Thursday, July 24, 2014

Clallam County Codes and Enforcement

 

Carlsborg UGA (Urban Growth Area) and 

 

The Honor System

 



Clallam county has building codes designed to control what can be built and how it is to be built and to regulate (mitigate) impacts of development on surrounding community such as landscaping, lighting and sight and sound buffers. http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/clallamcounty.html

In particular we pay attention to the CCC (Clallam County Code): Chapter 33.20 CARLSBORG URBAN GROWTH AREA http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/ClallamCounty/html/clallamcounty33/ClallamCounty3320.html#33.20 and Chapter 33.53 LANDSCAPING REQUIREMENTS http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/ClallamCounty/html/clallamcounty33/ClallamCounty3353.html#33.53 and the county's apparent inability/unwillingness to enforce said codes.

Relying instead, one could suppose, on an "HONOR SYSTEM", believing that the owner or builder/contractor know and understand the county codes and would adhere to and comply with the codes identified on their building permits and if needed conditional use mitigation permit. As the images show below, this "HONOR SYSTEM" does not work.

 33.20.060 Development standards – Purpose and intent.

Development standards are established to ensure the compatibility of uses permitted within the Carlsborg UGA and to ensure the protection of the public health, safety and general welfare. All uses located within the Carlsborg UGA shall be subject to the development standards, as applicable, set forth in this section. http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/ClallamCounty/html/clallamcounty33/ClallamCounty3320.html#33.20.060  (2) Landscaping. Landscaping for commercial, industrial, mixed use, duplex, and multifamily developments shall comply with Chapter 33.53 CCC, Landscaping Requirements.
(a) Landscaped areas between public roads and parking shall be provided;
(b) Outside storage, garbage, recycling and maintenance facilities, and loading dock areas shall be screened from view from public roads and neighboring properties;
(c) Commercial/industrial development abutting residential areas shall include a landscape plan that describes tree/shrub species, size of plant materials, and the use of fencing, berms, or solid walls so that noise, light, and aesthetic impacts to residential properties are adequately minimized and/or mitigated.

(3) Off-Street Parking. Parking for commercial, industrial, mixed use, duplex, and multifamily developments shall comply with Chapter 33.55 CCC, Parking Standards.
(c) Parking areas shall include landscaping, fencing and/or berming substantially equivalent to the standards in Chapter 33.55 CCC when abutting existing single-family residences or residential zoning districts.
(d) Where practicable, parking for commercial developments should be located to the rear of the development site.
(e) Parking lighting shall not create off-site glare, and shall utilize “cut-off” type fixtures that ensure glare will be downward facing and/or shielded and directed away from neighboring properties.

(7) Services. Commercial, industrial, mixed use, duplex, and multifamily developments shall at a minimum include mailboxes, garbage and recycling pickup, pedestrian walkways and parking area lighting. In addition, the following performance standards shall be met:
 (b) Street lighting shall be provided along walkways adjacent to and within the development. Lighting shall not create glare, and shall be downward facing and/or shielded and directed away from neighboring properties.
(c) Security lighting shall be provided in parking and designated outdoor recreation areas. Security lighting shall minimize glare, shall be downward facing and/or shielded, and shall be directed away from neighboring properties.
  

33.53.010 Landscaping definitions.

(1) “Visual screen” means evergreen and deciduous trees (no more than fifty (50) percent deciduous) planted twenty (20) feet on center, two (2) shrubs planted between each pair of trees, groundcover, and a solid fence of new materials.
(2) “Visual buffer” means evergreen and deciduous trees (no more than seventy-five (75) percent deciduous) planted thirty (30) feet on center, two (2) shrubs planted between each pair of trees, and groundcover. http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/ClallamCounty/html/clallamcounty33/ClallamCounty3353.html#33.53.010

Enforcement 

The county and the DCD (Department of Community Development) continue to make excuses for their lack of Code Enforcement,  “codes are not enforceable and they (Department of Community Development) don’t have the resources,”
 “The DCD (Department of Community Development) doesn’t have a code enforcement officer,” LoPiccolo said. “I think it would be beneficial to the community to have an enforcement officer, but it is predicated on available resources.” 

The fact of the matter is my wife and I both VOLUNTEERED to do the job of Enforcement Officer as far back as August, 2008.  They didn't take us up on that offer and we still don't have an Enforcement Officer. 

Taken from East Runnion Road and Mill Road Residential.
Industrial Park taken from Residential side.

Private RURAL RESIDENTIAL on the East side (left).

Residential Properties are behind me as I look North into the Industrial Park.

From our home outside and East of the UGA in Rural Residential.





Walking West along Olympic Discovery Trail on the North side of Industrial Park.





Looking South on Carlsborg Road. Industrial park on the left.
Looking East from Carlsborg Road into the Industrial Park.

Our view of the lights and glare of the Industrial Park from our bedroom window.








Sunday, July 20, 2014

 Dungeness Water Rule 

"CREATING PAPER WATER"  

The Dungeness Water Rule and Mitigation does not create more water, it simply creates "PAPER WATER", it's the same amount of water in the aquifers but now the county and state can charge users for it and restrict how it is used.

The purchase of water rights is nothing more than a transfer of ownership. If you sell or donate your water rights to the county or water trust you are simply giving up your rights to it and HOW YOU USE IT and allows the county or state to "mitigate" charge someone else a hefty price for it's use or use it themselves for stream augmentation.  It does not "save" or "conserve" water or make more water for in-stream flows it simply restricts use of the water by people.

See also: http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2009/05/wet-water-vs-paper-water.html

The county may use "PUMP and DUMP" to increase in-stream flows. PUMP water from an "existing water system" (well/aquifer) and DUMP it into a nearby river, creek or stream. This is not "CONSERVATION" this is just a vicious cycle of empty and fill from the same water source and we get to pay and pay for this governmental act of futility.

"Jill discussed mitigation with water rights / credits and pump and dump.
Pump and dump could be used with the existing water system and existing water rights
and might be particularly useful as part of the mitigation package at certain locations and
periods (e.g., Matriotti Creek)."  Page 5, Paragraph 19. 



"The level of the river is determined by snow melt and precipitation".

 "You can see over the last 50 years the snow pack is half of what it was". "The water in the aquifers has dropped 1.5 feet per year since 1996". according to Dave Nazy Department of Ecology hydrogeologist and others. http://www.sequimgazette.com/news/251091411.html Oct. 27, 2010.

So, as you can see, the county and the state has known about the diminishing aquifers for at least 50 years or more and yet with hubris and greed, or total cognitive dissonance, the county, state and realtors continue to push growth in this are beyond the "CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE LAND" (increasing nitrate/nitrite levels)  and "OVER CAPITALIZATION OF RESOURCES" ("over appropriation") of water.

We, THE RESIDENTS of Carlsborg have been fighting the designation of Carlsborg as an UGA (Urban Growth Area) since it was first proposed in 1990 for the very reasons as stated above.  The only way to truly "mitigate" "over-appropriation" and "pollution" of water is to DOWN ZONE and have fewer people per acre of land.

Our family is fourth generation (my wife), fifth generation (our children) and sixth generation (our grandchildren) on this farm and my wife's maternal grandfather was the Water Master for Clallam and Jefferson counties for about 50 years. Her father and his father the Slootmakers (LOCK MAKER as in water locks) were Master Plumbers from Holland where they moved and controlled water before they came to America.  But hey, what do we know?