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2022-07-26_PlanningCommission_Centralia_TestimonyFrom:Kathy Wood To:Mindy Brooks Subject:LEWIS CO PLANNING S SCHEUBER RD Date:Sunday, July 24, 2022 11:00:30 PM Hello Lewis County Commissioners & Planning committee, I live at 2030 Graf Rd in Centralia, my southern property line runs alongthe property at 1426 S. Scheuber Rd which is currently owned by Steve & Candace Ash. I first heard about the proposed project for theproperty at 1426 in early March 2022 when I was contacted by the only Centralia council member that had the clear thinking to realize it maybe important for us and our neighbors to know. After that I did contact Levi Althauser, a local real estate agent, husband of a Centraliacouncil member (not the one who reached out), and son-in-law to Steve & Candace Ash. Levi talked down the project, told me maybe up to 4homes per acre. Even at that I was unimpressed and very concerned. I told him I was absolutely opposed to a large development on thatproperty. It should follow the current rule of 1 home per 5 acre plot. I have reached out to many of my neighbors, seven of them are in the proposed expansion area, as well as people living just past 1426 SScheuber, people on Military Rd, and Shamrock Dr. Not one of the people I have spoken with is in favor of a large development on the SScheuber hillside. There are a variety of concerns, aside from expanding the UGA. Some of my main concerns are: Water runoff and erosion. I have been told by people who work in the trees and a retired Weyerhaeuser research center employee that thereis a very high potential of significant damage to our trees and the soil on our property. Some of our lower land behind the Pathway Church onS Scheuber could very well be unusable, even for growing trees. Since the development of Scheuber Ridge, a much smaller development, thewater runoff is so very obvious in the wet months. The 4-way intersection is covered with flowing water on a regular basis, the smallpasture on Military Rd is wet much of the year and appears to be unusable land now. It floods over Military and parts of S Scheuber waymore often than before the Scheuber Ridge and even the Society Place developments have been built. Centralia does not seem prepared enoughfor more hillside developments and dealing with the water runoff. The soil in this area has a lot of clay in the composition. That adds to the worry of slides. The disruption to local wildlife. We have a beautiful mix of rural wildlife right now, it's unknown what would become of all our wildlife. The increased traffic. Adding 80 - 100 vehicles daily to the S Scheuber & Military Roads is a nightmare. What about first responders? Having such a large development with one road in, and one road out to the main road (S Scheuber) does not seem safe. I also have some more personal concerns. I grew up in this area. I am not opposed to growth and change. But I also chose to stay in this area because of the beauty of the area, small towns, a break from all the bigger cities to the north and south of us. I also chose to live outside the city limits, I like living in the county. I work for the city of Centralia in utility billing and have regular contact with many of the citizens inside and outside the city limits. I also get to meet nearly every person who purchases a home in Centralia's service area. It's fun and interesting for me to find out what brings people to Centralia. I have heard over and over that they chose to move here to get away from the bigger cities. Many work in the Olympia area or on the military bases. I have never had someone tell me they were moving here to be closer to or in a large housing development like they can find in the bigger cities. The type of large development Levi and his in-laws are proposing would bring more negatives to this area than positives. If you drive along I5 all through Lewis County, look off to the east and west of the freeway, it's beautiful. It's rural looking, even inside Centralia & Chehalis. There are not the concrete hillsides, crammed with homes like you see all through the big cities to the south and especially north of us on I5. All of you on the Planning Committee & County Commissioners are in a very unique and special position, in making a big decision on the direction of our landscape and environment, and how it will affect the current citizens of this area. Please consider how beautiful and rare along I5 our county is right now. Please do not make us just another concrete suburb. Please do not grant Levi and his in-laws request for an expansion to Centralia's UGA. Thank you. Kind regards, Kathy King Wood External Email - Remember to think before you click! From:Ian Wiley To:Mindy Brooks Subject:Written Testimony for LC Planning Commission Date:Monday, July 25, 2022 4:53:53 PM To whom it may concern, I have been a Centralia resident for the majority of my life. I am very concerned with the proposal to expand city urban growth areas. It seems like many of these decisions do not benefit the current land and property owners, but only hinders them and takes away privacy and increases their costs. Currently in Lewis County traffic has only increased over the past five years, Interstate Five is complete gridlock around 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Our infrastructure cannot handle more homes let alone the 40 and now about 180 residences that are suppose to be built on Scheuber Road. Our hospital has a hard time keeping up with staffing to serve the community, roads have more traffic now than ever, and we have two low income housing developments that were built roughly a mile away from each other. With those low income housings alone crime has skyrocketed in our areas. My family moved due to the crime to a rural area to have some privacy, now you are bringing the exact thing we fled next door. The UGA should not go through. Our infrastructure can not handle the amount of people we have currently. The building of these extra homes will not be for those who are currently in Lewis County but will only invite those from out of our area. Bringing the crime that comes with them. Stop taking rural areas and making them part of the city. Sincerely, Ian Wiley External Email - Remember to think before you click! This message may contain links with malware, viruses, etc. Please ensure the message is legitimate before opening it. From:Joe+Sharolyn Wiley To:Mindy Brooks Subject:Opposition to the proposed expansion of Centralia"s UGA south of Graf/Military Road Date:Monday, July 25, 2022 5:37:48 PM July 25,2022 Lewis county, WA Planning Commission Re: Opposition to the proposal to turn county property into UGA development. To Whom It May Concern: We moved to Centralia 27 years ago from East Lansing, Michigan to the Swanson Heights area. Before purchasing a home there, we heard that the city might bring in a sewer project. We called Jan Stemkoski, Centralia City Engineer, and he said they had no plans for that. We were surprised a few years later to have to sign up for a $22,000+ loan to hook up to the city sewer as well as our cost of the side sewer. Our septic was functioning well, but because two homes in the area had septics that were failing, all 32 homes had to hook up at the time or pay an additional latecomers fee. We moved from Swanson Heights to just west off S. Scheuber Road 4 years ago and have loved living in the county! We love the ruralness yet closeness to the hospital for work. We now have several concerns with the county and city in dealing with this proposal for UGA development: How can the city council, with the county, make a decision based on one person’s data, that could impact so many households? Especially, if that data is flawed with biased information? Considering we cannot elect city council members, why was there no representation of the county residents in opposition at that city council meeting? (In our “canvassing of the neighborhood”, we found only one resident was in favor of this proposal (Brian Kopa).) We are glad there are hearings at the county level, so thank you. In speaking with Emil Pierson, Centralia Community Developer, he said they leave it to developers to lead the city's expanding areas. As we all know, many times, developers are all about the money without regard for how residents made the decision to live in a designated “county” area! Emil also agreed that it is all about “greed”. How far reaching of the UGA is enough? When would the added area become part of the city limits, since this is the obvious next step? Emil said that the ecosystem experts and developers would be responsible for landslides (as the east side of the proposed development on Scheuber is a fairly steep grade). What about the city's responsibility with this reclassification? The area has clay soil and is already causing issues of water permeability. How would concrete and asphalt, which is even less permeable, affect this? Would the runoff be collected on the east side of Scheuber? The developers even asked if they could use the Pathway Church of God’s property for a retention pond….Really? What about the displacement of wildlife? I called a pest control specialist and he said there was a risk of rodent spread, and more probable, racoons and opossums. What about our already overcrowded schools that would be impacted? Medically speaking, it is already difficult find a primary care physician/provider if you don't have one in the area, and if you do, it is difficult to find an appointment. The hospital emergency room if overpacked with patients and weekly, multiple surgical cases are postponed for lack of bed availability. What have the traffic studies shown? With an additional 200+ cars (if 100 dwellings and 2 cars per dwelling) going back and forth on Military Road and having to use an already awkward access to I-5 via Mellon Street, has the Centralia City Council considered the impact of this? I am not sure how expandable the water supply and sewer system is to accommodate more users. I am sure you have the engineers' reports are on your desk but the schools, medical/hospital services, and traffic infrastructure do not seem to be ready for expansion in regard to this. We are in opposition to this proposal and are concerned with how this has been presented and regardless, we want our area to remain rural. This high density housing would be detrimental to our community. Bottom line is that we were not represented in this proposal and false information was given…40 dwellings, now up to 180 (from The Chronicle). Be careful not to destroy the positives in this community and county that still make this place so appealing. We need to improve what we have and fix the problems that are holding our communities/county back or we will lose the appeal for those of us who are currently here. In opposition, Joe and Sharolyn Wiley 126 Eloah Way Centralia, WA 98531 External Email - Remember to think before you click! This message may contain links with malware, viruses, etc. Please ensurethe message is legitimate before opening it. From:Rachel Wood To:Mindy Brooks Subject:Written Testimony 1426 S Scheuber Date:Tuesday, July 26, 2022 3:30:33 PM To the Lewis County Commissioners & Planning committee, I grew up on Graf Road, just past the Scheuber Rd/Graf Rd/Military intersection and am now a new homeowner off of Shamrock Drive, just down the road. I am writing out of concern for the newly proposed UGA boundary due to the development at 1426 S Scheuber and the impacts this will have on my neighborhood. My fiance and I spread our house hunting search over many areas, searching for something akin to where I was raised that would put us close to our jobs and family. Like many young first time home owners, we worked hard to save money to afford a home and lifestyle in an area we could see ourselves staying for years to come. The thought of settling in a housing development or in town was not an option. We were ecstatic at the opportunity to purchase a home and settle in the area we are on Shamrock Drive. Although within city limits, we love what we are surrounded by: farms, quiet roads, flora and fauna. Not only do we call our house our home; we both have careers in Lewis County and are proud to call this area “home.” What we have here is what we cannot find anywhere else: peace and quiet that is out of the way and surrounded by like-minded folks. It is our slice of heaven. Many of my friends have chosen to live elsewhere because they do not care for a rural lifestyle. They can be in high rises, dense communities with noise and developed areas with people who share that ideal. We chose this location to escape dense housing communities and high traffic areas, and consider ourselves blessed and lucky to live here. Driving to our home or down our local rural roads such as South Scheuber, enjoying the tranquility of space, agricultural lands and the wildlife that shares our lands is what we and so many of our neighbors have worked hard to afford and love about our area. The addition of a dense project as proposed by the Ashes and Althausers would be a disruption to the established lifestyles of homeowners in this area who not only love where they live, but are also invested community members. Areal flooding impacts our community more than any other natural disaster. Year after year we fight against these events and with any building project, the impacts of drainage and flooding patterns should be of the utmost importance. Speaking to our neighbors, recent developments such as Scheuber Ridge Court and Rosewood Lane, in addition to the expansion of Society Place, have placed a great stress on our retention and lower lying areas. Every year we see greater flooding and flooding where there once was minimal or none, threatening roadways and homes. It is taxing these systems, farms, our wildlife, soil . . . The list goes on. This area is clearly not built to handle the current conditions, nor would it suffice for future development. Flooding already impacts our homes to the point of having no way out. It is unfathomable to introduce 80-100 more families who will be isolated during flooding that will be further exacerbated by the development of their homes. Another concern is landslides. Building a large number of homes on the hillside has me concerned for this great potential. Furthermore, not only do our natural disasters displace wildlife, but as does the dense development of property. The more we threaten and destroy these roaming spaces and habitats, the more threatened our wildlife will become in an already mismanaged system. The proposed development at 1426 S Scheuber is a threat to the habitats, infrastructure and all homes and families in this area, mine included. Our community and the future of its neighborhoods should be influenced by the members who live, contribute and are invested both with their hard earned dollars and their hearts to those communities and neighborhoods. The landscape of our area is a testament to the people that live here and what we value. If we aspire to live in dense housing communities surrounded by traffic, there are many areas outside of our neighborhood to find that, within Centralia and our neighbors to the north. What we have established here and intend to keep is sacred and hard earned. The environmental threats this development poses will stress and destroy our lands and homes. Our lifestyles and homes are at risk. We do not want to be another bustling, noisy, sidewalk and concrete painted hillside. Please dedicate your decision making to preserving the established investment of the people who live here. Please do not allow for the expansion of the Centralia UGA. Thank you, Rachel Wood From:Richard Budziak To:Mindy Brooks Subject:45.17 acre UGA expansion Date:Tuesday, July 26, 2022 4:18:51 PM To Whom it may concern, The Family at 2214 Graf Rd officially opposes the UGA expansion proposed for the 45+ acres at Graf/Military and Shuber Rd in Centralia WA. We have spoken with our neighborsand we share concerns about soil condition and water run off. The soil in the area is very soft and there is only one proper way to build on it and that is to go all the way to bedrock. Myhome is currently in need of $40k worth of foundation repair. Every year our home gathers water in the crawl space and while I have made some successful improvements there is no waymy home won't be affected by 40, very compact, new homes uphill from myself and my neighbors especially if they build a retention pond like they have proposed. Any attempt at aretention pond will only seep through the ground to the lower properties/homes.. The proposal itself mentions that of the 45.17 acres only 10 are buildable so I don't understand why ourhillside is so desirable for this project other than the greed of the developer My neighbors Joey Laske felt bamboozled by the developer as evidenced by his email March 22 2022 which is never a good way to start things off. We concur with everything theWiley family at 126 Eloah Way have to say about the subject. Kathy King Wood is spot on as well. I thank my neighbors for our shared interest. Have we given any thought to the displacement of wildlife? There is an abundance of wildlife like Bald Eagles, Owls, and Bats which already lost 70 acres when 0 Salzer Valley Rd was logged a couple years ago. Has any wildlife impact study been done? " UGAs are to be designed to provide for efficient and cost-effective urban services.Growth can be phased to accomplish this task, with short-term growth encouraged closer to the existing urban center and close to important services such as; sewer – water –transportation – schools, and parks, with other areas reserved for growth later in the 20-year plan. (2012 UGA Guidebook, Department of Commerce, 2011)" We are not close toSchools, Police, or Fire. Also roads are insufficient to handle City Transit and there areno parks. You will leave the potential new residents at a disadvantage as services will belacking. We feel we are too far from the actual city to benefit from what the city has tooffer. Another major thing not being taken into consideration is the quality of life. Many of us are retired or at the end of our career and enjoying the quiet this area currently offers. If thisdevelopment develops, this tax paying family will move because we will feel too crowded. We recently moved here from the east edge of the city (621 E Summa St) to escape thepressure of the growing city, I hope it lasts but if the land develops we will move back to Michigan I guess. Once again, you really should consider the quality of soil I mentioned. So many otherhillsides in the centralia area are hard clay but not this one is soft clay and the new development will pay the price over the years.. If you think the site is good because there arealready storm drains in the area I can tell you they do nothing to keep the water from under our and our neighbors property. We respectfully hope this action will be reconsidered and at least a meaningfulenvironmental impact study to include wildlife impact will be conducted. Lets also consider the long term cost of making the area a true extension of the city. We don't feel any futurefinancial impact has yet to be considered referenced by the lack of dollar amounts listed in the"Financial Impacts" section of the provided proposal. Maybe if all these things wereconsciously thought out then our family and our neighbors may feel different. Sincerely, Richard and Amanda Budziak External Email - Remember to think before you click! This message may contain links with malware, viruses, etc. Please ensure the message is legitimate before opening it.