June Updates & Actions
MudBayCliffs.org
Newsletter #2 - 6/13/2022
Hello MudBayCliffs.org visitors!
We have welcomed nearly 50 new email subscribers since our last newsletter! If you would like to receive updates via email, sign up for Updates on the Home page.
Thank you all for supporting our efforts to protect Mud Bay Cliffs from development.
First, our leading urgent action item is a very time-critical survey – the online survey for Bellingham’s Urban Forestry Management Plan closes Wed. June 15th!. This is your chance to tell the City how you feel about trees on both public and private land. So please take a few minutes to fill out the survey and add your mark(s) to the online map (!). You can access the survey here: https://engagebellingham.org/ufmp
In PMBC news, Steering Committee members continue to meet regularly via Zoom, and our various subcommittees continue to move forward in a number of key areas. Highlights include…
Yard Signs. You’ve probably seen the lovely (recyclable!) blue & green PMBC signs popping up on parking strips around Edgemoor and perhaps wondered where you could get one (?). Our generous donors have made it possible to offer these signs free of charge to those who want to show their support for preserving the beautiful forested cliffs above Mud Bay. And, just as with political signs, the more there are, the more it sends the message that we have widespread support! We’d love to see them all over Edgemoor! Contact us via the “Volunteer” button on the website to request your free PMBC yard sign! PU or delivery is available.
Flyers. A double sided full color flyer will be arriving on doors over the next week or so, thanks again to our generous donors and to our crew of dedicated volunteers. As it’s technically illegal to place them in mail boxes (and we didn’t feel we could ask our volunteers to break the law), we’ll be placing them in plastic sleeves to hang on door knobs (not loving the plastic, but not loving breaking the law, either). An electronic version is also available here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/m37588dlp18qr0i/FlyerMay2022.pdf?dl=0 for friends who may be supportive of our cause (Note: Please use discretion and only send the flyer to those who are likely to be supportive – we learned with the Chuckanut Ridge development a few years ago that the farther afield we go, the less support we encounter).
Testimony. One of our members, citizen scientist Janet Migaki, gave a brief presentation to the Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) on Thursday June 2nd, via Zoom. The presentation focused on the disappointingly inadequate stormwater plan and lack of credible data supporting it. Ms. Migaki gave compelling reasons why the MRC should be very concerned about the sheer amount (and potential bypassing of treatment!) of stormwater potentially flowing into the sensitive Mud Bay ecosystem (one of the areas of concern for the MRC). What the committee’s response will be remains to be seen… Thank you, Janet!
Photos. We’ve set up a camera to take time-lapse photos of the shoreline below the cliffs in order to document any wildlife either feeding, nesting, or simply traversing there, as well as to document any changes in the “outfall” of rocky material sloughing off the hillside.
Challenges. We are currently pursuing several different potential avenues for legal and/or statutory challenges to the often inadequate, incomplete, and insufficient data and “studies” cited in the application documents. These include the stormwater study and plan, the traffic study, the geotechnical and geohazard studies, as well as the developer’s applications for variances and vacations of existing easements over the property.
On the municipal side, City planners sent a detailed Request For Information (RFI) to the developer asking for clarification, more information, and/or revisions on a number of items. While this appears to support our contention that the application documents were deficient, it likely isn’t a major roadblock. We can expect the City and developer to go back-and-forth a few times before all required boxes have been checked.
Once the developer has satisfied all the City’s requests, the City will mail a Notice of Application to residents within 500 feet of the project boundary and post the notice on the property. The City will also send notices to anyone who submits a written request to be notified (instructions below). The Notice of Application begins the consolidated 30-day public comment period, at which time we’ll have just 30 days to convince the City to require an objective environmental impact statement (EIS). We will send a reminder update when those notices are posted. Project documents are posted for public review at: https://cob.org/project/the-woods-at-viewcrest
Meanwhile, there are several things you can do that could significantly affect the outcome. If you haven’t already, please consider…
Sending a letter/email to Mayor Fleetwood (mayorsoffice@cob.org) and City Council (ccmail@cob.org) describing, in your own words, your concerns about the proposed development. Remember, this should be an emotional appeal – the time to get into technical issues is during the comment period. The city’s mailing address is: City Hall, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Taking another online survey to influence the “Pedestrian Master Plan” for Bellingham. This survey runs until July 1st. Virtually all the areas surrounding the proposed development on Viewcrest have potential pedestrian safety issues which the city has known about for years – let’s do what we can to demand that the city not allow major increases in traffic until these problems are corrected! You can take the survey here: https://tooledesign.github.io/Bellingham_PMP_BMP/
If you encounter issues with the interactive map on the city website, please email details of roads, intersections, and locations of concern to: pedbikeplans@cob.org.Picking up (or arranging for delivery of) your own “Protect Mud Bay Cliffs” yard sign (see above).
Ensuring that you receive notices from the city about the development by sending an email with your mailing address to Senior Planner Kathy Bell at kbell@cob.org. Include the following statement: “Please accept this email as my request to receive all notices regarding the Jones Preliminary Plat subdivision application at 352 Viewcrest Rd / Parcel # 370213075542”. Include in the subject line Jones Preliminary Plat.
Making a tax-deductible contribution to the “Protect Mud Bay Cliffs Fund.” Our fundraising efforts are being hosted by Responsible Development (RD), a 501 (C)(3) public charity. All contributions to the Protect Mud Bay Cliffs Funds at Responsible Development will be applied to minimizing the adverse environmental and public-safety impacts of the proposed subdivision. So far, these funds have been used to pay for attorney fees, yard signs, flyers, and to hire technical experts to review project documentation. A big “Thank you” to all our past and future donors! We’re all volunteers, which means 100% of your donation goes directly to fund present and future campaigns. Contributions can be made online by clicking the “Donate” button on our website at https://MudBayCliffs.org/join-in.
Thanks again for your interest and support. If you have any questions or suggestions, or you have energy or expertise to lend in any of these areas, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us via email at info@MudBayCliffs.org or you can use the form at https://MudBayCliffs.org/contact-us.