The Wellington Hills Sports Complex? No, it's NOT a done deal!

Friday, April 25, 2014

To: The Snohomish County Council and a possible moratorium on land use near slump and slide areas



As you talk amongst yourselves about a possible moratorium on land use/development near geologically unstable regions, i.e., slump and slide areas ... (because of the Oso tragedy).

May I suggest something?

Do an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Wellington Hills Park before preceding with the half-baked plan of digging out over 250,000 square feet of earth, de-watering the area - then building a NON-ESSENTIAL sports complex!

Fact: The western boundary of Wellington Hills Park is geologically unstable.

Fact: The Whidbey Island Fault Zone is directly beneath Wellington Hills Park.

Fact: While there are few houses on the western boundary of the park ... there is Costco, Route 9 and Hwy 522 - all of which have thousands of people in hourly proximity to the lower regions of the park.




I posted the following, February 24, 2014

 Letter posted in the Everett Herald

Park proposal needs an EIS

When Chris Hansen proposed to build a new NBA arena in Seattle, the city of Seattle and King County prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

As part of the DEIS process, the public had an opportunity to comment on the proposed project and then their comments were used to determine the scope of the environmental impacts that would subsequently be addressed in the DEIS.

I mention this because, in their proposal to construct a “regional sports complex” on the site of Wellington Hills Park, Snohomish County’s Department of Parks, unlike the city of Seattle and King County, has attempted to undermine the process, trivialized public comments and concerns, and they’ve self-proclaimed that an Environmental Impact Study was not necessary for a project with a footprint approximately the size of Safeco Field.

In the public’s best interest, I suggest the only way to proceed is to demand an Environmental Impact Study. The county’s development of this site, as currently proposed, is not just a localized issue. Rather, it is an issue that will affect all Snohomish County residents due to its numerous environmental impacts, community altering effects and the high costs for construction and maintenance.

The Wellington Hills Park proposal also raises the question — how should the county proceed on major multi-million dollar projects, especially non-essential ones?

Bill Stankus
Woodinville

No comments: