City needs to follow its own requirements
Published 9:24 am Friday, March 9, 2012
We are writing in response to the Feb. 24 letter to the editor, “Sustainable Redmond should drop its lawsuit.”
The writer points out that Group Health is not in the business to sustain trees for the community, and this is entirely correct. But there are two parties involved and the City of Redmond IS in the business of preserving trees, as demonstrated by the Redmond Zoning Code requirement to preserve 35 percent of trees when commercial lots are developed. The tree protection ordinance section of that code quite explicitly states that its purpose is to “avoid the removal of stands of trees and significant trees in order to maintain the quality of Redmond’s urban environment”
Yes, the current development plan offers potential benefits to the Redmond community, including jobs and an increased tax base. In fact, Citizens and Neighbors for a Sustainable Redmond is NOT opposed to developing the Group Health property. These jobs and tax base are not imperiled by our expectation that the city follow its own regulations.
An earlier development concept preserved a significant number of the trees but has been supplanted for the sake of one million additional square feet of building. In addition, the city’s 2007 Overlake Neighborhood Master Plan states, “Master planning of the Group Health site also provides an opportunity for sensitive design to conserve groves of existing trees,” which can be found on page 15.
The Overlake Village development is good for the community and the environment since it will promote fewer car trips. However, this doesn’t need to be at the expense of the environment. Preserving groves of trees at this site will also enhance Group Health’s commitment to the health of its members since mature trees benefit overall human well-being.
Sustainable Redmond very much appreciates the encouragement and support we have received from many citizens in and around Redmond regarding this issue, and welcomes new members and partners in this effort to save an extraordinary and unique urban forest.
Katherine Low, Robert Berg, Cindy Jayne, Yvonne Wang, John Reinke, Citizens and Neighbors for a Sustainable Redmond and Howard Harrison, former Redmond City Council member
