Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents tell Lakewood council permitting portal is failing and urge stronger Garry oak protections
Summary
Multiple residents told the Lakewood City Council that the new Clarity permitting portal is hard to use and that the city should require disclosure and stronger protections for Garry oaks; staff provided documents in person but the public speaker called for code changes and outreach to real estate professionals.
At the March 2 Lakewood City Council meeting, public commenters raised two recurring concerns: technical failures with the city's new permitting portal and inadequate disclosure/protection for Garry (Garry) oaks on private property.
"The system you have implemented is effectively impossible to use," Christina Manetti told the council, describing cases in which the portal loops, lacks a clear documents list and prevents downloads of materials that were accessible under the prior permitting system. Manetti said she visited the permitting desk after staff suggested it, and a staffer "ultimately told me that she couldn't use it either," adding that another staffer provided the requested documents only after Manetti asked for them. She cited RCW 42.56.080 on public records access and urged the council to press the vendor (Clarity) to fix the portal or revert to the prior system until the new portal is functional.
Manetti also spoke for the Gary Oak Coalition, pointing to recent local losses of protected Garry oaks and urging mandatory disclosure to buyers and code amendments to require notification to property owners and developers. "Lakewood must do the same," she said, referencing disclosure policies in other cities.
James Dunlop and other speakers pressed for protections across the life-cycle of Garry oaks, arguing the trees are a keystone species whose canopy has been shrinking and that the city should map and protect them.
City staff in the meeting period acknowledged they had provided requested documents in person for one commenter, but the transcript does not record a technical response from the vendor. Council members asked staff to follow up; Council member Pearson specifically suggested looking into mapping Garry oaks in the city's GIS so buyers and owners would be aware of protected features.
