35_-_2021-8-7_Kristy_BarnesAugust 4, 2021
Lori Barlow (Lbarlow@spokanevalley.org)
Spokane Valley Community and Public Works Department
10210 E Sprague Avenue
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
RE: Comments for Painted Hills PRD
PRD-2015-0001, SUB-2015-0001,
EGR-2016-0066, FPD-2016-0007
Dear City of Spokane Valley,
I am writing to express several concerns I have with the Painted Hills Golf Course Development. As a local
landscape architect resident, I drive by this property every day and I am deeply disappointed that the Painted
Hills Golf Course is being considered for such high density development and destroying one of Spokane
Valley's natural jewels, especially with it being a flood zone. Deer, fish, moose, and eagles use this land as
their habitat. The mature trees sparkle during the Fall. The amount of imported material proposed is
excessive and will likely destroy existing mature trees. What does FEMA and United States Army Corps of
Engineers think of this proposal in respect to floodplains and wetlands?
I'm really quite astonished this proposal is still being considered, especially since 1000 year floods are taking
place in several different countries. China, Germany, England, and now Denver, Colorado are all having
flash floods disrupting homes and causing infrastructural problems. At least 25 are dead as rains deluge
central China's Henan Province. The condos in Florida collapsed partially due to developers filling in a
wetland and caused 11 people to die. I don't think a floodplain should be treated with such little regard.
Capturing, redirecting, and infiltration of the flood flows will need to be considered for 100 year to 1000
year floods. Both type of flood events are happening more frequently. By adding fill to move the building
areas above the floodplain will cause the flooding to increase upstream. It isn't right that current land
owners have to take on the extra flood waters for this new development. Placing fill in the floodplain forces
the water into a narrow channel, which will result in creek flows incising the creek channel. When this
happens the floodplains' purpose to redistribute over a flat plain is hampered. The floodplain no longer
works properly and continues to cut down making the problem worse and worse. This incising may also
create creek channeling in areas where the creek waters currently infiltrates, causing creek channels to
develop downstream where it wasn't found before. This creates a problem that is difficult to impossible to
correct without removing the fill and allowing water to flood as nature intended. In addition, the loss of
shallow areas destroys fish habitat.
Previously, the City of Spokane Valley dredged Chester Creek due to flooding, especially on Thorpe Road.
This fill-in of sediments is a natural process that is already occurring under existing conditions. This project
will accelerate and worsen this condition. We already have a flooding problem, why are we making it worse
both up and downstream? It doesn't sound like this projects meets FEMA regulations.
The Flood Management System Element Failure Risk and Impact Summary discusses mitigation by
removing sediment and installing trash racks to prevent pipes from getting clogged. All of this doesn't
matter if we have a 1000 year flood that would cause the whole system to be over capacity.
Residents in the Sundown/Bowdish area next to the flood plain have complained about flooding getting
worse behind houses.
Storm-water treatment facilities that are proposed to reduce pollutant loads and concentrations will not
eliminate all the contamination from the fish that live in the stream. How is this development going to affect
all the residential wells in the neighborhood?
The amount of trucks needed to fill the golf course would be dangerous for all the school children attending
Horizon, Chester and University High school. The Truck Haul Plan Memorandum states that the trucks will
use Dishman-Mica. Even if the trucks don't use the neighboring roads, the noise from that amount of soil
being dumped required will be substantial and cause traffic on Dishman-Mica to increase and for how long?
Where will all the new school children go from this development? They just updated the local elementary
schools and still lack space for children who move into the area.
I understand how the project would be helping to “relieve the under supply of housing in the Spokane Valley,
but I believe this under supply should be addressed in areas NOT located within a flood plain. Sprague
Avenue has a vast amount of land not occupied. The Spokane Valley should focus their development in
areas where it makes sense to have high density with close access to stores and services.
Please do not replace our wetlands/floodplain and animal sanctuary with this development. Please consider
the neighboring terrain containing open space. The proposal is completely out of character with the
surrounding area and I strongly feel that this property would be more valuable to the City of Spokane Valley
as a park and for recreational activities, which is something the Valley needs more of for all the new people
moving into it!
Thanks for the opportunity to voice my opinion.
Sincerely,
Kristy Barnes
11615 E View Ridge Lane
Spokane, WA 99206