Hi all, This is an e-mail I recieved about the Black River site in Renton. I
felt it appropriate to forward it to Tweeters because of the newspaper
strike:Hello Black River Riparian Forest friends,

Here is the latest information on the annexation hearing --

As I mentioned in my e-mail of Nov. 17, the hearing will take place in the
King County District Courthouse, 3407 NE 2nd, in Renton. The courthouse is
about one-half mile south of Renton Technical College. Drive south on Monroe
Avenue NE to the end, where it comes to a tee stop. You'll see a sign for the

with an arrow pointing to the left. Turn left into the parking lot. Go
through the front door. Tell the officer that you are looking for the
Boundary Review Board hearing. At the time of this e-mail, it is scheduled
for Courtroom 3. For those of you with a Thomas Guide Street Guide and
Directory, the location of the Renton District Courthouse is on page 656,
grid F2. If you have a AAA map of Seattle, the grid is EE-14.

Some of you received a letter from the City of Renton (dated November 14)
explaining that they have decided to downzone the hillside and to include a
development agreement that conditions the development. The letter implies
that the land will be better protected if it is annexed into Renton. What the

letter does not say is that King County has environmental regulations that
are more stringent that Renton's and offer better protection for the hillside

than Renton. The fence described in the letter is like a "Woody Allen fence"
that runs along the south border of the development. It will not enclose
anything. Children will walk around the east or west edges of the fence and
have full access to the well-used railroad tracks at the base of this
hillside -- they will then be only a few steps away from the tracks. Not
incidentally, the letter fails to mention that Renton has not yet signed the
development agreement -- the conditions of which are minimal and fully
inadequate, but at least some protection is provided. Renton's position on
signing of the agreement is that it wants to see how this hearing goes. That
sends quite a mixed message as no matter what happens at the hearing, Renton
may chose to not sign the development agreement, which means that their
soothing letter is really meaningless in every regard.

I've included the earlier e-mail below. All the information is correct about
our focus and what we will be requesting. If you would like to testify and
aren't sure what to say, consider this (this is only a suggestion -- the most

important thing is that you speak from your heart) -- something like, "I
support the position of the Seattle and Rainier Audubon Societies, and
Citizens for Renton Wildlands Preservation. Please do not annex this hillside

into Renton. Wait until Renton has environmental regulations that are at
least as comprehensive and stringent as King County's. When annexation is
finally approved at a future time, condition that approval with a requirement

that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be completed before any project
is proposed."

Also, it is absolutely appropriate to say something about what the Black
River Riparian Forest/great blue heron colony means to you. You will have up
to three minutes to speak.

I mentioned in my earlier e-mail that there was a possibility that those of
you who do not intend to testify might be able yield your time to me. I have
since learned that the Board does not allow for this.

Please attend whether you plan to testify or not. Your attendance will send a

strong message that this extraordinary place is loved and deserves all the
protection allowed under the law. With the Times and PI on strike, there will

likely not be the coverage that normally would help bring in people who know
and love this site but are not members of SAS, RAS, or CFRWP.

Please read the e-mail below for important information about the issues
involved. Contact me with your questions. Thank you very much for your
support.

Suzanne Krom, president
Citizens for Renton Wildlands Preservation (in conjunction with Seattle
Audubon Society and Rainier Audubon Society)




Date: Fri, Nov 17, 2000 11:20 PM EDT
From: SzKrom
Subj: Please attend Black River hearing, 11/28, 7 pm

A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 7 pm in the King County
District Courthouse, 3407 NE 2nd, in Renton. Please make every effort to
attend.

This hearing is an excellent opportunity to voice our concerns regarding the
proposed annexation of the hillside, which is adjacent to the Black River
Riparian Forest. The hearing is with the Boundary Review Board, which
evaluates annexation issues. Ron Sims' office called for the hearing and is
taking the position that the annexation is premature. We agree. Our focus is
on the environmental impacts on the Black River Riparian Forest.

We are concerned that the proposed annexation of the hillside into the City
of Renton will result in a development that will have significant impact,
permanently altering the habitat of the Black River Riparian Forest. Before
approval of the proposed annexation takes place, it should be conditioned to
ensure that all applicable King County regulations are included in the City
of Renton's regulations, which is not currently the case. It is for this
reason that we urge the Boundary Review Board to recommend the following:

Approval of the proposed annexation of the subject hillside into the City of
Renton is premature and should not occur until the City of Renton has put
into place applicable environmental regulations that are equal to or better
than King County's regulations. In addition, we urge the Board to ensure that

the hillside and adjacent Black River Riparian Forest be considered as a
whole, and an EIS that is specific to any proposed project on this hillside
be required before any project is approved by the City of Renton.

By attending this hearing, it shows the Board that there is community-wide
interest in this issue. Remember, close to $8 million of your money went
toward buying the Black River Riparian Forest (only $86,500 of which came
from Renton). Development of this hillside, if not done properly, has a very
good chance of damaging or destroying this extraordinary place. Please attend

whether or not you intend to testify. Incidentally, it sounds like there is a

good possibility that those of you who do not intend to testify can yield
your time to me, that will give us more time to express our specific
concerns. I'll confirm this in my next e-mail, which I'll send out next week.


There is a possibility that the hearing may be continued two days later --
Nov. 30, same time, same place depending on how many people want to testify.
However, if you are chosing between the two dates, by far, the most important

date to attend is Tuesday, November 28 (the first day).

Please e-mail if you have questions.
Thank you very much,
Suzanne Krom
end of forwarded e mail. Ed Newbold signing off Seattle WA.
newboldwildlife at netscape.net


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