PC331_Adam_Miller_11-13-2018From:Adam M
To:Lori Barlow
Subject:Comments on the EIS for the Painted Hills Planned Residential Development
Date:Tuesday, November 13, 2018 5:37:19 PM
Lori Barlow
Spokane Valley Community and Public Works Department10210 E. Sprague Avenue
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
I am writing to you to express my concerns regarding the scope of the Environmental ImpactStatement for the Painted Hills Planned Residential Development. The area is a floodplain and
a watershed adjoining Chester Creek and has flooded to a depth of several feet within recentmemory. The proposed solution to fill the area in with additional soil to raise the ground above
the floodplain will not solve the inherent issue. The proposal to bring in some 350,000 cubicyards of soil could create more problems than it hopes to solve. Bringing in the soil will only
serve to displace a potential 350,000 cubic yards of water that would naturally fill the areaduring flood conditions. This endangers the proposed neighborhood and the existing
surrounding neighborhoods. Even in non-flood years, the neighborhood will have to contendwith substantial amounts of water which could pose problems for drainage and sewer/septic
systems. The proposal only includes a small pond to account for the water, but you need anarea the size of Painted Hills to handle the volume of water that it has seen in recent memory. I
would also question the status of the area being a 100yr flood plain. Given the frequency ofthe flooding that we have seen, it may be a good idea to have this designation independently
reevaluated.Bringing in large quantities of soil has its own problems aside from the water issues. The
proposed quantity of deposited soil is massive, and will see the entire area facing constantheavy traffic to bring in the large loads of soil, likely over the course of several months. Given
that the area is designated for residential development, the source of the soil should also be ofconcern. Undocumented industrial waste has caused heavy metal pollution in residential areas
in the past, and soil testing should be considered for the safety of the future residents as wellas the aquifer.
I am not opposed to residential development, particularly during a time of ever increasing costof living and increasing homelessness, but the proposals for this particular site could create a
large liability for the city and county. Even assuming a 100 year floodplain designation iscorrect, this is actually a 1% chance per year. Over a 30 year mortgage the residents face a
26% chance of at least one flood. If the proposed flood mitigation fails, the costs to repair andmitigate the damage could easily overwhelm any homeowners association, pushing the costs
on to the city and county. More housing can be a good thing for our community, but thisproposal pushes all of the risk on to the public, thus socializing the risk and privatizing the
profits. The risks involved here are high, and it is the people of Spokane Valley and SpokaneCounty who bare that risk. This is simply not a good location for a housing development of
this size. This risk should be mitigated by drastically scaling back the plans, reducing thenumber of proposed dwellings, and minimizing the changes to the existing terrain.
Thank you,
Adam Miller