The Snohomish County Council may amend its subdivision rules to give developers an extra lot or two within projects if they build storm water detention ponds to look like natural wetlands or make them usable for recreation.
The ponds, built to catch rainwater that can’t soak into the ground because of roofs and pavement, would be built without the fences that typically ring such man-made citified basins.
County planners say the change could help developers get an extra lot or two in their new subdivisions, and that could mean more affordable housing.
During a recent committee meeting, though, some council members questioned the new approach.
Councilman Dave Gossett said he isn’t too excited about the changes if it turns out the newly designed ponds still look like grassy holes in the ground.
And Councilman Kirke Sievers asked what would happen when people move into a subdivision and start pressing the county to put fences around detention ponds to keep children in the neighborhood safe.
By then, the developer has already gotten a bonus lot or two, construction of the subdivision is complete, and the builder has moved on to another project. Sievers wants to know if the county could find itself facing lawsuits if it refuses to put up a safety fence, and a child later drowns in a detention pond.
Development rights
Efforts to start a transfer of development rights program in the county are moving forward. The program would give farmers the option of selling development rights for their land to builders, who would use the credits to build bigger projects in urban areas.
County Councilman John Koster has been pressing for the program.
“I’ve got people who want to participate in this thing, and they’re calling me almost every day,” Koster told county planners at the latest briefing on the topic.
The county’s planning commission is expected to hold a public hearing on the program Aug. 24.
Tax talk: County officials are considering cutting bingo and raffle taxes down to 5 percent. The county has been collecting taxes at 7.5 percent on the gross receipts from bingo games and raffles since 2000. But the county recently discovered that state law was changed in 1999 and set a ceiling of 5 percent on bingo and raffle taxes. The county has collected about $2,500 more than the allowable amount since 2000.
Claim of the week: A Shelton man in the county jail wants $20,000 because authorities have not lifted a no-contact order between him and his wife. As part of his claim, the man also has asked the claims clerk for the local addresses of the FBI and the Secret Service. He’s becoming a familiar fellow to those who handle claims; he’s filed five since mid-June. They include a $1 million claim alleging he was groped in the jail, a $100,000 claim because he is being held in the disciplinary section and gets less recreation time than other inmates and can’t order snacks or beverages from the commissary, and a $90,000 claim because he hasn’t been able to use the law library.
Next week: The council holds a hearing on an agreement with Stanwood that covers annexations and development projects in that city’s urban growth area.
How you can get involved: The public hearing is 10:30 a.m., Wednesday in the Jackson Hearing Room, sixth floor of county administration building.
Reporter Brian Kelly covers county government for the Herald. He can be reached at 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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