Tollgate development up for comment
Published 2:21 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
NORTH BEND — In a few years, the footsteps of
businessmen and industrial workers could cover the paths where
farmers once tread.
The North Bend Planning Commission will begin the process of review and public comment for the development of the Tollgate Farm, a 228-acre
parcel located northwest of downtown North Bend. The historically
and culturally rich property was once a Native American gathering
area, the site of a tollbooth for Snoqualmie Pass and a farm.
The Miller family, which has owned the land since 1908,
has proposed building an approximately
1,000,000-square-foot business and light-industrial
park and 34 residential houses on the site. Plans have been under
review for five years and have gone through a draft and final
environmental review process, receiving modifications along the way.
After studying the documents accompanying the
environmental review process and the application, the Planning
Commission recently released its recommendation of approval for both
the business park and housing development, based on the
project’s compliance with required standards.
A public hearing will be held this week to again take
comments on the project’s compliance with city codes and the
environmental process.
“We’re hoping to hear what the public thinks about the
review, staff report or adopted plans or regulations,” said Larry
Stockton, director of North Bend’s Community Services Department.
Stockton said those who attend the hearing should be
succinct and direct in their comments and speak about only the
things that are really important to them, since there is a short amount
of time for comments to be heard. In addition, he said, it would be
helpful to the Planning Commission if speakers would prepare an
outline of their concerns on paper to submit.
“The Planning Commission is really there to hear how the
applications that have been submitted do or do not comply with the
policies and regulations set forth in the plans, the codes and
mitigating measures that have been identified in the State
Environmental Protection Act,” he said,
adding that the commission cannot consider comments other
than whether the development is consistent with rules.
The hearing is part of the development’s approval
process, and to be officially approved, it must next go to the City
Council for final consideration. If the project is approved by the
City Council, it will take 10 to 15 years to develop. However,
before building can begin, the development will have to wait until
the city’s water rights restrictions are lifted, which could take
approximately two years.
Because of its historical and cultural significance, as well
as the fact that part of the land is in a floodplain and floodway, the
development has been controversial with Valley residents. Dozens
of comments were collected from the last public hearing more than
two years ago, stating that development on Tollgate Farm
could cause traffic and flooding problems in the area, harm wildlife
and ruin an area historically important of the Valley.
Tollgate’s project director, Campbell Mathewson, said
the Miller family understands that many people oppose
development on the land, but they want to ensure skeptics that they
will take care to construct an environmentally sound
development. That means complying with all requirements to prevent
environmental harm and local disruption.
Mitigational requirements for the development include
traffic, flooding, erosion, and water runoff, wetland, and vegetation,
as well as wildlife, historical and cultural resources. These
standards, if followed correctly, would render the business park and
homes virtually problem-free to the city and the land, Mathewson said.
“What we’ve done is agreed to a list of conditions we’ll
be upholden to,” he said.
In addition, Mathewson said that only 30 percent of the
land will be developed, and careful attention will be paid to
waterways and flood-prone areas.
He also stressed that the Millers’ plan on building this
project themselves, and will not hand it over to one of the
mega-developers in the Puget Sound area.
The hearings start at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, and
Thursday, Jan. 25, and will be held at the Mount Si Senior Center,
411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Anyone with questions can call
the city’s Community Services Department at 888-5633,
or Mathewson at (206) 689-7203.
For those that cannot attend the hearings, written
comments are due Jan. 24 and can be turned in, in person, to the
Community Services Department, 126 E. Fourth St., North Bend.
(Note:) When published, this story had an error that said the Planning Commission had already put its stamp of approval on the project. That statement was in error. The process is just now beginning with the Planning Commission. A correction will appear in next week’s edition.
JCM
