SNOHOMISH – Kandace Harvey wants to expand Harvey Airfield, but neighbors worry that would worsen flooding in the area.
The airfield built in 1944 is getting busier all the time, she said. About 80 hang gliders are on a waiting list because there is no room for them.
Also, the airport now stores about 330 airplanes, up from 294 10 years ago.
But the airfield is in a floodplain. And neighboring farmers, such as Barb Bailey, have seen their share of flooding from the nearby Snohomish River.
If the airfield expands and economic development occurs, the land will be built up, sending more floodwater to adjacent properties such as hers, she said.
“We don’t want to push our luck. You have to respect the power of that river,” Bailey said.
Harvey has planned the airfield expansion since Snohomish County designated part of the 130-acre airfield as an urban growth area south of Snohomish.
“I have no reason whatsoever to anticipate a change in that designation,” she said.
The expansion plan is snagged because of flood maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency about two years ago. The maps impose restrictions on economic development near the airfield.
Harvey believes if those plans remain in place, she will have to scrap airport expansion plans.
The county is seeking amendments in the maps to alleviate restrictions.
It has prepared four alternative plans and submitted one of them to the federal agency for review, said Ryan Ike, the agency’s floodplain management specialist.
Negotiations have stalled because of a lawsuit filed by an environmental group.
The county is scheduled to implement the maps by Sept. 16. Afterward, it can continue to negotiate changes with the agency.
It’s unclear when the federal agency will decide on the requested map changes, Ike said. It’s also unclear whether those changes would increase the flood hazard for the area, he said.
The proposed changes likely would be bittersweet for the airfield and neighboring farmers. Neither is likely to get what they really want.
The proposal would reduce restrictions on the built-out part of the airfield, but not on an undeveloped 46 acres where Harvey would like to build a heliport and other structures, she said.
She said she would prefer for the county to pursue a different alternative to include the 46 acres.
County Councilman Jeff Sax, who represents the area, said he is in favor of further economic development in the airport area. But Sax also said he wants to see the federal agency review of all four plans, and then he would decide which option to support.
Harvey lives at the corner of the airfield and is well aware of the unforgiving nature of the river.
“I live here. It’s not that I live on a hill and look down the valley,” she said.
Bailey, a fourth-generation farmer who lives just south of the airfield, said she wants the county to implement the revised flood maps, which include all of the restrictions.
“I support these maps because they limit the development in the flood plain,” she said.
The city of Snohomish sits just north of the airport across the river. Some city officials are concerned about airport expansion, which could increase noise and traffic, Mayor Liz Loomis said.
“Those are two huge issues to keep in mind,” Loomis said.
The City Council voted in 2004 to recommend that the county keep the airport area in the urban growth area. Even though she doesn’t support dense economic development there, Loomis said she voted for the recommendation because the city wants to have a say in the area’s future.
“I’m frustrated because we’ve been expressing our concerns over dense development,” she said.
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