WM asks Woodinville to remove critical-area ordinance from consent calendar, warns permit could be upended

Amy Lewis, representing WM, asked the council during public comment to remove Consent Item No. 6 (first reading of Ordinance No. 784, described in her remarks as updating critical area regulations) from the consent calendar and to help expedite WMs pending permit for a roof canopy at its Cascade Recycling Center.

Lewis said WM applied for permits beginning with pre-application comments on March 30, 2022 and submitted required documents by March 2023. She told the council that after a series of staff comments (latest new comments on Jan. 9, 2025) the city requested additional consultant field work and that WM submitted a response on Feb. 18, 2025. Lewis said the city had told WM application reviews were taking "12 plus weeks to complete," which in WMs case would mean a completion date around May 18. She warned that the proposed ordinance, which she said would eliminate the urban stream designation pathway and change buffer calculations, could take effect July 1 and would "effectively eliminate our ability to install the canopy." "Our facility will suffer significant negative impacts if the ordinance is adopted as is," Lewis said.

The mayor and staff confirmed the council had pulled the item from consent earlier in the meeting and invited Lewis to submit formal comments for staff and the record. The council did not take action on WMs request at the meeting but had already removed the item from the consent calendar and staff said they would accept the written materials.

Next steps: WM will provide formal written comments to staff; the ordinance and staff response to all comments will be considered at a future meeting once staff completes its review.