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Resident urges council to preserve Bowman Creek Plateau as EIS scoping nears close
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Summary
Auburn resident Trista Sutherland told the council during audience participation that the Bowman Creek Plateau (Hidden Valley / Mount Rainier Vista) should remain zoned as residential conservancy and protected from rezoning as an Environmental Impact Statement scoping process concludes.
Trista Sutherland, an Auburn resident who lives near Bowman Creek, urged the City Council during public comment on Oct. 6 to preserve the Bowman Creek Plateau area—also referred to in testimony as Hidden Valley and Mount Rainier Vista—and to resist rezoning that would allow denser development.
Sutherland said the area was zoned Residential Conservancy in February 2009 to protect wetlands, slopes, habitat and a water source linked to Coal Creek Springs, and to provide low-density residential living (one dwelling per four acres). She warned council members that rezoning after development is a “one-way door” that would eliminate long-term ecological and community benefits.
"As the scoping process for the EIS is, we think, coming to a close, that you consider the long term effects of any rezoning decisions," Sutherland said. "Bowman Creek Plateau would remain a city asset instead of ... a long term liability." (Speaker identified in meeting transcript as Trista Sutherland.)
Another resident, Virginia Haugen of Auburn, spoke in support of land preservation and criticized recent tree removals in neighborhoods. Haugen also referenced Resolution No. 5862, the grant the council approved that night for East Valley Highway design, saying widening the highway could speed traffic and affect nearby properties.
Why it matters: the testimony calls attention to local concerns about residential-conservancy zoning, habitat protection, and how future development of adjacent gravel-pit properties could affect the plateau. The EIS scoping and any subsequent rezoning decisions could change long-standing land-use protections for the area.
What residents asked for
- Keep Bowman Creek Plateau (Hidden Valley / Mount Rainier Vista) designated and protected as residential conservancy to preserve wetlands, slopes, habitat and views. - Consider the long-term consequences of rezoning during the EIS scoping process; do not treat rezoning as reversible.
Council response and context
The mayor and council accepted the public comments during the audience participation portion of the meeting; no formal action on zoning or the EIS was taken that evening. Separately on the consent and resolutions portion of the agenda, council approved Resolution No. 5862, accepting $700,000 for East Valley Highway design. Residents who commented linked that project to concerns about widening and property impacts.
Speakers at the meeting were limited to three minutes during public comment; Sutherland distributed a handout showing the area she described. The transcript records Sutherland and Haugen's remarks during the audience participation period.
