City failed to protect public’s best interests | Letters | Jan. 15

Published 11:09 am Friday, January 15, 2010

Something is very broken on Bainbridge Island when our laws, land use policies and processes, planning staff, and elected representatives are unwilling or unable to protect our island’s gateway, our island’s threshold.

Check out the northwest corner of 305 and Winslow Way for yourself. All of the above failed to safeguard this property for the benefit of all islanders.

Our city failed to preserve:

– Access to a 20-foot-wide city right-of-way (ROW) at the crossroads of Bainbridge Island, a ROW potentially essential for the construction of a third, reversible lane along 305, a safe right-hand turn lane onto Winslow Way, and a safe bike lane;

– Adjacent critical areas along our island’s treasured ravine, by cutting clearing setback requirements for a privileged landowner/applicant from 25 feet to 10 feet and not stopping the project once clearing had gone right up to the ravine in some places; and

– The requirement for a full-screen. A 25-foot tree buffer along the highway apparently will be traded for parking and access roads.

There’s more. Planning staff failed to require the applicant to provide a shoreline permit, even though one was required since the project falls well within 200 feet of the shoreline. Now they say it’s too late.

When will citizenry rise up and say “this will not happen anymore.” The children and art museums could easily have been built without sacrificing the environment.

The city did not act in the best interests of the public-at-large when it failed to protect our future environment, failed to protect our right-of-way and failed to detail essential facts before authorizing permits.

Sally Adams

Bainbridge Island