SPECIAL MEETING
JULY 19, 2011 @ 4PM
PURPOSE:
To discuss the letter
received from Doralee Booth of Birch Bay Steering Committee:
July 13, 2011
To: Sam Ryan, Director
of Planning and Development
Joe
Rutan, County Engineer
From: Doralee Booth,
Co-chair Transportation/Public Safety Implementation Sub-committtee
Kathy Berg, Chair of the Birch Bay
Steering Committee
The meandering
hard-surface pedestrian walkway in front of the Mariner's Cove Condominiums at
8026 Birch Bay Drive has recently been been torn up and replaced with grass.
A fence has now been installed at the north perimeter of the property to
direct the pedestrian traffic onto the enhanced shoulder in a very busy,
conflicted part of Birch Bay Drive known as the Bay Center intersection.
Cars leaving Birch Bay Drive to make a right turn onto Harborview impact
the roadway at this point where pedestrians are now forced out onto the
enhanced shoulder to face oncoming vehicle and bicycle traffic.
The Shoreline Management
Substantial Development Permit #1521283 states on page 235-236 under #22 :
The 2004 Birch Bay
Community Plan Transportation Goal...Policy TR-4c states:
It would seem that this
decision to remove the sidewalk is contrary to the original County
planning documents, the Birch Bay Community planning efforts and public safety along
the conflicted Birch Bay Drive arterial.
"Birch Bay
Discovery Days" is this coming weekend and we are concerned about
pedestrian safety for hundreds of people. A parade is scheduled as well
in this location. In the immediate, the fence blocking pedestrian access,
and thus directing them onto Birch Bay Drive, should be removed.
We respectfully request
enforcement of the Shoreline Management Substantial Development Permit
for Mariner's Cove and the Birch Bay Community Planning documents.
The development of the Shoreline Berm and Pedestrian walkway has not
occurred and therefore the public pedestrian path in front of Mariner's Cove
should remain.