Citizens Speak Out Against Council’s Urban Growth Expansion

Okay, it has been a little while since we have whacked the county council, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that they have been harmless. Once again, they are pushing to expand the Urban Growth Areas, turning our precious farmland into endless stretches of sprawl.

The conservative county council introduced an amendment, literally written by shady development lawyers from Seattle, to change the zoning on the fringes of our cities to allow massive developments to be built. Or as most people would call it, “Sprawl.” These developments would then need water, sewer, roads, infrastructure all of which would be paid by the taxpayers, so that a few people can sell some more houses.

Understandably, we were upset. At the County Council’s hearing on July 13 concerned citizens flooded the comment time with concern, and outrage at this sellout. The hearing took more than three hours as the county council got an earful. One of the key points made by those speaking against the UGA expansion was how it continued to put Whatcom County out of compliance with state law.

Jean Melious, chair of the planning commission and candidate for County Council, spoke eloquently about the need to follow the law. “Whether or not it can be calculated in dollars, I believe that there is a cost to operating outside the rule of law. We are a country of laws, and Whatcom County has been an outlaw for too long. No less an authority than the Washington State Supreme Court has told us that we have violated the law. County Council members take an oath of office to uphold the laws. That is their job. They can work with the legislature to change the laws that they do not like, but they do not get to pick and choose the laws they want to implement.”

The council, under intense pressure, decided to delay the decision for two weeks. Keep you eyes out for more sneaky business from Sam Crawford and his shady developer friends.

UPDATE: Before the Council could consider this proposal on July 27, some of the parties requesting changes pulled out. See Carl Weimer's explanation HERE.