204_-_2021-9-8_Jana_VrabelFrom:J. Vrabel
To:Lori Barlow
Subject:Written Comments regarding Painted Hills DEIS
Date:Wednesday, September 8, 2021 8:19:09 PM[EXTERNAL] This email originated outside the City of Spokane Valley. Always use caution when openingattachments or clicking links.
Dear Ms. Barlow,
Below are the comments I have in response to the Painted Hills GC DEIS:
1. Quoting from Page 7 of the DEIS: “… Consistent with the planning goals of the Growth
Management Act (GMA) codified in Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 36.70A.020,development should be encouraged “in urban areas where adequate public facilities and
services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner.” I admittedly don’t know how “adequate public facilities and services” are formally defined in
that Code, but I would imagine schools and emergency (EMS, fire, etc) services would beconsidered facilities and services that would be necessary to support the increased population
in the PH GC development area proposed. The local schools have already confirmed theycannot provide the class space that clearly will be needed for the children in this proposed new
development, so where will they attend school and how will they be transported? Asmentioned by others during the hearing this afternoon, there are already traffic issues during
school hours along Pines and Madison and this would be further impacted by transport ofthese students … and where is there space in a school within a reasonable distance from the
new proposed development where they can be transported safely and economically? Inaddition, emergency services and systems are already overwhelmed, so how will our currently
overwhelmed system be able to support the increased population in this community? Ouremergency service personnel are already overworked and underpaid and now we are going to
add more onto their plate in this area? It’s unconscionable.2. In the next paragraph on that same page of the DEIS it is stated that “Given the limited
ability of Spokane County to expand UGAs and the fact that the proposed development site isone of the largest contiguously owned buildable tracts of residential land in Spokane Valley,
the Painted Hills site represents a unique opportunity to provide needed housing supply.Because the UGA constrains potential development in other areas in the region and other
environmental or infrastructure limiting factors may restrict developable sites within theUGA, there are few, if any, tracts within Spokane County that allow development to occur on
the same scale as the Painted Hills site.” So essentially because the City of Spokane Valley(and Spokane County) has done such a poor job of planning for future growth and this space is
“available”, well, let’s just build a multi-family huge residential and commercial developmentin one of the few nice spots left in Spokane Valley and to heck with the homeowners and
communities adjacent to this site! Honestly, I realize the “property owners and theirinvestors” would like to earn a profit on this development, but should that be at the sacrifice of
the safety, property values, and enjoyment of the current landowners in the vicinity - many ofwhich who have lived there for years? It’s sad to see that once again money/power/profits
outweigh the City’s commitment to and support of the existing residents of the community.3. And what does happen when the HOA for this community goes bankrupt and cannot
maintain the open space areas and “Street frontage improvements along Dishman-Mica Road,Thorpe Road and Madison Road … curb, gutter, landscape planter strips and/or swales, and
sidewalks and/or trails.” Look at the streets in the surrounding areas - the City clearly has notbeen able to maintain those (honestly the roads in the Painted Hills subdivision are some of the
worst I’ve ever seen … I love how they’re so completely degraded and yet they keep spot-patching them with asphalt - so ridiculous). And now they are going to maintain this 99-acre+
community … with what funds and resources?
I strongly oppose this development and the detrimental effects it will have on the existingcommunities adjacent to this site and I am not convinced based on this DEIS that the
developer and its investors have thoroughly thought through and planned for the items I’vementioned above and many others in the DEIS that I just don’t have the time to detail here.
Thank you,
Jana Vrabel
Sent from my iPhone
From:J. Vrabel
To:Lori Barlow
Subject:Re: Written Comments regarding Painted Hills DEIS
Date:Wednesday, September 8, 2021 8:25:19 PM[EXTERNAL] This email originated outside the City of Spokane Valley. Always use caution when openingattachments or clicking links.
Sorry, I failed to include my address at the end of my diatribe below. It’s 6204 S Eagle Crest
Dr, 99206.
Thank you,Jana Vrabel
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 8, 2021, at 8:18 PM, J. Vrabel <javrabel@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear Ms. Barlow,
Below are the comments I have in response to the Painted Hills GC DEIS:
1. Quoting from Page 7 of the DEIS: “… Consistent with the planning goals ofthe Growth Management Act (GMA) codified in Revised Code of Washington(RCW) 36.70A.020, development should be encouraged “in urban areas whereadequate public facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient
manner.” I admittedly don’t know how “adequate public facilities and services” are
formally defined in that Code, but I would imagine schools and emergency (EMS,fire, etc) services would be considered facilities and services that would be
necessary to support the increased population in the PH GC development areaproposed. The local schools have already confirmed they cannot provide the class
space that clearly will be needed for the children in this proposed newdevelopment, so where will they attend school and how will they be transported?
As mentioned by others during the hearing this afternoon, there are already trafficissues during school hours along Pines and Madison and this would be further
impacted by transport of these students … and where is there space in a schoolwithin a reasonable distance from the new proposed development where they can
be transported safely and economically? In addition, emergency services andsystems are already overwhelmed, so how will our currently overwhelmed system
be able to support the increased population in this community? Our emergencyservice personnel are already overworked and underpaid and now we are going to
add more onto their plate in this area? It’s unconscionable.2. In the next paragraph on that same page of the DEIS it is stated that “Given the
limited ability of Spokane County to expand UGAs and the fact that the proposeddevelopment site is one of the largest contiguously owned buildable tracts of
residential land in Spokane Valley, the Painted Hills site represents a uniqueopportunity to provide needed housing supply. Because the UGA constrains
potential development in other areas in the region and other environmental orinfrastructure limiting factors may restrict developable sites within the UGA,
there are few, if any, tracts within Spokane County that allow development tooccur on the same scale as the Painted Hills site.” So essentially because the City
of Spokane Valley (and Spokane County) has done such a poor job of planningfor future growth and this space is “available”, well, let’s just build a multi-family
huge residential and commercial development in one of the few nice spots left inSpokane Valley and to heck with the homeowners and communities adjacent to
this site! Honestly, I realize the “property owners and their investors” would liketo earn a profit on this development, but should that be at the sacrifice of the
safety, property values, and enjoyment of the current landowners in the vicinity -many of which who have lived there for years? It’s sad to see that once again
money/power/profits outweigh the City’s commitment to and support of theexisting residents of the community.
3. And what does happen when the HOA for this community goes bankrupt andcannot maintain the open space areas and “Street frontage improvements along
Dishman-Mica Road, Thorpe Road and Madison Road … curb, gutter, landscapeplanter strips and/or swales, and sidewalks and/or trails.” Look at the streets in
the surrounding areas - the City clearly has not been able to maintain those(honestly the roads in the Painted Hills subdivision are some of the worst I’ve
ever seen … I love how they’re so completely degraded and yet they keep spot-patching them with asphalt - so ridiculous). And now they are going to maintain
this 99-acre+ community … with what funds and resources?
I strongly oppose this development and the detrimental effects it will have on theexisting communities adjacent to this site and I am not convinced based on this
DEIS that the developer and its investors have thoroughly thought through andplanned for the items I’ve mentioned above and many others in the DEIS that I
just don’t have the time to detail here.
Thank you,Jana Vrabel
Sent from my iPhone