[18] May 2, 2014
www.bellevuereporter.com
BY BRANDON MACZ
emption," said Sandstrom of the no net loss requirement. "So, individual demonstration of no net loss is not required for shoreline residential development or for most permits that are issued as shoreline substantial development permits." That does not mean the city will not need to ensure there is no net loss of ecological function, she told council, but that it will not need to be proven independently by the permit applicant. The project would be checked against current regulations that should result in no net loss. Bulkheads — vertical concrete barriers along shorelines — will not be allowed to be replaced under the shoreline plan, which instead favors a rocky slope. Bulkheads, said Sandstrom, negatively affect wave reflection. Bulkheads would need to be determined the only feasible option in order to be used. Sandstrom said another concern is that the plan proposes residential setbacks of 25 feet, which is less than the existing median setback of 50 feet for Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington. "The potential for houses moving closer to the shoreline has potential impacts in terms of water quality, moving pollutant generating surfaces closer to the shoreline," she said. Should redevelopment of properties occur using a 25foot setback, Sandstrom said there is also the potential of obstructing the views from other properties that are 50 feet from the shoreline. One option proposed to prevent this is a common line or streamline setback, which would require a new or redeveloped property to use the average setback of the two properties adjacent to it.
Council has lots of questions about shoreline plan BELLEVUE REPORTER
Bellevue councilmembers had more questions than answers by the end of Monday's third round of informational sessions provided by staff about the progress of creating a shoreline master plan the city hopes will pass state muster. The City Council was updated Monday on the cumulative impact analysis and how Bellevue's plan will attempt to satisfy a requirement that no net loss of ecological functions occur during future development and redevelopment along the city's jurisdictional shorelines. This came ahead of a May 5 public hearing for the city's shoreline master plan, which will eventually go to the Washington Department of Ecology for final approval. Sarah Sandstrom, fisheries biologist for the Watershed Company, told councilmembers "no net loss" goes further than just ecological functions of a shoreline, and includes also preserving shoreline views for residents and assessing the amount of reasonable development that could occur in the next 20 years along Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. With a majority of Bellevue's shorelines already developed, Sandstrom said residential redevelopment will likely be the most common occurrence, alongside new singlefamily development. The plan involves taking a qualitative look at the issue of net loss, she said, as it's hard to quantify restoration when a dock, for example, requires a certain amount of native vegetation to offset its impact as part of an "ecological tradeoff." "Shoreline residential development falls under an ex-
Whether all of the effort being put into the plan will satisfy how the DOE defines "no net loss" may only be known once the shoreline master plan is submitted. According to Richard Settle, an attorney specializing in environmental and land use law with Foster Pepper PLLC, "no net loss" is a new and ambiguous concept for Washington. While the DOE requires no net loss of existing ecological functions, Settle said that implies a tradeoff of development and restoration. He said there's also an assumption that restoration doesn't have to be immediate, and could take as long as 20 years depending on the development. He added there's also confusion as to how far back in time restoration is supposed to match up with shoreline conditions. "It's definitely not pre-European discovery," he said. Councilmember Kevin Wallace expressed his irritation that the council has been briefed three times on shoreline master plan development, however, confusion about meeting DOE standards remains. He added there also needs to be more done to address private property rights in the plan. "That is not helpful in deciding how to regulate someone's private property, whether there is a net loss of ecological functions," he said. "So, I just want to lodge my personal frustration. I'm just stunned that every jurisdiction in the state has to go through this and do this and in 2014 the state of the law on this is so unclear. … What we're basically looking at is someone's opinion," he said. Brandon Macz: 425-453-4602; bmacz@bellevuereporter.com
Newport High students move on to national rocketry contest BY DANIEL NASH BELLEVUE REPORTER
Five Newport High School students are moving on to the national finals of the Team America Rocketry Challenge. The Newport Rocketry Club passed the regional qualifying round — participated in by more than 700 teams — to advance to the finals, to be held May 10 at Great Meadow field in The Plains, Va. The competition requires teams to build a model rocket that can ascend exactly 825 feet and return to earth within 48-50 seconds without damaging a payload of two raw eggs. The Newport Rocketry Club will be attending nationals in its first year of operation. Freshman George Eller asked
teacher Richard Kilcup to become club adviser at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. "I thought it would be a great way to build leadership skills and have some freshmen foster friendships," Kilcup said. "Little did I know that (they) would take the club all the way to Washington, D.C., for the national finals." Eller said he was amazed at the club's ability to learn the science behind rocketry and work past inclement weather. The club will compete for $60,000 in scholarships and prizes, as well as the opportunity to compete internationally at the Farnborough International Air Show in England. The Rocketry Challenge, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, is in its 12th year of operation. Daniel Nash: 425-453-4290; dnash@bellevuereporter.com
The facility will have three full-sized gyms, giving the club the flexibility to offer indoor sports including basketball, volleyball, pickle ball, badminton, indoor mini-soccer, etc. COURTESY ART
Boys/Girls Club breaks ground for new facility The Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue and their sponsors broke ground on a new field house Wednesday, April 16 at Hidden Valley Park. Under an agreement with the city of Bellevue, the club will design, construct and operate the gymnasium in exchange for public benefits. The city and club will share equally in the cost to construct an additional athletic field and site improvements, at a total cost of up to $5 million. Some of the expansions include three full-sized gyms that can be divided into four junior high courts, giving the club the flexibility to offer indoor sports including basketball, volleyball, pickle ball, badminton, indoor mini-soccer, etc. There will even be batting cages for baseball and a concession stand to open to outdoor field area. The doors on the south side will be oversized so that they open up onto the areas adjacent to the large field. The city will have use of gym and classroom for its programs during non-club times at no-cost, allowing out to run a wide variety of programs for adults and seniors while ensuring all Bellevue youth are served regardless of their ability to pay. There will be plenty of outdoor spaces where kids and families can congregate before and after games and during other special events. Along with the city, the club plans to offer the spaces to other groups during non-club activity times. The goal is to have the building in use as much as possible.