Letter to the Editor: Citizens concerned about loss of woods in Seaview/Perrinville area

Dear Editor:

The residents in the Seaview and Perrinville area are facing, for the third time over the past 15 years, the possibility of a 27-home planned residential development (PRD) being developed in their back yard. If it comes to fruition, more than five acres of woodlands will be clear-cut and graded to make way for 27 homes. The development is known as “Angler’s Crossing”.

This 5.8-acre wooded area is located near the intersection of 184th Street SW and 80th Ave W. From that point it runs easterly all the way down the hill to Perrinville. This property besides being forested, has several steep slopes up to 134 percent grade, two large ravines, a wetland and is the home to a variety of wildlife. Of equal importance is that this area is a watershed of Perrinville Creek.

This stream, which empties into Brown’s Bay, has a population of resident cutthroat trout throughout and Coho salmon that migrates into its lower reaches. The stream has long been known as a stream in trouble. Throughout the years stormwater has eroded its banks, the spawning beds have been silted over, and it has become a contributor of polluted storm water entering Puget Sound.

To clear the way for this PRD to move forward, anyone who wants to develop this property needs the .6-acre parcel owned by the City of Edmonds. The city’s parcel adjoins the five-acre tract on its northern boundary. Our local homeowner’s group would like the city to retain ownership of its property and take the necessary steps to buy the adjoining land to turn it into a city park.

On Tuesday evening, the 18th of March at 7:00 p.m., the Edmonds City Council will hold a public hearing regarding the potential sale of the city’s property. This will be an important decision, not only for the local residents, but for Perrinville Creek and Puget Sound should this watershed give way to a housing development.

Our Seaview and Perrinville homeowner group is hopeful many voices will be heard in support of the city retaining ownership of its property.

Duane Farmen
Edmonds

  1. My husband and I live on the corner of 188th St SW and 84th Ave W. I might suggest that we explore the possibility that we, residents of the Seaview and Perrinville neighborhoods, could raise enough money to buy the .6 acre parcel. Then we could work in partnership with the city to develop a park on the land.

  2. Baffles me how this will make it any easier to keep Olympic View Drive from sliding down into Perrinville Creek over the ensuing years.

  3. Having seen the post effects of developing a steep ravine with a 50-75% grade that was unsuitable for development on Homeview and 180th in Perrinville, this cannot possibly be acceptable to any planning or engineering group with common sense. I’m hoping the City will have a civil engr or planner to address this area topography forthrightly at the meeting Tuesday. I also suspect the developer, judging from this very location, is not only unfamiliar with the locality but also with the United States as well. This appears to be a foreign investment with a local representative.

    1. A reminder to all — if you can please use both your first and last name when posting, it would be much appreciated according to My Edmonds News policy.

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