Trees are now gone — wetlands next | Letter

Published 9:00 am Saturday, June 25, 2016

City code providing for the devastation of the once-forested landscape on Issaquah-Pine Lake Road is consistent with the city’s denial of local residents’ appeal against the Conner/Jarvis Development Project.

The Kempton Downs neighborhood’s appeal was denied because it was based on city policy and the best available science, neither of which are enforceable as code by the city’s hearing examiner.

Although the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) shared concerns cited in the appeal, the developer exercised its legal right to prohibit the DOE from visiting the development site. By code, the final arbiter, Sammamish’s City Council, won’t review this project until after environmentally sensitive areas have been demolished, and the streets and other infrastructure are in place.

There are nine wetlands surrounding this development site; however, the contribution of only Laughing Jacobs Lake is even partially understood.

City code has enabled this project to proceed without a pre-development understanding of, or a contingency plan for the sustainability of these wetland areas.

The trees are gone now. The wetlands will be next, followed by the extinction of the Kokanee salmon, a drying out of Laughing Jacobs Creek and negative implications for Lake Sammamish — all in accordance with city code.

Paul Marcy

Sammamish