Are you tired of irresponsible development in Snohomish County?
SO ARE WE!

Are you tired of irresponsible development in Snohomish County?


SO ARE WE!

A New Path - Protect Our Watershed
This video was produced for A New Path For Snohomish County to raise awareness to the potential destruction of the local watershed and fish bearing streams.
The Ambleside Development, PDS # 19 115780SPA, proposes destroying an urban forest, 2 fish-bearing streams, and a protected wildlife habitat to build 52 densely packed 3-story units without adequate parking.

The excessive destruction of this development is not limited to this property. This development requires the additional construction of an ill-conceived 1,000 ft sewer that will invade riparian buffers, destroy a wetland containing an additional fish-bearing stream, and require the demolition of a significant colonnade of trees, resulting in continued and extensive degradation of the Penny Creek Watershed.

They propose paying for this with RAISED TAXES AND UTILITY BILLS. JOIN US IN SAYING NO!
This development will harm our environment.
This development is a war on living things.
Deforestation
Deforestation of this site for this development will have irreparably damaging, and permanent, consequences.

This development would “take paradise and put up a parking lot.”

The urban forest on this site is critical and necessary as part of our ecosystem’s riparian buffer. Deforestation of this urban forest would cause flooding and erosion leading to an increase in temperatures [widely known as climate change]. The developer would substitute impervious surfaces for the trees and buffer zones.
Pollution
The proposed development will permanently destroy urban forests, critical areas to include fish-bearing streams, buffers, wetlands, and the watershed.

Once this is gone you can’t “mitigate it” with other measures. The loss of these areas would contribute to flooding and standing water where it shouldn’t be. This development will cause the death of habitat to include fish, amphibians, birds and the insects necessary for the ecosystem—and our survival.

Trees clean our air and hold Co2. Deforesting releases the held Co2, and removes the existing perpetual natural de-polluting effects that the urban forest would have provided to our community..
Destruction of Habitat
It must be emphasized that this development will utterly destroy the existing habitat and cause the death of wildlife to include fish, birds and insects necessary for our ecosystem. This will devastate our existing native growth area and watershed.

Once the trees are ripped down the natural habitat that goes with them is either killed or displaced. Critical areas necessary to this riparian buffers would be destroyed or severely impacted. This would kill off the salmonids and other fish in the streams and all the other habitat necessary for the ecosystem. This would necessarily have an adverse effect on our watershed which sustains life for all of us.
Impact to Protected Wildlife
The increasing destruction of wildlife should be a matter of public concern. Invariably, protected wildlife such as owls and eagles and salmonids are being lost forever in our communities.

The destruction of this habitat for development would harm, and effectively kill, protected wildlife.

The stream on the development property is fish bearing, and among other things, is home to protected Cutthroat Trout. These fish return to their originating streams to lay eggs, and the destruction of these streams would give these fish nowhere to lay the next generations of fish.
This development will harm our community.
This development is a war on our quality of life.
Raised Utility Bills & Tax
This development will require extensive additional construction by the Silver Lake Sewer District of a 1,000 ft. sewer line.

The ungainly proposed 1,000 ft sewer line will require the Silver Lake Sewer District to maintain and fix it when it inevitably fails. The expense of this sewer will fall on you through increased taxes and increased utility bills

The following is a quote from the June 2022 SEPA:
"b. Proposed measures to reduce or control direct impacts on public services, if any:
Impacts will be controlled by the increase in tax base and tax assessments paid to the public services as well as impact fees."
Extreme Traffic
On average this development would result in 453 additional daily uses of the two-lane roads surrounding the development and cause a massive and unsafe traffic backup during school pickup and drop-off at Silver Lake Elementary.

Causing hazards, this development is a public safety disaster and puts our children at risk, especially because many of the surrounding roads do not have sidewalks or even crosswalks.
Ruining Public Land
This development also significantly threatens the 5-acre WSDOT property, which is declared a mitigation site in perpetuity, right next to it. Regardless the developer, PDS, and potentially WSDOT would allow the developer to encroach upon it. This mitigation zone not only is a wetland with upland buffer but contains an F4 salmonid stream! Encroaching this special place would result in the depletion and destruction of the critical water sources on the site. This mitigation site belongs to all of us!

The deforestation and development on this mitigation zone and sewer line will make an unstable force and erode the properties on either side of it with flooding, and increases the risk of flooding, erosion, and irreparable property damage for the surrounding neighborhoods and community.
Increased Noise
There are two significant noise concerns with this development. The initial construction noise poses a hearing loss risk to our children next door at Silver Lake Elementary and the play field. The development of 52 homes will also increases noise pollution of the surrounding area forever. The surrounding quiet and tight-knit neighborhoods will be quiet no longer with the influx of new residents, idling cars, and barking dogs.
Community Support
Professional Opinions
11-25-2023
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: Snohomish County needs a new fire marshal. Snohomish County’s Planning and Development Services Director Mike McCrary doubles in that position, responsible for cranking out as many building permits as fast as possible, while as fire marshal he is responsible for the life and safety review of building permits. This double-duty by McCrary creates the appearance of a conflict of interest, if not a direct conflict of interest.
10-05-2023
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: I urge the Fire Marshal’s Office to reconsider its decision and reverse its approval of the proposed methane mitigation plan. No land disturbing activity permits should be allowed for construction of apartments, until there have been zero methane readings in the monitoring wells for a period of at least 5-years.
10-09-2023
Jim Walsh
Opinion: In order to fight climate change, global warming, and the destruction of our environment, I am asking you to issue an executive order that stops clear-cutting and gives special consideration to protecting the tree canopies and our critical areas. A democracy for the people requires this. A measure instructing developers and county planning departments to stop the practice of clear-cutting and formulate a reasonable ratio for retaining significant trees and tree canopies along with a true assessment of the critical areas to be protected for the purpose of preserving our watershed is necessary. As the dialectic continues, we may expect the enactment of a Bill of Rights for our environment that provides uniform security and rational expectations.
09-26-2023
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: There are significant design issues as described herein that must be addressed and resolved prior to the issuance of a Developer Extension Agreement (DEA) by the SLWSD; and issuance of a minor change to the SPA permit and issuance of an LDA permit by Snohomish County
09-09-2023
Jessica Salazar / Herald Forum
Opinion: Snohomish County’s ongoing favoritism toward developers neglects residents, exacerbates crime, and decimates natural habitats.

It’s been more than two years since I rst raised the alarm with a commentary in The Herald, and yet, the devastation not only continues but has intensied. Is Snohomish County government simply tone-deaf, or is it purposely ignoring the impassioned pleas of its constituents? The cries for change have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, as county leadership remains apathetic to the gut-wrenching concerns of our neighbors.
07-20-2023
LAW OFFICES OF J. RICHARD ARAMBURU PLLC
Opinion: I write today on behalf of Jim Walsh because the current application materials for the Ambleside proposal do not meet minimum code requirements to document tree canopy and retain that canopy as required by code.
07-06-2023
LAW OFFICES OF J. RICHARD ARAMBURU PLLC
Opinion: I write today on behalf of Jim Walsh. Mr. Walsh asked me to comment on the requirements of SCC 30.25.016 regarding the Ambleside residential development. As described below, the current application materials do not meet minimum code requirements to document tree canopy and retain that canopy as required by code.
03-29-2023
A New Path Petition Team
A New Path For Snohomish County
Opinion: Take a position. Join the Union of your fellow neighbors who want to protect our ecosystem, change the State and County building codes, limit unrestrained and destructive “development,” and the big money Ambleside Project. My name is Jim Walsh and I live in unincorporated Snohomish County. Presently, there are about 7,500 of us who have signed a petition to make changes that favor the environment and our neighborhoods.  You can see it here https://chng.it/tDyQtstx.  Current policies and practices allow for the destruction of our critical areas which include fish bearing streams, wetlands, urban forests, and the very buffers that are supposed to protect us along with the habitat and wildlife that lives there.  Take a look around, won’t you have a say in this systematic continuous destruction? The people who were here originally may have tried to tell us this before!

02-07-2023
James R. Walsh
Attorney at Law
LAW OFFICE OF JAMES R. WALSH
Opinion:
09-06-2022
James R. Walsh
Attorney at Law
LAW OFFICE OF JAMES R. WALSH
Opinion: The County should complete its environmental review of the entire Ambleside project prior to issuing any demolition, Class IV-General forest practices permit, or any other permits. The County should decline to issue any demolition permits until it is prepared to approve the Ambleside project. The County should decline to approve the Ambleside project at this time without a viable sanitary sewer option.
06-28-2022
James R. Walsh
Attorney at Law
LAW OFFICE OF JAMES R. WALSH
Opinion: Recently the developer offered a new plan for the offsite sewer which presents a similar environmental disastrous impact and engineering deficiencies. In conjunction with this new plan the developer submitted a revised SEPA dated June 2022 which indicates that it is the good people living in the Silver Lake Sewer District who will have to pay for this thing.

The following is a quote from the June 2022 SEPA:
"b. Proposed measures to reduce or control direct impacts on public
services, if any:
Impacts will be controlled by the increase in tax base and
tax assessments paid to the public services as well as impact
fees."
04-15-2022
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: This condition will require the removal of the entire colonnade of 100-foot tall trees, with unmitigated harm to the wetland.

Given that over the last two years, these questions still have not been adequately addressed or resolved, calls into question the feasibility of this project. It is entirely inappropriate for the SLWSD to issue a Developer Extension Agreement (DEA), without first having resolved these questions that will likely result in rate increases to your customers and potential failure and sewage spill into Ruggs Lake.
04-15-2022
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: Under SCC 30.62A.320 (1)(c)(ii) total new effective impervious surfaces shall be limited to 10 percent within 300 feet of Silver Lake Creek, a Type F stream. This buffer width is incorrectly measured to the center of stream rather than its OHWM or wetlands containing salmonids as is the case here.

Given all the incomplete or inadequate information provided, it is not in WSDOT’s best interest for the preservation of its wetland mitigation site to approve this project at this time, until these issues are resolved.
03-17-2022
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: It is inappropriate for the SLWSD to issue a Developer Extension Agreement (DEA) at this time, in view of the unresolvable issues. Given the current sanitary sewer proposal, it is not reasonable to conclude that this project can be reasonably completed given its high risk and the incomplete and inaccurate information provided.

Therefore, we strongly urge the SLWSD not to issue a DEA at this time.
02-10-2022
James R. Walsh
Attorney at Law
LAW OFFICE OF JAMES R. WALSH
Opinion: The legislature should form an oversight committee to investigate and then ensure that state law enacted to protect our environment is in force in Snohomish County. In keeping with SEPA and the SEPA checklist the legislature should enact legislation requiring developers’ experts and agents to sign declarations attesting to the truth and veracity of what they are submitting. Moreover, these documents should be subject to independent review by neighborhood councils. Mindful of global warming and climate change, the legislature needs to pass a statewide bill of rights for our environment protecting the watersheds, waterways, lakes, streams, trees, urban forests and other critical areas with strict enforcement provisions.

This is the time to make a choice and act on it.
09-20-2021
Alex Sidles, Bricklin and Newman LLP
on behalf of
James Walsh
Opinion: The County should conclude that the Ambleside subdivision cannot be approved as proposed. The County should find that the multiple instances of non-compliance with regulations, and the project’s significant, adverse impacts require a determination of significance and an environmental impact statement.
06-24-2021
Tom Murdock
Director
Adopt a Stream Foundation
Opinion: Snohomish County should use the data in this report as the basis for updating its database and to categorize the stream reach of Silver Lake Creek between Silver Lake Creek and Ruggs Lake
as a Type F Water.
04-30-2021 
Alex Sidles, Bricklin and Newman LLP
on behalf of
James Walsh
Opinion: The District should not approve nor enter into any DEA with the Ambleside developer.
02-16-2021
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: Permit No. 21-101408-WMD must be denied and no modification or waiver should be allowed due to potential impacts that will likely adversely impact WSDOT’s 25th Ave. SE mitigation site.

The proposed Ambleside development must be redesigned such that the currently existing, surface and shallow subsurface flows to the WSDOT mitigation site are maintained in accordance with Minimum Requirement No. 4, Preservation of Natural Drainage Systems and Outfalls.
12-28-2020
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: As of the date of this letter report, the Applicant has yet to submit any permit applications for retaining walls, fill, culvert replacement, Critical Area Study, or buffer mitigation for removal of significant trees within the buffer on the Torrence property Parcel No. 28052900305100. As discussed, the recorded easement is defective and does not allow construction of the unpermitted retaining wall or fill in the wetland buffer, if it is not included as an integral part of the offsite sanitary sewer construction.

Yet the SLWSD’s approval of the Ambleside offsite sanitary sewer still persists.

Everyone wishes to avoid the expense and time required to appeal to either the Hearing Examiner or Superior Court for another ill-conceived project. We trust that you will take these concerns seriously and a response is requested.
10-20-2020
Alex Sidles, Bricklin and Newman LLP
on behalf of
James Walsh
Opinion: District should decline to enter into a new DEA with the Ambleside developer.

The objections expressed herein are in addition to those expressed in our December and July letters, none of which have been addressed. Our December and July letters contain additional grounds for declining a new DEA, including unlawful encroachment on wetland and stream buffers and the likelihood that the project (including the proposed aboveground sewer and supporting structures) will not survive environmental review.

Finally, a word on transparency: The District has never explained to Mr. Walsh, despite his inquiries, what its standards are for approving or disapproving this DEA. In addition, the District has never shared with Mr. Walsh the information in its possession regarding the Ambleside application. We ask the District to please explain the standards it will use to approve or disapprove this request for DEA, and to provide to Mr. Walsh any information in its possession regarding the Ambleside application.
06-02-2020
Sarah Spear Cooke PhD
Professional Wetland Scientist
Cooke Scientific
Opinion: PDS must not approve the site plan application under PFN: 19-115780-SPA and that it be remanded back to the Applicant for revision. As stated above, as currently proposed, this development will result in significant, unmitigated impacts to critical areas (Wetland, drainages, and their buffers; and significant trees.

The Silver Lake Water and Sewer District is encouraged to rescind its Development Agreement with Ambleside pending resolution of the issues raised in all the 3rd party review documents. The County must tie the SEPA impacts from the sewer line construction into the entire permit review process.

Additionally, I urge WSDOT to confirm that it will not allow the use of its mitigation site or any reduction in the tree canopy either through direct removal or mortality post-sewerline and raising the road to maximize profits for the private Ambleside development.
12-02-2019
William Lider, PE, CESCL
Stormwater and Erosion Control Engineer
Lider Engineering
Opinion: Given the plethora of issues raised in my review of the Ambleside development and its sanitary sewer design, it is my opinion that PDS must not approve the site plan application under PFN: 19-115780-SPA and that it be remanded back to the Applicant for revision.

The Silver Lake Water and Sewer District is encouraged to rescind its Development Agreement with Ambleside pending resolution of the issues raised herein.

WSDOT is urged to confirm that it will not allow the use of its mitigation site or any reduction in the tree canopy to construct a road simply to maximize profits for the private Ambleside development.
05-07-2019
Sarah Spear Cooke PhD
Professional Wetland Scientist
Cooke Scientific
Opinion: PDS must not approve the site plan application under PFN: 19-115780-SPA and that it be remanded back to the Applicant for revision. As statedabove, as currently proposed this development will result in significant, unmitigated impacts to critical areas (Wetland, drainages, and their buffers; and significant trees.

The Silver Lake Water and Sewer District is encouraged to rescind its Development Agreement with Ambleside pending resolution of the issues raised in all the 3rd party review documents. The County must tie the SEPA impacts from the sewer line construction into the entire permit review process.

Additionally, I urge WSDOT to confirm that it will not allow the use of its mitigation site or any reduction in the tree canopy either through direct removal or mortality post-sewerline and raising the road to maximize profits for the private Ambleside development.
Date Unknown
Tom Murdock
Director
Adopt a Stream Foundation
Opinion: PDS must retract its approval of the inaccurate Ambleside Critical Areas Report and require the proponent of the Ambleside project to re-submit a report that recognizes Silver Lake creek as fish bearing. Furthermore, any future PDS permit approvals must reflect current Snohomish County code restrictions on new development within 300-feet of a salmonid bearing stream.

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