Archived News
Your help is needed — please read on:
On December 27, 2006, Whatcom County Planning & Development Services ("PDS") decided not to require an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") from Aiki Homes and issued a legal notice of Mitigated Determination of NonSignificance ("MDNS") for the Aiki Homes' application for the Balfour Development.There is yet cause for hope. Foothills Friends' immediate strategy is twofold:
- We have asked our Seattle attorney to determine if we should file a legal appeal of the MDNS. An appeal of the MDNS must be filed on or before January 22, 2007.
- Community and residents' comments about the MDNS should be submitted by all of us to PDS before January 10, 2007.
December 27th 2006 MDNS
November 21 PDS Letter
Exhibit 1 to November 21 PDS Letter - Senior Planner Report
Exhibit 2 to November 21 PDS Letter
Exhibits 3 and 4 to November 21 PDS Letter - Biological Staff Report and WADOT Traffic Analysis
The exhibits include the County geologist's criticisms of the proposed alluvial fan engineering, which were not included in the MDNS! You can see for yourself the inconsistency between the two positions. We do not know if Aiki Homes has complied with the terms of the November 21 letter. The only justification for a change in position by PDS would be Aiki Homes' compliance with those terms, so Foothills Friends will raise questions about their position change.
Send your comments to:
Robert Martin AICP (Land Use Division Manager)We need to submit as many individual letters as possible to PDS. Remember: The comment letter that Foothills Friends will submit will only be counted as a single letter even though it represents over 300 members. We want PDS to know immediately that all of Foothills Friends' members are appalled at the MDNS and that we demand reconsideration and proper application of environmental protection laws to require an EIS.
RMartin@co.whatcom.wa.us
Martin Blackman AICP (Designated SEPA Official)
mblackman@co.whatcom.wa.us
5280 Northwest Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226
For questions, call their office at 360-676-6907.
Please let us know when you send in your comments, whether by email or regular mail. We need to track your responses. Numbers count, so please tell your friends and family to speak up, too! In addition, consider posting comments online, at the Comment Posting link at the end of articles on websites that cover UGA/growth topics, such as the Bellingham Herald
FOOTHILLS FRIENDS UPDATE - September 1, 2006
Foothills Friends was advised by Whatcom County Planning and Development Services that on July 28, 2006 Aiki Homes filed new material with the PDS. Planning and Development Services is reviewing the material to determine if it is responsive to the issues outstanding since September 2005. As you may recall, Aiki Homes' application has been on hold pending compliance with the terms of a letter issued By Planning and Development in September 2005. In addition, the SEPA Official of PDS is reviewing the material for regulatory and statutory environmental compliance.
As of September 1, 2006, Foothills Friends has received a copy of most of the new material. However, apparently, according to PDS, the submitted material was incomplete. On August 24, 2006, PDS requested additional material prior to making any further determinations. As soon as that material is received, Foothills Friends will receive a copy and complete its review of the new material. At the same time, the SEPA Official will commence his review, and expects to make a determination as soon as possible.after he has received the additional material which PDS has requested.
Foothills Friends on September 1, 2006 submitted written comments to PDS, based on the material which has been received so far about ongoing issues with the applicant's materials. Foothills Friends' concerns include, amongst other issues, ongoing lack of concurrency with sewer and fire services, and continuing issues with the suggested engineering to address the risks of building on and below the alluvial fan on Sumas Mountain, and concerns about the impact of the development on Kendall Creek and on drinking water wells.
After Foothills Friends receives the additional material requested by the SEPA Official and by PDS, it will submit any further comments which Foothills Friends finds might be required.
If you should have any questions about the status of the application, please call Matt Aamot at Planning and Development Services, at 360-676-6907.
FOOTHILLS FRIENDS UPDATE - June 27, 2006
As an update, the Aiki Homes Balfour Village project remains on hold at the County Planning Office. Although the permit application is in the SEPA office, the fact that the application is on hold means that the Clock has not started to run on environmental review of the permit application. SEPA review of a permit will determine statutory and regulatory environmental compliance of the proposed development.
On June 26, Foothills Friends spoke with Matt Aamot of Planning and Development Services, who confirmed with Martin Blackman, Land Use Supervisor and SEPA Official of Whatcom County, that the Aiki Homes project still has not provided the information requested of it by Planning and Development in September 2005, nor has it provided information more recently requested of it when Planning received Water District 13's nonconcurrence letter. Until that information is received, Matt Aamot has indicated that the application will remain on hold.
Whenever Aiki Homes provides the requested information, Foothills Friends will be notified by Planning. Foothills Friends will have an opportunity to review that material and an opportunity to comment. At that time, we will let you know Foothills Friends' analysis of the situation.
Thank you for your support and participation.
FOOTHILLS FRIENDS UPDATE - January 11, 2006
Foothills Friends' Membership: Foothills Friends currently has over 325 individual memberships, plus Black Mountain Ranch (which has 1,000 members).
Status of Aiki Homes proposal for Balfour Village, Kendall: Permit processing was put on formal hold by Whatcom County Planning and Development Services on September 26, 2005. In its letter of the same date, the County asked that the developer provide the County with additional information before the County proceeds with the approval process. As of January 5th, 2006 the project was still on hold. As a consequence, no decision has yet been made on Foothills Friends request for an Environmental Impact Statement. Foothills Friends will aggressively seek to protect the interests of the Foothills region in responding to any further information provided by the developer.
Subarea Plan Advisory Committee: The deadline for applications for membership on the Subarea Advisory Committee has been extended to January 20, 2006. A decision will be made by the end of January or beginning of February.
Meetings with County Council Members: Foothills Friends Steering Committee is pleased to announce that we have almost completed a series of meetings in Kendall with County Council Members. We presented our concerns to the Council Members, followed by a tour of the proposed development site and surrounding areas. We have met with Barbara Brenner, Carl Weimer, Seth Fleetwood, Ward Nelson and Laurie Caskey-Schreiber. We are currently arranging a meeting with Sam Crawford. Dan McShane will not vote as he did the geological consulting work for Aiki Homes, the developer of Balfour Village.
SubArea Plan Meeting with Whatcom County Planning and Development Services:
- The Foothills Friends Steering Committee invited Professor John McGlaughlin, a population biologist at WWU, and Foothills Friends' members Marillyn Teffts, an Economist, and her husband Jeff Meeker Professor of Statistics at WWU, to address the issue of population projections and small data problems in determining accurate population projections at a meeting with Hal Hart, Director of Whatcom County Planning and Development Services, and staff members Troy Holbrook and Matt Aamot.
- Professor McGlaughlin presented the results of his research on Population Growth: Models, Projections, and Policies. Professor McGlaughlin has determined that the the population projections of ECONorthwest, which had been adopted by the Whatcom County Planning Commission for the County as an entirety were incorrectly calculated and that the population projections are too high.
- As a result of Professor McGlauglin's presentation and discussion, Hal Hart directed his staff to develop an alternative projection model for use in the Foothills Subarea Comprehensive Plan process. This is very good news for the Foothills, and will go far in limiting future growth plans!
- To review a powerpoint presentation of Prof McGlaughlin's report, please see www.ac.wwu.edu/~jmcl/Conservation/pop_proj.pdf
Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) Offices Move to County Planning: There has been a change in the procedure for reviewing water management plans for the County. WRIA offices have been moved into the County Planning building on Northwest Avenue. It is hoped that this move will contribute to better care given to our water resources.
FOOTHILLS FRIENDS UPDATE - November, 2005
As was reported in a front page article in the Foothills Gazette, on November 11, 2005, Whatcom County has started the process for developing a new Subarea Plan for the Foothills region. This process will be our last chance for influencing development in the Foothills and ensuring that the Foothills retain the rural character and beauty which we all cherish. It will be critically important that all residents partake in the process.
Foothills Friends will be updating our website with information about community surveys, community meetings, and workshops which will be held throughout the process.
The County anticipates choosing a consultant on or before January 1, 2006 to assist the County with developing the Subarea Plan .
The Plan process itself will take 12 months, with most of the community vision and goals determined in the six months from January through June. Thereafter, the Plan will be drafted, drafts will be reviewed by the community, submitted to the County Hearing Examiner and the Planning Commission, and finalized by the County Council.
Please do all that you can to be involved in the Subarea Planning Process.
You can download a PDF copy of the Whatcom County — RFP Scope of Work for the Subarea Plan here.
If you have not yet joined Foothills Friends, please join either by:
downloading this Adobe Acrobat PDF of our membership form and printing, signing and mailing it to PO Box 1876, Maple Falls WA 98266 or
by submitting your membership information online.
Together we can ensure that the Foothills remain rural and beautiful.
Bellingham Herald -- Letters to the Editor -- Wednesday November 9, 2005
Opposes foothills development plan
Foothills Friends has come together with the goal of preserving the rural and recreational character of the Mount Baker Foothills community. The proposed Balfour/Kendall Village development (272 acres, 667 single family homes and a maximum of 100 multi-family units coupled with the ability to add on accessory dwellings) threatens to begin a headlong rush toward urban sprawl.
To claim that this poses a huge threat to our quality of life may seem an exaggeration. But this development, if completed, will be one of if not the largest development in Whatcom County since Cordata.
Visions of Mount Baker Highway as the Guide Meridian anyone?
Jo Anne Harrison
Kendall