Lake Forest Park

Stewardship Foundation

April 2000

From the President…

It has been a busy year for the LFP Stewardship Foundation. With the efforts and cooperation of our members and friends, we have:

· Successfully opposed development in sensitive areas--development which the City of LFP would most likely have permitted were it not for our organized opposition;

· Worked with Boy Scouts, LFP and King County in a novel program to eradicate knotweed;

· Increased membership to more than 140;

· Developed our own website, www.lfpsf.org.

· Improved our basic corporate structure by developing a business plan;

· Educated the community on environmental issues; and

· Developed relationships with numerous groups (both organized and informal) to protect and enhance open spaces and parks.

It has been gratifying to see the Foundation grow in less than two years from a small grass-roots group of neighbors into a nonprofit corporation which is having a direct and positive effect on the entire City, and which now has more than 140 full-time members who share common goals and who are willing to work to achieve those goals.

In this newsletter, you’ll find reports of what we’ve been working on, what City issues need your attention, and ways you can help to make the City a better place to live.

Thanks for your continued support.

Doug Mitchell

President

Board of Adjustment

Volunteers Needed to

Defend Environment,

Interpret Land-Use Law

The City of Lake Forest Park depends heavily upon volunteers. There are several vacancies on City commissions. Volunteers are usually appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council.

Of particular importance to the Stewardship Foundation, and to anyone concerned about the environment, is the vacancy on the Board of Adjustment (BOA). Linda Collier is moving out of the city. She and Mary Ortega were the two strong voices on the BOA championing protection of sensitive areas in the recent case of the Rob Hill project in the 30th Avenue wetlands.

The BOA hears and acts on all challenges to SEPA (State Environmental Protection Act) determinations handed down by the designated official, which in LFP is the city planner. The BOA hears and acts on requests for variances and exemptions to land-use ordinances. Developers and homeowners make these requests when their building or remodeling plan would violate municipal code. Often the BOA calls for mitigation, which would minimize any environmental damage caused by going beyond what the law allows.

It is extremely important that Board of Adjustment members have a healthy regard for the environment. If you would be interested in serving or know someone who would, the Mayor would appreciate hearing from you. Call 568-5440.

Nearly two years ago the City bought the Morris property, where Lyon Creek flows into the north end of Lake Washington, next to the LFP Civic Club. A grant from the State Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) of nearly half a million dollars provided half the purchase price. The remainder of the purchase price was borrowed. A second grant request was not successful. The IAC favored LFP’s proposal because:

· The site has the mouth of a salmonid stream.

· It gave the City public access to the lake.

· It increased the percentage of land in LFP (less than 1%) devoted to parks and open space.

The City must make a decision by April 30 whether it will retain the property, continuing the ongoing quest for funds, or sell it. A meeting for public input is scheduled for April 20 at Interim City Hall. A master plan, developed by Worthy & Associates with citizen input from two previous meetings, will be discussed. It’s available at the Interim City Hall now.

The Board of Directors of the Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation favors retaining this property and actively seeking the balance of funds needed to complete the purchase. Reasons for this position are:

· The site is environmentally important, as it provides a feeding source for salmon. It was discovered recently that significant numbers of juvenile chinook, which enter the lake from the Sammamish River, feed at the mouth of Lyon Creek. Ownership will give the City the chance to restore and preserve this stream mouth in a manner that is environmentally sound.

· It provides a learning resource for schools, youth groups, and others.

· It offers lakeside access in the city, otherwise available only to members of the LFP Civic Club or the Sheridan Beach Club. Its access from the LFP mall parking lot is a distinct asset, too.

· This chance to get lake access at the mouth of a major stream is unlikely to come around again.

Below is the draft site plan for the Lyon Creek Open Space (Morris Property). This shows Phase II, after removal of the residence. The LFP Civic Club is westerly (at the bottom). The Council will hold a public hearing on whether to retain the property at Interim City Hall April 20, and make its decision by April 27.

Coming April 29: Second Annual

Wine Tasting and Benefit Auction

The Foundation will hold its second annual Wine Tasting and Benefit Auction at 7 p.m. April 29 at the Lake Forest Park Civic Club.

Attendees will be treated to hors d’oeuvres, desserts, a variety of wines, live music, and two auctions. As we did last year, we’ll hold a silent auction; in addition, some choice items will be available in a live auction. Dori Monson of KIRO Radio will be auctioneer. Proceeds from both auctions will support parks, open space and recreation opportunities in LFP.

We look forward to seeing you there. If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please call the Foundation at 361-7076. Also, if you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation of goods for the auctions, call the Foundation at the above number.

Calling all Volunteers

We're looking for a volunteer to work on grant writing. If you have experience in this area, please contact the Foundation at 361-7076.

We're also looking for volunteers to help prepare for the fundraiser April 29. Let us know if you can pitch in and lend a hand.

Check out our new web site.

Thanks to the work of our webmaster, Yuichi Shoda, the Foundation has its own web site. The site has information about the Foundation's people and ongoing projects, lots of links to "kindred spirit" sites, and more. Check it out at www.lfpsf.org.

Hill Property

The Struggle to Save

A Precious Wetland

Last June, Developer Rob Hill and his wife applied to Lake Forest Park for an exemption to the City’s sensitive-areas ordinance. The Hills propose to build four single-family residences on 7.1 acres of land along 30^th Avenue Northeast near Northeast 166th Street, at the headwaters of Brookside Creek. The site contains extensive sensitive areas--wetlands and steep slopes. LFP Code requires a 50-foot buffer around wetlands in which no development can occur. The plan would place significant portions of the footprints of three of the houses in that buffer, so a reasonable-use exemption would be required.

In September the City’s official charged with enforcing the State Environmental Policy Act issued a mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS). This allowed the application to proceed without an environmental impact statement (EIS). Based on data obtained from independent experts, the Stewardship Foundation, in association with Michael and Beatriz D’Aquila (who own property adjacent to the Hill property) appealed to overturn the MDNS.

On Nov. 17,1999, the Board of Adjustment voted 3-2 to uphold the City’s MDNS. Following this decision was the first of a series of lengthy public hearings on the reasonable-use exemption itself. The majority of testimony, led by members and friends of the Stewardship Foundation, was in opposition to the Hill proposal. Three people testified in the Hills’ behalf, in addition to paid consultants. In all, there were more than 12 hours of public testimony.

However, on Jan. 12, 2000, the Board voted to approve the exemption, with two conditions. First, the wetlands delineation submitted by the Hills must be reviewed by the state Department of Ecology. Second, requirements will be added to the deeds of the property to require present and future owners to respect and maintain the remaining wetland buffers. To date, the Department of Ecology has yet to review the Hills’ wetland delineation.

The Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation objects to this project for several reasons.

First, we believe--based on the testimony of several experts in the field of wetlands biology--that the wetlands delineation submitted by the Hills was seriously flawed. We believe this delineation (prepared by a contractor paid by the Hills) understates the extent of the wetlands on the site, and underestimates their quality. We believe that the proposed building sites would intrude not only into the wetland buffers, as the Hills claim, but into the wetlands themselves. This would be an egregious violation of city code and environmental practice.

Second, the application failed to disclose that Brookside Creek, the headwaters of which are in the Hill wetlands, is a known salmon habitat, and that Brookside Creek is a major tributary of McAleer Creek, a habitat for chinook salmon. Chinook were listed on the endangered species list last year. In fact, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife submitted written testimony stating that the wetlands on the Hill site were themselves suitable habitat for juvenile coho salmon.

Our third objection is to the placement of septic fields on the slopes directly above the wetlands. These drain fields would be just below a feature known locally as “the sandpit.” Any casual observer can see evidence of serious erosion of the hillside. Yet, a consultant paid by Hill said there was no evidence of instability! A slope failure here, once septic fields were in place, would dump septic effluent right into the headwaters of Brookside Creek.

LFP Code provides for no review or appeal at the local level to rulings of the Board of Adjustment. The only recourse is an appeal in Superior Court. Because we believe there was insufficient and erroneous material provided to the City, which had a significant effect on the decision, the Foundation is seriously considering mounting such an appeal.

The Foundation has spent more than $6,500 on this case so far, mainly in legal fees. Legal advisers say that pursuing an appeal could cost another $10,000 to $20,000, should the case go to trial.

Thank You, Donors!

These people and organizations contributed funds or other resources in the past year. We are profoundly grateful.

Benefactors: $500 or more
Anonymous; Erik & June Aploks; Chuck & Mamie Bolender; Carol Dahl; Custom Pure, the water store; Doug Mitchell & Jean Reid; Yuichi Shoda & Jan Eisenman

Environmentalist: $250 or more
Priscilla Collins; Rebecca & Ronald Foglietti; William & Lynne Gerrere; Charles & Christina Giffard

Advocate: $100 or more
Julian Andersen; Walter & Joyce Barnum; Bill Bennett; Michael, Bea & Lisa Maria D'Aquila; Janice Eisenman; Raelene Gold; Dave Hutchinson; Rev. Arthur Mampel; Raj Manhas; R. Moulton & Gisella Falkenberg; Patrick Newman & Martha Daniels; Roger & Connie Olstad; US West Foundation; Mary Jo Watanabe

Patron: $50 or more
Terry Ball; Ros Bird; Debra Born; Vern Buttenob; Sue & Ravi Chari; Ruth Childs & Kent Reade; June Eisenman & Louis Cuevas; Sen. Darlene Fairley; Evette Glauber; Eric & Nancy Gorbman; Ernie & Esther Hansen; Laurie Hildahl; Darby Langdon; Jeanne Larway; Ruth & Jim Meade; Liane & Perry Newman; Gordon & Betty Orians; Mark & Sarah Phillips; Denise Robertson; Bob & Dee Simmons; Gayle Sparks; David & Anne Stadler; Wendy Swan (Mitch, Nick and Melissa); Paul & Kathy Wade; Eric & Barbara Weissman; Carol & Douglas Williscroft

Family, Individual: $25 or more
Eric Alef & Joi Defoe; Tom & Lauren Andrews; Burt & Mary Bard; Curt Beardslee; Thomas & Nola Beeler; Daniel Benson; Brian Bodenbach; Judy Bevington; Carol Boyd & Chris Wilson; Diane Canzoneri; Linda Carpenter; Swenson Carpentry; Victoria Gilliland; Ruth Kagi and family; Keebler; Tom & Morgan Kellock; Casimer & Elizabeth Kryzminski; Ellen & William Lehr; Pat & Roger Loschen; Don MacGilvra; Raymond Ellington Mitchell; Marilyn & Tom Mogridge; Dori & Suzanne Monson; Jennifer Morgan; Sue Morgan; Harrison Moritz & Shoko Zama; Betsy Mueller; In memory of Janice & Martel Newman; Hank & Marge Sander; David & Donna Saunders; Paul & Carol Stone; Debbie Terwilleger & Randy Enders; Kenneth Tippett & Wendy Frank; Kay Welborn; Sadie Yamasaki

Other Donors and In-Kind Contributors
Albertson's; Lillian Anderson; Mark Anderson of Digital Productions Services, Inc.; Ballinger Florist; Brie & Bordeaux; Dana Bungay; Karen of C'est Magnifique; Classical Wines; Coco's; Columbia Valley Winery; Diamond in the Mall; Dreyer's; Essential Baking; Florist in the Park; Forest Park Cleaner; General Nutrition; Joanne Godmintz; Great Harvest Bread Co.; Hedges Winery; Honey Bear Bakery; Mary Katona; Kitaro's; Pat Knight; Bonnie Miller; Jan Newman; Michelle Newman; Papa Murphy's; Dr. Jean Reid; Dr. Tom Roberts; Gayle Sackett; Sally's; Sixth Street Desserts; Joseph Spring Studio; Starbucks; Stylemasters; Thorton Creek Gifts; Torrero's; Tree Top Toys; White Dove Gallery