News Roundup – Farmer will fight City Hall/Parking plans on the docket

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, August 9, 2006

Farmer will fight City Hall

Akio Suyematsu has hired some legal backing in the fight to save his farm’s trees.

Suyematsu is contesting a city proposal to allow the cutting and trimming of trees on a 15-acre Day Road farm where he has raised berries for nearly all of his 84 years.

The land is owned by the city and is classified as open space. The city purchased the property from Suyematsu five years ago while allowing him to continue farming on it until 2012.

Nearby residents on Vista Drive want to see removal of a number of the trees on the east edge of the property, citing safety and aesthetics.

The city has drafted an agreement with seven of the residents that would allow for the removal of nine trees and substantial pruning on city property to open west-facing views of island farmland and the Olympic Mountains.

After publicly voicing his opposition to the proposal, Suyematsu was summoned to City Hall on Monday to discuss the proposed agreement. Suyematsu could not be reached for comment following the meeting.

Gerard Bentryn, who works farmland adjacent to Suyematsu’s property, said Suyematsu hired attorney Ryan Vancil for legal assistance at the meeting and in future dealings with the city.

The City Council was scheduled to discuss the proposed tree cutting agreement at tonight’s council meeting. However, city staff said Tuesday that the discussion will likely be deleted from the council’s agenda.

– Tristan Baurick

Parking plans on the docket

Door-to-bumper parking downtown may become a thing of the past as new rules could give rise to parking garages and other “off-site” options.

The City Council will consider a series of parking regulation changes tonight, including a rewrite of current rules that require downtown businesses to provide all parking on-site.

Rules recently proposed by the city Planning Commission would allow businesses to stow parking up to 1,000 feet away, possibly in shared parking facilities.

“This will give more flexible use for businesses,” said Winslow Tomorrow project manager Sandy Fischer, who helped shepherd the recommendation through the commission. “The parking (requirements) could be put into a parking garage or somebody could build a surplus supply of parking.”

The second option, Fischer admits, is doubtful.

“Land costs are so high that I don’t know why anyone would build parking lots,” she said. “And I doubt anyone will knock down buildings for more parking lots.”

That leaves parking garages as the most viable option for businesses that want to make higher use of commercial space than parking stalls.

“The (proposed changes) do suggest structured parking by the public or private sector,” Fischer said.

Residential parking rules should also receive a similar revamp, according to the commission. If approved, the new rules would allow residential properties to locate parking up to 300 feet away.

Current rules require all residential parking on-site.

The council will take public comment on these and numerous other proposed parking amendments at tonight’s meeting, starting at 7 p.m.