SNOHOMISH – A river can be unforgiving. Barbara Bailey knows this from experience.
In 1990, the Snohomish River got out of control south of the city, and Bailey saw the disastrous flood swallow several homes. She immediately evacuated her farmhouse, built up 3 feet from the ground, while others chose to stay and had to be flown out by helicopter.
The Snohomish River valley often becomes a big lake during floods, Bailey said.
That’s why it makes no sense to Bailey, 49, why some parts of the valley, including Harvey Field, are in the city of Snohomish’s urban growth area.
Bailey fears that if Harvey Field and other parts of the valley are annexed by the city, it will start a future domino effect. Annexation will bring in the city’s sewer system, which will entice developers. Developers will build up their land, which will increase the flooding danger for valley residents such as Bailey.
Bailey expressed her concerns at a City Council meeting on Tuesday night. The council was still receiving public comments late Tuesday on whether to remove 200 acres, including Harvey Field, from its urban growth boundary or keep the boundary as it is.
The city voted 5-2 to keep the land within the city’s urban growth area.
The land, zoned for light industrial development, already has many businesses such as the airfield and auto body shops, Councilman Doug Thorndike said before the council meeting. Those businesses provide good-paying jobs for local people and are an important tax base for the city, he said.
Economic development in the area won’t increase flooding danger, Thorndike said, because any development must comply with flood regulations imposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies.
“Whether it’s in the county’s jurisdiction or in the city, rules are the same,” Thorndike said.
During Tuesday’s meeting, though, Bailey disagreed.
“Don’t expect (the federal agency) to rush in with money for repairs. They have made it clear that land-use decisions are up to local communities,” she said.
Flooding is a concern not only for farmers, but for business owners, said Kandace Harvey, who spoke before Tuesday’s vote was taken.
Harvey is the owner of Harvey Field and would like to see the field remain within the urban growth boundary. She said the city and the county already took the flood issues into account when they included the airfield in the urban growth area in the 1990s.
Her family has a long history in the community, said Harvey, whose ancestors homesteaded the area in 19th century.
“What happens to our community is very important, and we’re interested in the continued success and careful growth and planning of our community,” she said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
