Edgemoor
Neighborhood Association
Annual
Membership Meeting
Thursday,
October 6,
7
- 9 PM
Lairmont
Manor
Read
the minutes
from the September 1st Board meeting
ON THE AGENDA:
Election of officers and committee chairs.
Meeting Topics:
Election of ENA Officers
Survey - What do you want your Neighborhood Association
to do for you?
Greenways Legacy
Fairhaven Harbor Development
Padden Creek Appeal
Fairhaven Highlands Update
ENA
President's Update
Hello
again!
Welcome
to Fall and all the beautiful colors that come
with it.
As
you are all probably aware, the next meeting on October 6th is
our General Meeting at the Lairmont Manor (compliments of Joel Douglas).
There is a lot going on at this meeting.
We have several speakers as quests that should be very interesting
and, of course, the election of new officers including my position as
Interim President.
I
personally want to thank all of you that I have gotten to know and extend
my sincere gratitude to all the board members and volunteers for the hard
work that has been done in the last year and a half.
Again, thank you.
You
know, folks, we live in one of the finest places in the country and have a
wonderful neighborhood to live in. Let’s
all get together and make new friends and acquaintances at the Annual
General Meeting. Look forward
to seeing you all there.
Respectfully,
Niall
Hackett,
Interim President
Edgemoor
Neighborhood Representative
Read
the September issue of, Just
So You Are Aware, from the Mayor's Advisory Committee.
Association
of Bellingham Neighborhoods
At
the September 19 meeting of the Association of Bellingham Neighborhoods (ABN),
the ABN adopted a letter to city officials (Mayor, Council, Planning
Commission, and Planning Director) expressing “strong disapproval of the
lack of codification and implementation of the recommendations in the 1995
Bellingham Comprehensive Plan and the quantity and quality of citizen
participation in the 2005 update of the plan.”
This letter is being circulated among the neighborhood associations
for approval and signatures prior to it being issued.
The
ABN “letter of disapproval” reflects a citywide concern over how the
administration plans, or fails to plan, for growth and development, and
argues that the City has failed to facilitate “early and continuous”
citizen involvement as mandated by the Growth Management Act (GMA).
In
their letter, ABN reps claim that the City has adopted an
anti-neighborhood philosophy, which is reflected by the fact that most
Neighborhood Plans are outdated and that requests for updates are
routinely ignored and denied. The
Association further argues that the City violates the intent of the GMA
when it chooses to disregard the City’s carrying capacity and allows
levels of service to be reduced to failure in order to promote growth,
minimize costs, and avoid impact fees on development.
The
ABN cites several examples to justify its claims, including the fact that
the Fairhaven Highlands application for a 739-unit planned development on
Chuckanut Ridge was vested in just 3 days.
Compare that swift action with the fact that city officials failed
to live up to their commitment to the citizens of Bellingham to complete
the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) and the Shoreline Master Program (SMP)
by the July 1, 2005 deadline established in Council Resolution 2004-36.
Or, the mishandling of the 5-foot encroachment of the Harris Square
project on McKenzie Ave and the 60-foot encroachment into the Padden
Estuary buffer zone by the proposed Fairhaven Harbor project.
Not to mention the failure to notify South Hill residents of a
proposed rezone in its neighborhood, or the lack of parks and open spaces
in Guide Meridian/Cordata and other parts of north Bellingham.
The
letter concludes with five recommendations, including: a moratorium for
major developments until the CAO and SMP are completed and powers are
reassigned from the Planning Director, and a “stay” of the Comp Plan
pending completion of updated Neighborhood Plans.
A
copy of this letter will be available on the ENA website once it has been
finalized.
Larry
Horowitz, ENA Rep to ABN
ENA
Committee Highlights
Communications
Committee
Summer has been a time for most of us to relax, enjoy the
warm weather and our beautiful neighborhood and city. Meanwhile our
city and county representatives have been busy with comprehensive plan
updates, growth issues and budget struggles and now the November elections
are almost upon us. It is time for us to get back into the swing of
things and inform ourselves of the important issues that face us not only
in the elections but even closer to home in our immediate neighborhood and
our adjacent neighborhoods. We need to be clear on the issues, candidates
and changes that we are facing and be able to make informed decisions
about issues that will affect the future of our community. We, as
the Communications Committee, urge you to participate by voting, being
informed and by joining us at our annual Neighborhood Meeting. Meeting our
neighbors has made being part of ENA a wonderful experience for all of
us.
The Communications Committee Committee Chair, Kathy
Kaiser
Missing
ENA Meeting Sign
Our
ENA monthly meeting announcement sign disappeared last month. It was
situated in our usual location at the corner of Hawthorne Road and
Chuckanut Drive. It is white metal and consists of two parts, a stand to
be placed in the ground and an arm which holds the sign. Please email
Kathy Kaiser
if you know where the sign is located or bring it to 602 Fieldston Road.
The sign has been very useful to our Communications Committee as a way to
remind our members of our meetings and we are not anxious to incur the
time and expense to replace it.
Growth
and Land Use Committee
The
ENA Growth and Land Use Committee gathered September
27, 2005. We discussed the
Critical Areas Ordinance and various development projects that are
planned, approved or under construction.
To view the specific ordinance/projects we discussed please read
below and follow the links provided to see official information.
Everyone
is welcome to attend and participate in the ENA's Growth and Land Use
Committe and I encourage all to do so. This committee is a good way
to keep informed on what is happening with growth and land use issues in
our community.
Thank
you
Committee
Chair, Brad Rose
Critical
Areas Ordinance.
The
City of Bellingham
is developing a comprehensive “Critical Areas Ordinance” (CAO) to
replace the Wetlands/ Stream Ordinance adopted in 1992. The CAO will
address all five critical areas: Wetlands; Fish and Wildlife Habitat
Conservation Areas (including streams); Frequently Flooded Areas;
Geologically Hazardous Areas; and Areas with a Critical Recharging Effect
on Aquifers, as required by the State Growth Management Act (GMA). The new
CAO will be based on Best Available Science (BAS), will be more compatible
and consistent with state and federal regulations, and provide better
protection for all critical areas.
The
CAO is set to go before the City Council October 24.
Link
to CAO:
http://www.cob.org/documents/planning/2005-08-08-cao-state-review.pdf
SEP2005-00063
City of Bellingham’s Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO)
Comments
on the DNS portion of the CAO is due October
4, 2005
Link
to DNS Notice:
http://www.cob.org/cob/Pubnot.nsf/frmWeb/BDB489449187112D8825707500610BA8?OpenDocument
SHR2005-00007
–
Fairhaven
Harbor
Construction
of a 3 and a 9 story, 185,000 square foot building with approximately
14,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, 80 residential units, 200
on-site under-building parking spaces, and 35 on-street parking spaces.
The portion of the project within 200’ of the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM)
of Padden Creek requires two shoreline permits. A Conditional Use Permit
is required for that portion of the project that is within 100’ of
Padden Creek. The City has already issued this permit. A Shoreline
Substantial Development Permit is also required for that portion of the
project that is between 100-200’ from same OHWM. The City originally
issued this permit on May
16, 2005 but is now amending the permit to provide for proper notice and
to obtain recommendations from the Shoreline Committee
The
public comment period on the Shoreline Substantial Development Permit ends
October
3, 2005.
Fairhaven
Neighborhood Association has written a letter about the proposed Fairhaven
Harbor project, which has applied to build with in the shoreline setback
for Padden Creek. The complete letter may be read at
http://www.fairhavenneighbors.org/lettercampaignfo.html
Fairhaven
Neighbors filed an appeal of the Conditional Use Permit with the
Washington State Shorelines Hearing Board which has scheduled a hearing
for October 24-26 in Lacy, WA. To
get more information on the appeal go to :
http://www.eho.wa.gov/searchdocuments/2005%20Archive/shb%2005-016%20partial%20summary%20judgment.pdf
OR
go to http://www.fairhavenneighbors.com
12th
and Old Fairhaven Parkway
We
discussed the current development taking place at the corner of 12th
and Old
Fairhaven Parkway – specifically the new structure currently being built
directly above Padden Creek and its potential impact on the creek.
The structure has been measured at 62 feet from the creek.
A small land slide has already occurred and concern was raised
regarding what will happen when the fall rains come and the salmon return.
411
Willow Road Place.
Hearing
examiner denies the request for a 3 lot short plat and the reduction in
land area supporting the longhouse located at 411 Willow Road Place.
Link
to Hearing Examiner’s decision:
http://www.cob.org/cob/HElog.nsf/f99c8798ead103bf88256e4a006ba181/1d3b8f2a56c16cd988256fdb005d7ec3?OpenDocument
10th
and McKenzie Development.
A
4-5 story mixed use retail, office, and residential uses with 2 levels of
underground parking on a 40,000sq ft site.
Construction should begin soon.
Link
to Notice:
http://www.cob.org/cob/Pubnot.nsf/frmWeb/21403A2F4D2012AA8825704B00664C98?OpenDocument
SEP2005-00048
Construction
of a 10X120 ft concrete pier in Fairhaven cove.
The Pier will be home to an 87' US Coast Gaurd ship.
This notice is for a SEPA determination of Non-Significance.
Link
to Notice:
http://www.cob.org/cob/Pubnot.nsf/frmWeb/37E8A8AFAF6E3B318825707C007AF503?OpenDocument
SEP2005-00061
Addition
of a 4’ X 50’ steel grate to an existing haul out pier at 707 Harris
ave. This notice is for a
SEPA determination of Non-Significance.
Link
to Notice:
http://www.cob.org/cob/Pubnot.nsf/frmWeb/1C54C94401E9D0FE8825707D00732C8A?OpenDocument
Neighborhood
Safety Committee
Keep
Kids Alive, Drive 25
We
have “Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25” yard signs and window clings
available for purchase. You
may have seen them in the neighborhood already.
The signs are $15 and the window clings $3.
Please contact Veronica Douglas if you are interested.
I am writing to let you know that I have
had two "Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25" signs stolen out of my yard
on separate occasions. My
neighbor across the street has had theirs taken as well.
Our goal with the signs is to remind people to keep our children
and pedestrians safe by driving the speed limit in Edgemoor.
You can purchase signs by contacting me.
If anyone sees the signs anywhere, please return them to 512
Fieldston Rd., no questions asked. I hope you will help keep our neighborhood
safe and "Drive 25."
Thank you,
Veronica Douglas
Safety
Committee Chair
On
The Neighborhood Forum
Please
visit the Neighborhood
Forum a place for Edgemoor residents to communicate with each other on
items of interest.
About
www.edgemoorneighborhood.com
The
Edgemoor Neighborhood website provides news and information to Edgemoor
residents, which has several active homeowners' associations and
organizations. Your stories, photos and
feedback are always welcome.
Webmaster,
Sandie Koplowitz
Your
Input is Welcome!
Please
send information to be included on the website or the ENA newsletter.
If
you would like your email address changed, removed or a new one added to
this mailing list, send a request to email
at EdgemoorNeighborhood dot com.
