September 2006

“VISIONS OF EDGEMOOR”

ENA MEETING

THURS., SEPT. 7 - 7 PM

FAIRHAVEN PARK PAVILION

YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED

What is Your Vision of Edgemoor’s Future?

Please join us at our Edgemoor Neighborhood Association meeting on Thursday, September 7, 7PM at Fairhaven Park Pavilion, for Visions of Edgemoor. Our community is changing fast and the City has announced they will be updating neighborhood plans. Edgemoor’s plan has not been updated since it was written in the early 1980’s.

Visions of Edgemoor is a fun, relaxed way for us to get this process started, not a formal public hearing. Our own Brad Rose will proctor the evening, guiding us through a series of discussions to explore what we want our neighborhood’s future to look like. Brad brings a wealth of local history and knowledge of recent land use decisions in addition to a thought-provoking format.

I promise you’ll meet new neighbors and find out what they hope our future will look like. You may be surprised to discover what your vision for our future is! There’s so much to love about Edgemoor and the surrounding area, let’s make this opportunity to be our own planners and prepare for the City’s formal process.

We can make choices for our neighborhood or we can read about the changes in the paper and shake our heads. I’m looking forward to talking with you on the 7^th!

Brien Thane, ENA President

Minutes were not taken at the August ENA meeting, due to the social structure of the gathering. Laurie Renne led a discussion on the idea of installing Edgemoor Neighborhood signs at the entrances to the neighborhood on Willow Road and on Hawthorn Road. Those in attendance seemed in favor of pursuing neighborhood signs. Various concepts were discussed, such as a large rock, stone, concrete, or wooden structure, but in the end, there was general consensus that a wrought iron sign would be the most fitting to represent the style of Edgemoor. A committee will be formed at the next meeting to look into design concepts and funding of neighborhood signs. If you would like to be on the committee, please let one of the ENA Board members know.

Here is my report for August 2006. It summarizes the ABN’s accomplishment during the month and reviews my activities as your President and as a concerned citizen.

ABN’s Accomplishments: At our August meeting, newly appointed Neighborhood Services Coordinator, Kathryn Hanowell, made an appeal for twenty volunteers to serve as interviewees for a City-sponsored, professional survey on the quality of public services and Planning and Community Development Department Director, Tim Stewart, gave an update on his assessment of Bellingham and a preview of the Planning Academy that the PCDD will be holding on six successive Tuesday evenings during September and October. Each neighborhood association is invited to send two delegates. Early in August, members of our NPUP Committee met with staff members of the PCDD, including Tim Stewart, to review the drafts of a proposed revision to the Neighborhood Plan Amendment Flowchart currently contained in the BMC and of a template for neighborhood plans. These were well received and a follow-up meeting is to be scheduled shortly. A motion was passed at our August meeting directing the NPUP committee to complete a draft of a proposed Neighborhood Plan Revision Kit for review at our September 27th meeting and by our November 28th meeting a draft of a Neighbor-hood Plan Update Flowchart as a proposed addition to the BMC.

Neighborhood Visits and Contacts: During August I was treated to tours of three neighborhoods. Sue Duggal took Joan Beardsley, Kathryn Hanowell and me around the .Meridian Neighborhood, Julie Guy showed me around the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood and Steve Wilson did the honors for the South Neighborhood. I was impressed with the in-depth knowledge that each guide displayed of their respective neighborhood and came away with a much fuller grasp of the distinctive differences of each area and of their specific challenges.

Community Meetings and Contacts: Prior to our August meeting, I spent an hour with Tim Stewart discussing his presentation at that meeting and the details of the Planning Academy. During August I attended the monthly MNAC meeting and the PCDD’s monthly briefing, this time on the topic of affordable housing. This was followed later in the month by attending a most informative presentation on inclusionary housing projects in California sponsored by the Kulshan Community Land Trust. I also participated in three discussions on the Bellingham Bay Community Boating Center and one session on railroad issues being raised by the Southside Shoreline Stewardship Taskforce.

To avoid a conflict of schedule with the Planning Academy, our September and October meetings will be held on the fourth Wednesdays instead of the fourth Tuesdays and they will begin at 6:30 PM, a half hour earlier than usual. I hope to see you all on Wednesday, September 27th.

The latest issue of the Whatcom Independent has an informative article by Edgemoor resident, Larry Horowitz. The article describes an 830 acre error in the City's Comp Plan which has led to several residents filing a petition with the Growth Management Hearings Board.

"Correcting the 830-acre error will change the entire planning paradigm from a shortage of residential land to a surplus, will immediately relieve the pressure to adopt excessive zoning densities or expand the UGA, and will allow us to creatively plan for Bellingham’s future, rather than simply react. Correcting this error will provide an opportunity to manage growth rather than simply accommodate it." (Excerpt from the article, Taking the City to task with the State).

You and your friends are invited to join us for KulshanCLT’s next speaker, Ray Suarez, on September 12th at 6:00 PM at First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall. Tickets at Village Books, Food Coop and KulshanCLT office. Many of you will recognize Ray from his 30 years experience in broadcast news. Ray currently serves as senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Prior to joining The NewsHour in 1999, Ray was the host of the nationwide call-in news program, Talk of the Nation, on National Public Radio for six years.

For those of you who missed our August 29^th guest speaker, Brad Wiblin on Inclusive Housing, we got an even-handed first-person report from a developer who works in dozens of California communities that have inclusive housing strategies, most of which include a mandated mix of housing prices. Photos of his work (examples of mixed-use, mixed-income, and mixing rental with ownership homes) were impressive; his summary of inclusive housing policy choices was helpful and succinct; and the half-hour of Q&A was excellent. The City recorded the hour for reply on BTV 10, (check the schedule on-line for Sept 4-8 and in Saturday’s Herald). Hoping to see you on September 12^th at 6:00 PM for Ray Suarez.

On August 16th the owners of the Chuckanut Ridge/Fairhaven Highlands sent a large excavator into the property through wetlands from Chuckanut Drive at 16th Street, to obtain soil samples at over 20 sites. Excavations, 10 feet deep over areas measuring from approximately 10 to 15 feet in diameter were dug in the Class 1 wetlands, in buffers zones and in other areas. The digging continued over 3 days. Subsequent opinions from separate members of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers indicated that the samples could have been obtained with a post hole digger. It is speculated that the soil samples were procured in an effort to negate the extent of the wetlands and their connectivity during the driest summer on record.

The next meeting of the CMPD is at the Chuckanut Firehall at 7 PM on Sept. 12th. All interested are invited. We are incorporating, doing by-laws and reporting on and planning public informational meetings in Whatcom & Skagit counties.

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association discussed Initiative 933 and decided to formally endorse the "No on I-933" Campaign. We encourage everyone to consider the issue, discuss it with your friends and neighbors, and draw your own conclusions.

Initiative 933 - "Intent to require fairness when government regulates private property"

Visit the No on I-933 website - "One thing Washington voters can be sure of is that I-933 creates a “pay or waive” system that will force taxpayers to pay millions of dollars to stop irresponsible development or exempt certain land owners and corporations from the law. I-933 is a poorly written law that will place additional unfair burdens on Washington taxpayers for years to come." (Excerpt from the No on I-933 website).

There's a lot happening in our local community. You've probably heard about the 23 story condominium, Bay View Towers, being built in downtown Bellingham. Whether or not you are in favor of this large structure going up in Bellingham, the view page on their website is an amazing bit of technology. It allows the viewer to experience a 360° of our truly lovely city, taken from an aerial balloon on a clear day in the fall of 2005.

Do you have a favorite local website? Contact us with the internet address, let us know what you like about the website, and a link will be posted in a future ENA newsletter.

The ENA Board is reaching out to you as we desperately need your input at the “Visions of Edgemoor” meeting on Thursday, September 7th at 7PM in the Fairhaven Park Pavilion. In order to make our neighborhood one that we will continue to enjoy we must be prepared with a vision for our future. As we all know, our city is rapidly changing and change means things will be different, not necessarily better or worse, but not the same. We need to ensure that our neighborhood remains one that meets the needs of our families and friends and although a bit different, a place that we can still enjoy. We know that the end of the summer is a busy time, but please bring a friend who lives in the neighborhood with you to the meeting, or, if you can’t attend, try to find a resident of Edgemoor who can be at the meeting. This is one time that we really do need all of you to participate and help us shape the future of our community.