Park wanted, but only at right size

The neighbors in Wellington Hills want a park. But we need a community park that’s the right size for this site. The huge sports complex will cause so many problems that people won’t want to live near it. If the parks department designed a park based on community input, the way they were supposed to in the first place, I think it could be a great thing for the neighborhood.

Some commenting on the park battle have suggested that the sports complex proposal doesn’t violate the Growth Management Act. On the county zoning map, the park is clearly outside the urban growth boundary, The county would have to demonstrate that housing and employment goals cannot be met unless the urban area boundary is expanded, which would be very difficult to show.

So, although the parks department and others would like to scare us all into thinking this is the best we can hope for, it’s not. The parks department should be working with the community to figure out what features would work on this site and what would actually serve the community. Most community members would agree that a park with walking trails, picnic facilities, a few fields and other, smaller scale amenities, would be an asset to our rural area.

The parks department provided an incomplete and inaccurate SEPA checklist response. They rushed through this key environmental review, and they expect us just to sit here and rubber stamp their “Starfire in Snohomish County.”

Tina Stewart

Woodinville