HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_BettsComment_2204261
Andrew Van Gordon
From:Alex Morganroth
Sent:Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:03 AM
To:Andrew Van Gordon
Cc:Jonathan Chavez
Subject:FW: Project PR22-000109 Maple Hghlands application
FYI
ALEX MORGANROTH, AICP, Senior Planner
City of Renton | CED | Planning Division
1055 S Grady Way | 6th Floor | Renton, WA 98057
Virtual Permit Center | Online Applications and Inspections
(425) 430-7219 | amorganroth@rentonwa.gov
From: Norie <norie48@comcast.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2022 10:35 AM
To: Marv <MarvBettes@centurylink.net>
Cc: Alex Morganroth <AMorganroth@Rentonwa.gov>; tim.prusa@kpff.com; Scott <scottc1020@gmail.com>; Roger
<RogerOvera@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Project PR22-000109 Maple Hghlands application
Here we go again! Great overview and history with Horton, Renton and King County. I
think your timing is perfect. Have you seen any hearing dates yet?
Norie
On Apr 26, 2022, at 5:40 AM, Marv <MarvBettes@centurylink.net> wrote:
April 26th 2022
To:
Alex Morganroth, Planner
City of Renton Planning Division
amorganroth@rentonwa.gov
Timothy Prusa, Kpff Consulting Engineers
1031 5th Ave Suite 1600 Seattle, WA 98101
tim.prusa@kpff.com
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Renton. Do not click links, reply or open attachments unless
you know the content is safe.
2
This letter is in regards to project PR22-000109 Maple Highlands. Please include this in response
to The Notice of Application and DNS Hearing dated April 20, 2022. I am never sure when to
respond to the planning process. Restricting the communication to phone calls and Zoom meetings
further restricts communication. Therefore I am putting my response in writing. I would like my
input considered. In 2019 the DR Horton development east of 154th did not work out well for those
of us to the South who are in King County. We attended all of the meetings and provided input but
everything changed after those meetings. We did not discover the changes until after the
construction had already gotten under way.
Our concerns then, and now, are the drainage and the road restriction from entering the gravel
driveways in the King County right-of-way to the South of the project. We had accepted the fact
that the water from the development would drain into our existing open ditch. This still left us with
concerns because there was no downstream mitigation proposed. As it turned out we were treated
badly by Renton and King County. Their ditch missed our existing ditch location. It also missed the
existing ditch elevation. The new ditch was cut in without permit from King County and it was
approximately 30” deeper than proposed. The permit was retroactively issued by King County 2
months later. The remaining open ditch side slope was steeper than allowed and it took up half of
the entire right of way. This left little room for vehicles wishing to turn around.
The road was blocked by an almost invisible black chain link fence and twice as many orange and
white barricade markers than required. It has been run into several times. It was proposed to use
rocks and planters which the developer was willing to do but somehow it was never done that
way. Also the barricade did not go all the way across the road and cars and motorcycles could pass
through. Some even drove on the sidewalk to bypass the barricade. There was evidence of several
vehicles (some witnessed) that used the side walk as well as several vehicles that went into the 3 ft.
deep ditch. Young people on bicycles, motorcycles, and go-carts crashed more than once going
from the sidewalk into the ditch. It was very fortunate they were not seriously hurt.
The downstream ditches have been able to handle the runoff from the 14 homes now there.
However the water table, springs, and serious rain storms have not been present to test the system
yet. Currently the culverts have been half full on occasion. On one occasion water flowed over the
driveways. Even without the new project west of 154th those to the south are faced with significant
risk of flooding in the future. Currently the paved section of 154th does not drain into the retention
pond. That area runs straight through into the king county open ditch. If (or when) 154th is
extended north the flow will be increased significantly. Now it is proposed that drainage from
another 12 homes be added to the existing system. We were told by Renton that drainage for
future projects would be routed away from 154th. This proposal is intending to route the extra
water South into the existing drainage system on 154th. The current designs will almost double the
potential drainage problems. Currently the open ditch runs constantly from November through
April or May. It is still running as I write this in late April even though we have had a very dry
year. I would like a proposal that will mitigate these problems downstream of the current system. I
do not object to routing the drainage down 154th as long as there is adequate mitigation. At a
minimum that mitigation should include extending the existing culvert in order to provide more
road area between the barricade and the open ditch. It should also include moving the existing
downstream culverts in front of 14010 and 14124 away from the center of the right-of-way and
increasing the size of the culverts to 12” diameter smooth bore pipe. There are other concerns
further downstream.
It also should include sloping the new roadway and sidewalk north of the barricade on the west
side of 154th to a drain that prevents the water from going straight south onto the gravel
driveway. It should include a road barricade that prevents cars from bypassing the barricade along
the side walk on both sides of 154th, while maintaining access for bicycles and walkers. The new
barricade should be more neighborhood friendly. It currently looks like you are about to enter a
secret military site with armed guards.
I am also concerned about the elevation of the storm pond as well as the general elevation of the
whole project. It seems to me that the pond will have to be almost the same elevation as the pond
on the east side of 154th in order to drain into the existing ditch. Or the ditch has to be lower. In
either case in order for the homes to drain to the pond they in turn have to be higher than the pond.
3
All this means that I will have a pond and homes that are 5 foot higher than the natural grade along
my North boarder. This will create an area that cannot be drained to the pond and will be drained
onto my property.
Because my property is downhill from the project, as well as in King County rather than Renton,
makes it a very easy dumping ground as it was with the DR Horton project. I expect a proposal
which answers all of these concerns early in the process before the plans and designs are
finalized. I also would like this project to be visible until the end rather than having all of the
changes made in secret between the contractor and Renton later in the process like the DR Horton
Project. The neighbors in King County tried to coordinate with Renton and King County for a
solution during the last project but failed. We will need help in that coordination process.
Thank You,
Marv Bettes
14009 154th Ave SE
Renton, WA 98059
(425) 226-2104
MarvBettes@centurylink.net