Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council meeting news and notes
Published 5:47 pm Monday, February 14, 2011
The Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council regular monthly meeting was Feb. 7. Several major topics were discussed including upcoming Black Diamond master planned developments hearings; King County comprehensive plan update and King County Executive’s unincorporated area council chairs’ meeting. The council serves as an all volunteer, locally elected advisory body to the King County Council representing all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District.
Public comments
Jeff Granlund of the Tahoma School Bond Vote Committee discussed the upcoming April Bond issue.
Susan Harvey of Ravensdale discussed concerns about impacts on the Issaquah-Hobart-Ravensdale-Black Diamond Road that will be caused by the master planned developments in Black Diamond. The traffic studies conducted so far completely ignore this important corridor. Harvey is starting a petition of residents, organizations and government agencies that could be presented to the hearing examiner at the upcoming development agreement hearings. Harvey requested the council support a letter to be presented to the Black Diamond hearing examiner to include the Issaquah-Hobart Road in future MPD traffic modeling and analyses. The council voted to sign on to Harvey’s letter.
Black Diamond master planned developments
The council continues to follow the Yarrow Bay-proposed major MPDs (6,050 homes and 1.15 million square feet of commercial/business space) in the city of Black Diamond, the largest MPDs in King County history. The specific concerns previously voiced by the council are major impacts on many roads throughout southeast King County and siting of three schools, sewer storage facilities, and a large detention “lake” in the rural area to enable adjacent urban development.
The Black Diamond city staff currently is negotiating with Yarrow Bay to finalize a set of development agreements that provide the plan over the next 15-20 years for MPD design, development and build-out. In late February the development agreements will be presented at a public information meeting. The city’s hearing examiner will conduct public hearings on the adequacy and completeness of the development agreements starting on or about March 1.
The council will testify at these upcoming hearings and is encouraging the other rural area area councils to do the same. Members of the public can orally testify at the upcoming hearings or submit written comments to the hearing examiner. Information on the upcoming hearings will be posted later this month on the city of Black Diamond MPD page.
The Yarrow Bay draft development agreements currently are posted, along with many other MPD documents.
King County comprehensive plan update
The council’s growth management and transportation committees have started meeting to discuss the next major update to the KCCP, the guiding policy document for all land-use and development in unincorporated King County. As occurs every four years, this 2012 update is a major revision.
The King County Department of Development & Environmental Services (DDES) provided a list of “topical areas” to help scope the effort: Some of the major categories being addressed are rural area and natural resource lands, environment, parks, open space and Cultural Resources, Transportation; Economic Development and area zoning and land use. To initiate the process the council’s committees developed a set of questions in each of these “topical areas” to better focus the effort. The council decided to submit these questions to DDES.
In the upcoming months the council’s committees will continue to work with DDES leading up to a public review draft to be released by DDES on Oct. 1. Citizens can review information on the KCCP, the update process at www.kingcounty.gov/property/permits/codes/growth/CompPlan.aspx
King County executive’s annual unincorporated area council chairs’ meeting
On Feb. 2 King County Executive Dow Constantine met with the chairs of the six UACs to discuss community issues and concerns, including the county council proviso that calls on the executive to develop “a plan to consolidate the six UACs into one unincorporated area commission.”
The council has compiled a list of its specific local and general regional responsibilities, participation on various steering committees and key deliverables. All of which provides value to King County. The list includes strong two-way communications with citizens, comprehensive reviews and recommendations for county code and comprehensive plan updates, participation in regional organizations such as the Cedar River Council and myriad activities to keep the rural area rural.
The values list has been distributed to the five other UACs, the county council and the executive to better define the true worth of the UACs to the county and its local unincorporated area citizens. The council’s values list will support the executive’s proposal to improve and strengthen the county’s partnership with the residents of the unincorporated areas. The council’s goal is to ensure that local citizens maintain a direct connection with their King County government.
- Next Regular Monthly Meeting is 7-9:30 p.m. March, 7,at the King County Sheriff’s Precinct No. 3 231st St and state Route 169.
Comments on the council business may be submitted to gmvac_chair@hotmail.com or GMVAC, P.O. Box 101, Maple Valley, WA 98038. Take the opportunity to visit our web site.
Peter Rimbos,
Corresponding secretary
