Many La Center residents are banding together to fight a neighborhood development, fearing the city’s infrastructure will be inadequate for increased traffic and stormwater runoff.
At last week’s July 24 City Council meeting, numerous upset neighbors attended to voice their concerns about a site plan draft for a housing subdivision approved by City Hearing Examiner Joe Turner, the day prior. Residents believe La Center’s infrastructure cannot handle the rapid growth.
Growth and infrastructure concerns
The 84-lot subdivision, “Vineyard Vista,” proposes 7,500-square-foot lots, north of East 24th Circle in east La Center, has sparked controversy among residents. The project would remove over 1,000 trees to make room for roughly 84 homes; 23 Oregon white oaks will not be affected. The developer has agreed to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s requirement to mitigate the impact by planting 116 new oak trees and replace the remaining trees, as well as install a new stormwater facility.
Despite the developer’s environmental and stormwater mitigation agreements, neighbors, including Craig Tylenda, who lives downhill from the proposed site, are concerned that the development may exacerbate existing stormwater runoff issues.
“Right now, our backyard is completely saturated during the rainy season,” Tylenda said. “All the trees that are up there take care of the stormwater needs naturally … clearing that out is in opposition to the goals of carbon reduction for the state of Washington.”
Additionally, neighbors are worried La Center’s aging road infrastructure will not accommodate the new housing development. A city traffic study indicates that if the site plan is fully realized, it would generate approximately 792 daily car trips to and from the development.
La Center resident Ruth Blackwood told the City Council that the city’s roads are unable to handle the recent growth the city is experiencing.
“I am concerned with all the new subdivisions and all the new housing that’s come. Our streets are still the same streets, and they’re not made to have all this additional traffic,” Blackwood said.
Previously, a crowd of residents spoke against the site plan before the hearing examiner on June 25. Despite their protests, Turner determined the plan meets all city codes, which prompted his signing off on the project with the caveats of the developer replanting trees and creating a stormwater facility.
With his decision, the residents only recourse is appealing the ruling, which could prove spendy.
Should they move forward, the City Council would then decide if Turner’s decision was correct based on city code regardless of residents’ personal feelings.
Appeal process
Should residents decide to appeal, they cannot submit new evidence but they can argue that Turner misjudged city code. Appealing, however, would cost residents an additional $1,100 fee, not including city staff labor costs.
Neighboring resident Celeste Monroe was surprised when she learned about the process. She understood why the council, for legal reasons, could not reply to residents’ concerns at the last meeting but criticized the process as flawed. In other cities, appeals typically go to a court of appeals rather than the City Council. Monroe argued that the appeals process is unfair because residents lack knowledge of city code, which would be the basis for their arguments against the site plan.
According to La Center’s city attorney, if an appeals process fails, the only recourse for Monroe and other concerned parties is a civil lawsuit against the developer should stormwater issues worsen. City staff will ensure the developer complies with regulations set by the municipal code and hearings examiner. Monroe, who has coordinated with concerned neighbors, fears the fight may end here.
“I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to, you know, rally the folks that were there last night,” she said after the meeting. “I’m worried about that quite frankly because I think that a lot of people might just be willing to give up, throw their hands up, and say ‘Nobody’s ever going to listen to us.’ Getting shut down made everyone feel like it’s a rigged process, so why bother. Several people didn’t even bother to stick around. I think the mayor and the City Council lost a lot of credibility with citizens tonight that won’t be easy to win back.”
La Center Mayor Tom Strobehn and council members kept comments to a minimum to avoid the potential for litigation. Councilor Melissa Fox assured the crowd they did not want to silence their voices.
“If you guys voted for us, I want you to know that we do listen,” Fox said. “Even though we’re not allowed to talk too much, we are processing, and we do want to do what’s right for the people because that’s why we’re here. That’s why we have a council … to represent you folks.”
A change.org petition posted by Craig Tylenda asking that the site plan be stopped reached 242 signatures at press time. Approximately 200 people signed the petition within one week of its creation on July 14. Residents have until Aug. 12 to appeal. As of press time, no residents had confirmed they intended to file an appeal.
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