewer fees if they choose not to hookup.
Thank you again for attending the April 3 public hearing meeting at 7pm in City Hall chambers, for sending email to Erin Martingale with your comments on the Wood Trails Development before April 3, and for your financial support as well! With your help, CNW can continue to vigilantly protect the wooded character of our neighborhoods.
In your service,
Your CNW Board
We Always Need Your Financial Support
Please send your check to:
CNW
PO Box 2968
Woodinville, WA 98072-2968
