Governors Point future
Permalink +Fri, May 30, 2008, 12:22 pm // John Servais
What should be the future of Governors Point? We can read a lot of what it should not be - developed. But Rand Jack has said it is too costly to purchase and save in a natural state. What options are there for us - and the owners - that are viable?Oh, I love its natural state. It is equal to Clark Point which that family put largely into protected open space. Governors Point has one home on it - and I'm one of very few people to have ever been to it. It is a beautiful Japanese style home, with the Madrona trees left in place around it and it fits into the natural setting. It is breathtaking. Very low impact.
I hope with over 50 registered commenters that we will get some posted ideas. This site does not require heavy research and fact checking before you post. I'm writing this on the spur of the moment and in about 5 minutes. I hear only good comments about what I am trying here - but the page almost dies some weeks for lack of activity.
So - what are the practical, environmentally sane and economically viable options for this treasured bit of land? Anyone?
Comments (3)
To add a comment, click here to login or register.
John Watts // Fri, May 30, 2008, 2:46 pm
Water service from the City will not be supplied, nor will sewer service, both of which are essential for this level of development in an area already severely challenged by safe road service, potential for landslides and other problems that ought to be obvious by now.
In the distant past, the City did unwisely extend water service down Chuckanut Drive, but this practice has been terminated -with a few limited exceptions, for all intents and purposes.
And, its not likely the idea will be seriously considered again anytime soon because of GMA requirements and the City’s current policy that respects the limits imposed on extending urban levels of service outside of urban areas.
The Chuckanut Drive area in question clearly does not qualify for Urban Growth Area status, or even its precursor, a Five-Year Review Area. And, with the current Land Supply flap in adopting a new UGA areas in its Comprehensive Plans, Whatcom County has taken issue with the inclusion of ANY more land into the City’s UGA!
This does not bode well for the County to agree to creating a new urbanized area, particularly ay a place like Governor’s Point, for the foreseeable future.
As far as a desalination plant is concerned, it is ironic that its additional cost would only create pressure on the developer to build more elite, gated mega-homes, not less.
Then, will come the requirement to handle the sewage - ordinarily about 80% of the water service. I doubt that the sandstone that underlies this area will accept raw sewage very well either, which would mandate either a new sewage treatment plant, or a contract to haul septic wastes to the City for treatment.
Then, there is the matter of transportation! For starters, railroad crossing at grade, then a narrow access road, competition with traffic to the existing public boat launch at Larrabee State Park, the winding, scenic 2-lane Chuckanut Drive itself, and finally the impacts on the roads and bridges already either approaching or anticipated to exceed LOS F in the City.
Of course, these latter hurdles are already being faced by the proposed Fairhaven Highlands development in an area within City Limits and zoned for urban density!
The Sahlins do seem to have a propensity for choosing beautiful properties that have inherent major difficulties to develop! While they did manage to unload the always controversial Chuckanut Ridge property to those trying now to develop Fairhaven Highlands, they now choose to try developing Governor’s Point. I hope their tolerance for pain does not exceed their common sense!
This dog won’t hunt, so why not make a very special deal with the Whatcom Land Trust and collect tax write-offs forever? That would help the financial considerations for both the owners and the public, without unduly burdening either party - or that silent third party, the environment!
I’ve heard enough of this silliness to know its all part of a big game of ‘Let’s Pretend’.
But, hey, if you don’t ask your likelihood of success is way lower than if you do, and the County has been known to do dumb things from time to time!
John Palmer // Fri, May 30, 2008, 5:41 pm
Doesn’t this type of development require a zoning change. If so the public input to zoning changes should allow it to be stopped. Not the case I know from experience.
Even then the sewer and strom water requirements should still be able to kill this if the county would enfore them.
Also the county should not be resonsible for improving the road. Road improvement (or alternant transportation Ha Ha) should be the responsibility of the developer.
I haven’t seen any comments on how the development will meet shoreline rules. Is this another attack point?
The best solution is would be to find a mega-wealth individual who recognized this unique land as a single owner home.
Tom Pratum // Mon, Jun 02, 2008, 12:27 am
First, I wonder if Governor’s Point will actually be carried forward. I think we remember the property above the Post Point heronry that is also slated for development by the same owners, is very contentious and controversial, but has yet to be developed. I think it is possible that enraged citizens will discourage the owners from proceeding - or at least will delay them.
However, I hope that what happened to Chuckanut Ridge does not happen here. There, the property was sold when it became too much of a “hot potato”, as John W points out above. We might like who the new owners turned out to be even less.
If the property is to be developed, it seems like one thing that could be squeezed out of the owners is public access. There is a lot of shoreline that is all private in the development plans, and there is no public access to the open space in the development. I am sure I am not the only one who has kayaked past there and stopped to rest for a minute or two….. Maybe we can even get them to set aside a park of 30 or so acres in exchange for the allowance to develop the rest.
In partial answer to a question above by John Palmer, this area is zoned RR3 and they are proposing to develop at a much lower density than that. I think they have a vested plat that would get them past any recent changes to shoreline rules. It is interesting that the rest of Chuckanut is zoned RR2; one wonders what kind of deal someone made in the past to get the zoning RR3 for just this property. However, it should be zoned R5 - it is in one of those LAMIRDs that the county is supposed to be rezoning to satisfy a GMHB challenge of its comp plan by Futurewise; not that this will make any difference in this vested proposal.
Tom P.
Governors Point future
Fri, May 30, 2008, 12:22 pm // John Servais
What should be the future of Governors Point? We can read a lot of what it should not be - developed. But Rand Jack has said it is…3 comments; last on Jun 02, 2008
THE LAKE & ECOLOGY; Can’t Have One Without The Other
Mon, May 26, 2008, 8:51 pm // g.h.kirsch
Why all the hubbub about building moratoria in the Lake Whatcom watershed? You can't build or subdivide without adequate water, and the entire watershed is closed to new…1 comments; last on Jun 01, 2008
Landmark Enterprises
Saving the Lake
Tue, May 20, 2008, 12:08 am // g.h.kirsch
Another important step towards dealing with the pollution of Lake Whatcom was taken tonight. The mayor and city council have thrown down the gauntlet to Pete Kremen and…14 comments; last on Jun 01, 2008
June ads auction is on now - now closed
Sun, May 18, 2008, 4:18 pm // Site Management
Five ads for June are now up for auction, with bidding starting at $10. That is $10 for your ad to be one of six in the random…0 comments
Ski to Sea Weekend - a parking guide
Thu, May 15, 2008, 10:02 pm // John Servais
Alan Rhodes seems to want to be like Emmett Watson, the late writer about Lesser Seattle. However, Alan seems to lack Emmett's basic charitable view of his fellow…
2 comments; last on May 17, 2008
City Council to meet Monday at 1 pm
Fri, May 09, 2008, 4:54 pm // John Servais
The Bellingham City Council will meet in a special meeting to consider annexing the Horton and Aldrich areas. As of 2:45 pm Friday, the meeting agenda is still…
5 comments; last on May 16, 2008
Weather - April temperatures for Bellingham
Wed, May 07, 2008, 4:24 pm // John Servais
Bill McCallum has provided us with a unique and interesting look at our monthly temperatures. Above is the chart for April 2008, with the actual temperatures compared to…
0 comments
July ads now available for bids
Wed, May 07, 2008, 11:45 am // Site Management
Five ads for July are now up for auction bids or to buy now at bargain prices - with bidding starting at $10. That is $10 for your…0 comments
Peak Oil Task Force
Sat, May 03, 2008, 12:06 pm // Craig Mayberry
On Monday the Bellingham City Council will consider a resolution to create a largely volunteer Peak Oil Task Force. With recent increases in gas prices and much greater…
30 comments; last on Jun 01, 2008
A Park for Pete’s Sake
Fri, May 02, 2008, 4:37 pm // g.h.kirsch
To now, the discussion about creating a park in the watershed has focused on the benefit for water quality in Lake Whatcom that will come from eliminating forestry…13 comments; last on May 10, 2008
New Links
Reconveyance ChallengeSalish Sea Org.
the Oatmeal
Current Interest
Community Wise BellinghamFriends of Whatcom
Lummi Island Quarry
Reconveyance Challenge
Whatcom Elections
Publisher Recommended
GlobalPostLeague of Women Voters
Paul Krugman - economics
Sweeney Politics
the Oatmeal
Local Blogs & News
Bellingham HeraldBham Herald Politics Blog
Bham Politics & Economics
Bob Sanders
Cascadia Weekly
Citizen Ted
Ferndale Record
Friends of Whatcom
Get Whatcom Planning
HamsterTalk
Jack Petree
KGMI
Latte Republic
League of Women Voters
Lynden Tribune
MikeatthePort
Northern Light
Sweeney Politics
Twilight Zoning
Wally Wonders
Western Front - WWU
Whatcom Watch
Local Causes
Bellingham Police ActivityChuckanut Community Forest
Chuckanut Mountains
Citizens of Bellingham
City Club of Bellingham
Community Wise Bellingham
Conservation NW
Cordata & Meridian
Facebook Port Reform
Futurewise - Whatcom
Jail - local mega plans
Lake Whatcom
Lummi Island Quarry
N. Cascades Audubon
NW Holocaust Center
RE Sources
Reconveyance Challenge
Reduce Jet Noise
Salish Sea Org.
Save the Granary Building
Transition Whatcom
WA Conservation Voters
Governments
BellinghamPort of Bellingham
Skagit County
US - The White House
WA State Access
WA State Elections
WA State Legislature
Whatcom Auditor
Whatcom County
Whatcom Elections
Weather & Climate
Cliff Mass Weather BlogClimate Audit
NW Radar
Two day forecast
Watts Up With That? - climate
Leisure
Adventures NWEdge of Sports
Entertainment NNW
Famous Internet Skiers
Sailing Anarchy
Good Links
Al-Jazeera onlineAlaska Dispatch
AlterNet.org
Antiwar.com
Arab News
Asia Times
Atlantic, The
Common Dreams
counterpunch
Crosscut Seattle
Daily Kos
Daily Mirror
Doonesbury
Drudge Report
FiveThirtyEight
Foreign Policy in Focus
GlobalPost
Guardian Unlimited
Gulf News
Haaretz
Huffington Post
Innocence Project, The
Intrnational Herald Tribune
James Fallows
Jerusalem Post
Joel Connelly
Juan Cole
Le Diplo
Media Matters
Michael Moore
Middle East Times
MoveOn.org
Nation, The
New American Century
News Trust
NMFA
numbers
Online Journal
Palestine Daily
Palestine News
Paul Krugman - economics
Personal bio info
Portland Indy Media
Progressive Review
Project Vote Smart
Reuters
Sea Shepherd
Slate
Talking Points Memo
the Oatmeal
Tom Paine.com
truthout
War and Piece
Washington Votes
WikiLeaks.ch
ynetnews.com
NwCitizen 1995 - 2007
Early Northwest CitizenInternet At Its Best
TEDQuiet, Offline or Dead
Bellingham RegisterCarl Weimer
David Hackworth
N. Sound Conservancy
No Leaky Buckets
Northwest Review
Orcinus
Post-Oklahoman Confessions
Protect Bellingham Parks
The American Telegraph
The Crisis Papers