The Jan. 2 article, “Despite opposition, Lake Stevens gravel mine given permission to expand,” highlights more problems with Snohomish County Planning and Development Services (PDS), in addition to the “automatic vesting” mentioned in Laura Hartmans’s Dec. 30 letter, “Article exposes vesting fiasco.”
In response to code violations, Snohomish County encouraged the mine to permit expanded operations to include the unpermitted area — the same approach PDS takes with code violations in my area, Snohomish River floodplain. One property owner was allowed to acquire a piece of land from a neighbor to absorb unpermitted fill — and then to fill and build a new residence and garage right by the river. Another owner is approved to build a structure and add fill, a new project described as resolution for a previous fill violation.
This approach makes Snohomish County a poster child for poor planning and development, and breeds cynicism. Why pay all the fees to get a permit, when you can build, fill and just pay a small fine when a neighbor has the courage to turn you in? And if you get caught filling floodplain, PDS will just negotiate a new project to make it up.
This approach to violations appears to be rampant throughout the county. With smart growth and development, Snohomish County could be a wonderful place to live and work with a variety of places to live, well-managed farms, amazingly diverse recreation, and a workforce that would like to work closer to home. A major overhaul of PDS’s policies and practices is the first step toward a better Snohomish County.
Monica Van der Vieren
Snohomish
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