Islanders worried about potential damage to wildlife habitat on the Suzuki property and its stand of old growth Douglas firs should be encouraged by the thoughtful recommendation coming out of the city’s Environmental Technical Advisory Committee last week.

The Bainbridge council voted 5-2 earlier this spring to bring Olympic Property Group onboard as its preferred developer of the publicly-owned property at the southeast corner of New Brooklyn and Sportsman Club roads, and the still-evolving plan to develop the 13.83-acre parcel is expected to include affordable housing as one of its main components. Councilman Ron Peltier, however, successfully championed the idea for a comprehensive ecological study to be conducted on the property before any development plan is set in cement.

The city council sent the eco-study concept to its Environmental Technical Advisory Committee for review, and we were heartened to see that advisory group take its charge with serious consideration. Members of the committee hiked the property in late March, and Committee Chairman Frank Gremse made a second hike of the Suzuki land in mid-April to see firsthand the part of the property that was skipped during the first visit due to wet and boggy conditions.

The committee is now recommending that the council hire an environmental consultant (an environmental organization, consultant firm or nonprofit) to launch an ecological assessment of the property.

The consultant that is hired, according to the committee’s recommendation, should be one that has expertise in areas such as forest ecology, urban forestry, hydrogeology, hydrology, and aquatic, wildlife and fisheries biology.

Additionally, the committee has identified the key characteristics of the Suzuki property that should be covered by the ecological study. This component is the keystone to the committee’s solid recommendation, and includes five focus areas.

The first, the old trees on the property that islanders are keen to preserve. These significant trees range in age from a hundred to more than 200 years old, with at least one having a diameter of 4 feet and a girth of nearly 12 feet. The man-made pond on the property, which may be nearly 200 years old as well, will also get close scrutiny.

Other subjects of the study will include the stream along the western border of the property, the riparian pathway across the land, as well as its wildlife corridor. Committee members are also suggesting the property’s value as an aquifer recharge resource be examined.

While the city is already engaged in negotiations over the development of the Suzuki land, let’s wait for the study to be finished and listen to the land before any new design schemes are presented.