Will a Freeland Sewer fight Climate Change?
The State Growth Management Act thinks so.
I was beginning to think that ‘Never’ would be the answer to that question, but I got surprised, just yesterday, at a County Planning Commission meeting, of all places.
To set the stage, said meeting was to review some land use codes in that unique place called Freeland which just so happens to be the only Non-Municipal Urban Growth Area (NMUGA) in the County. It was so designated in our 1998 County Comprehensive Growth Plan which emerged after a 5 year battle to preserve our rural character along defined State GMA requirements.
But that’s another story…
The Freeland UGA did get created in 1998, per GMA dictates and local goals. Chief among these goals were to avoid sprawl and condense new growth where appropriate infrastructure exists, as GMA preaches. Thereby preserving open space, keeping housing affordable and ultimately preserving our cherished Rural Character.
You see, Freeland had been growing businesses like crazy in those days and appeared poised to accept a significant amount of that new people growth predicted in some affordable, more urban-like setting.
Around 1994, at great expense, the County even created zoning and land use designations for the new Freeland UGA. These land use codes were to become effective only when the appropriate infrastructure showed up. That infrastructure is in a word, the sewer, But - here we are 25 years later and that sewer upon which everything was contingent and planned is nowhere on the horizon.
As a result we have a situation where 85% (yes 85%!) of the new growth on S. Whidbey occurs in the rural area, and has for years. Similar percentages exist for both Central Whidbey and Camano Island. This has been going on for decades and is the epitome of what the State GMA law wanted to avoid. It’s called sprawl and is defined in planning books as ‘increased density in the rural area’ and labelled ‘avoid’.
But, back to that sewer. For decades, everyone thought the Freeland Water & Sewer district would deliver with a sewer serving the entire Freeland UGA. Two failed attempts over the years leave little doubt that will never happen.
The result is that Freeland has been a non-functional Urban Growth area for a few decades - and it hurts - and the County is hearing about it.
But there is a solution. Some 18 years ago a private developer built what’s often called the Main Street Sewer to serve the Maple Ridge Retirement center. For years I’ve suggested the County assume the lead agency role to get one or more smaller such sewers built. I don’t see another entity with the bandwidth to complete such a task. Jack Sikma (former Seattle basketball star), got a sewer built to allow the Holmes Harbor community to spring to life down the road a few decades ago. He was an all-star with deep pockets.
Finally - if you’re still with me, there’s some good news, alluded to above. At that Planning Commission meeting it was announced (drumroll please) the County is going to scope out potential sewer(s) for our Freeland area.
If we can make that happen, our climate will be greatly benefitted with a substantial reduction in sprawling transportation emissions, affordable housing possibilities, a setting for a robust local economy, preserved forests and open spaces and enhanced community resilience.