Eastside Audubon Shares in a Victory in Woodinville
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
Excerpts of information from the Friends of Sammamish Valley web page are included in this article.
In late May, the WA State Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) invalidated the King County Adult Beverage Ordinance allowing wine tasting and event centers in the Rural Area of King County south of Woodinville. The ordinance was sent back to the county for environmental review. The Eastside Audubon Conservation Committee has been following the proposal for this ordinance for several years and has commented in opposition to it. If enacted, the ordinance would allow existing and new wine tasting rooms outside the boundary of the Growth Management Act in Woodinville and in other areas of the county. EAS supported the efforts of the Friends of Sammamish Valley (FoSV), which has the goals of protecting the Sammamish Valley Agricultural Production District and the Sammamish Valley watershed, maintaining the character of the surrounding Rural Area, and preserving the rural lifestyle for local residents. The FoSV led the effort to stop the ordinance.
ADULT BEVERAGE ORDINANCE
The King County ordinance proposed to allow commercial and retail businesses including remote tasting rooms and event centers. EAS and FoSV, as well as county officials, have been aware that these types of businesses were already operating illegally outside of the urban boundaries. The law regarding such businesses was not enforced by King County. The proposed ordinance is considered by opponents as de facto rezoning of the area that would permanently establish these urban use businesses in the Rural Area. The ordinance would also open the way for new urban use businesses across King County Rural Areas.
Production wineries, breweries, and distilleries are an important part of the region, but drinking establishments such as remote tasting rooms, taverns, wine bars and event centers, and retail distribution rather than beverage making was the objective of the ordinance. The ordinance violated the state’s Growth Management Act by allowing urban use businesses in the protected Rural Area across King County.
INVALIDATION OF THE ORDINANCE
The GMHB sent a strongly worded statement to the county saying that many environmental concerns were not addressed and that development impacts on rural and residential areas, and farmland, including traffic, stormwater runoff, and sanitation need to be studied carefully to inform any changes to important zoning regulations.
If the county decides to conduct an environmental review it must be completed by November 6, 2020 unless the board grants them more time. They may also decide to appeal. In the meantime, FoSV will demand the county enforce the code to deal with the nine well-documented violators in the Sammamish Valley.
EASTSIDE AUDUBON BIRD SURVEY
During 2017 a team of surveyors from Eastside Audubon conducted a once-a-month survey of the birds in three areas near the site of the proposed ordinance. The three sites were: A section of the Tolt-Sammamish River Pipeline Trail that runs from 148th Ave., NE to the Sammamish River then south to SR 202, Gold Creek County Park in the Hollywood neighborhood, and the 21 Acres site in Woodinville. Over the course of the year, 98 species of birds were observed in the three areas.
The Tolt Pipeline-Sammamish River Trail had the largest number of bird species among the three sites with total of 82 seen or heard, representing 84% of the combined total of species and 27 species which were not observed at either of the other sites. The Rural Area provides good habitat for birds and provides a habitat corridor between the river and forested areas to the east. The full report was submitted to the FoSV to support the opposition to the ordinance and to preserve the Rural Area intact. The report is available on the EAS website at www.eastsideaudubon.org.