Proposed shopping center heads for conditional-use processIsn’t this thing moving fast? It makes so much difference when the elitists aren’t “adamantly opposed”, even though this project will be over three times the size of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. By the way, Cynthia Hosick was the only PARD member to submit a SEPA comment on this project, but it wasn’t on behalf of PARD. Apparently even uber-activist Hosick doesn’t want to play the role of Don Quixote.
The proposed retail development along the Pullman Moscow Highway is creeping forward. On Thursday, Whitman County Planner Mark Bordsen reiterated his earlier decision to give the proposal the go-ahead.
At issue was whether the shopping center would have an environmental impact significant enough to stop the development just west of the Idaho state line.
He revisited his decision after people and entities submitted comments aimed at convincing him the environment would be seriously negatively affected.
“I decided to keep the original decision that we made — no change,” Bordsen said this morning.
He issued what’s technically called an initial determination of nonsignificance Feb. 1 after reviewing the mandated State Environmental Policy Act, or SEPA, checklist submitted by Hawkins Companies. The company wants to build a 714,000-square-foot shopping complex in the corridor.
Bordsen said he closely considered the 11 comments submitted to determine if he missed anything during his initial review of the SEPA checklist.
“A lot of things people raised issues about are covered by various other state laws and state agencies,” Bordsen said.
Some people, such as Pullman resident Cynthia Hosick, have raised questions about stormwater runoff. Bordsen’s response was that the county ordinance for the corridor requires the area to be able to handle a 50-year flood event. To his knowledge, no other neighboring agency is as strict.
“So we feel that we’re doing above and beyond what our neighboring jurisdictions do,” Bordsen said.
Hosick said she isn’t adamantly opposed to the development and she would have liked to maintain the rural feel of the county. But she thinks the development could have been better planned with officials from the cities of Moscow and Pullman plus Latah and Whitman counties working together.
Water quality issues would be covered by the Washington Department of Ecology requirements and county ordinances would address landscaping and lighting issues, he said.
Bordsen responded to questions about emergency services, another issue Hosick discussed in her letter to Bordsen, by stating that Fire District No. 12, which serves the corridor, will be the first responders and no special action needs to be taken there.
If people continue to disagree with Bordsen’s decision they can appeal to the Whitman County Board of County Commissioners, and a public hearing would follow. If Bordsen’s decision is not appealed, the development will be able to move into the conditional-use permit process, which also will requires a public hearing.
Appeals are due by 2:30 p.m. March 17 to the Clerk of Board on the first floor of the Whitman County Courthouse, 404 N. Main St., Colfax, WA 99111. A deposit of $500 must be paid to Whitman County Planning along with submittal of the appeal. If Bordsen’s decision is changed, appellants will receive a $250 refund. The deposit and refund process is for all SEPA appeals submitted to the county to help cover the county’s costs.
She was also the only Pullman resident that did so. Not surprisingly the other private individuals that submitted comments were from Moscow.
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It should be noted that Cynthia Hosick's SEPA letter was the lone negative comment to sent in by a Whitman County resident. There was also one positive comment by a Whitman County resident and business owner.
All of the other negative SEPA comments came from Latah County residents, including a nine page dressing down sent in by the City of Moscow.
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