Clean Black Lake Alliance raises alarm over proposed housing development's environmental impact

Concerns over local development and its environmental impact took center stage during the Hearings Examiner meeting in Tumwater on January 29, 2025. Community members voiced strong objections to a proposed housing project that would add 184 homes and generate nearly 1,800 additional car trips daily.

Esther Cronenberg, representing the Clean Black Lake Alliance, highlighted the potential dangers to water quality and wildlife habitats in the Black Lake Basin. She emphasized that the influx of new residents and vehicles could exacerbate stormwater pollution in an already compromised ecosystem, which is home to federally endangered species. "The drastic change in character it would bring to this rural area is concerning," she stated, urging the city to reconsider the project's implications.

Cronenberg also pointed out that the Washington State Department of Ecology had previously raised alarms about the project's wetland delineation, suggesting that the wetlands on the site were more extensive than indicated in the developer's plans. "The impacts to these wetlands couldn't be avoided," she noted, questioning the adequacy of the data used to assess the environmental effects.

The meeting underscored a growing tension between development and environmental preservation in Tumwater, as residents call for more thorough evaluations of projects that could significantly alter their community. The outcome of this hearing could set a precedent for future developments in the area, as local leaders weigh the benefits of housing against the potential harm to the environment.