LAKE FOREST PARK — The potential change in zoning density of 192 lots has sparked concern among residents who are worried that 21 environmentally sensitive areas are being proposed for higher density and may eventually be abused by developers.
The proposed change would establish four units per acre, instead of one, as required by the Growth Management Act. The Planning Commission is proposing the zone changes in order to comply with a “bright line” rule adopted by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearing Board, establishing four units per acre as the legal minimum.
The changes are included in the latest draft of the Comprehensive Plan, which is currently being updated by the Planning Commission before it is sent to the City Council for approval. Carol Dahl, president of the Stewardship Foundation, said residents are concerned because some of the lots included in the draft are sensitive areas.
“There seems to be a discrepancy between the city’s land use maps where sensitive areas exist and what actually exists,” Dahl said. “We are concerned that we as a city should have a greater say in the density of the planning of our city and the look of our city.”
To alert property owners about the potential change in density of their property, a group of citizens composed a letter and hand-delivered copies to all 192 potentially impacted property owners before the June 22 Planning Commission public hearing.
Doug Mitchell, Stewardship Foundation director, drafted the letter, in which he speculated that rezoning can be abused by developers. For example, he said if a 20,000 square foot lot with 50 percent sensitive areas is rezoned to 10,000 square feet, the property could be divided into two parcels, one of which may be within sensitive areas.
During the public testimony at the hearing, city administrator Karen Haines said a few people provided evidence that some of the lands identified for redesignation had sensitive areas on them, which will be addressed by the Planning Commission.
“The Planning Commission identified areas they believe have no sensitive areas, areas that were currently at the low and moderate density,” Haines said. “The Planning Commission will be looking at public comment and correcting anything where a mistake was made.”
The Planning Commission will have to be careful, Haines said, because the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearing Board has certain criteria for exceptions to the rule of a minimum of four units per acre. Lots with environmentally sensitive systems must be large in scope, and their structure and functions complex and rank order high, she said.
If these criteria are not met, Haines said the community’s sensitive areas ordinance should be able to protect the areas where there are steep slopes and wetlands.
A statewide public interest group working to ensure that growth is managed responsibly, 1000 Friends of Washington previously conducted a review of land use, in conjunction with the update of the Comprehensive Plan. The review identified two of the city’s zones, where the 192 lots are located, as violating the code by having densities of less than four units per acre.
The Planning Commission has been working on the draft of the Comprehensive Plan since 2001, and the deadline for completion is December. Planning Commission member Greg Easton said that changes to the Comprehensive Plan are considered yearly, but major updates are less frequent. This update is the first major update since the plan was originally adopted under the Growth Management Act in 1995. He said the group is evaluating the public comment they received at the hearing, which they are taking very seriously.
“At this point we are still trying to evaluate public comment and check back in with city staff,” Easton said.
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