38_-_2021-8-9_Andrea_Van_HerkFrom:Andrea Van Herk
To:Lori Barlow
Subject:Painted Hills PRD
Date:Monday, August 9, 2021 8:43:57 PM[EXTERNAL] This email originated outside the City of Spokane Valley. Always use caution when openingattachments or clicking links.
Ms. Barlow,
I just finished reading the DEIS for the Painted Hills planned residential development. I’m
writing you with several concerns regarding the planned development.
My first concern is wildlife. The 99 acre area that is being proposed is habitat to multiplespecies of animals. Driving by that area daily, I see deer, and with their fawns in the summer,
almost every day. I’ve also seen moose in that area as well. In addition to deer and moose, thatarea has a large bird presence and is part of the Pacific Flyway Migration Path. Decimating
and disturbing that natural habitat could have devastating impacts on migrating birds as wellas the other wildlife that inhabit it. Chester Creek has also been designated as a fish bearing
stream and this proposal could have devastating impacts on the creek.
My next concern is that this development is being planned on a known flood plain. While thebuilders have plans to help mitigate the risk of building on flood plains, there is really no way
to know how effective their plans will be until it may possibly be too late. I’m also worriedabout the current residents that don’t currently have flooding issues. Will this new
development change the course of yearly flooding in a way that has a negative impact onthem? Also, will the new residents in this plan be made aware that their new home is built on a
floodplain?
Another concern is the amount of residents this plan intends to add to the area. The plan statesthat it intends to be home to nearly 1,400 people. Apart from my worry that they will be
cramming 1,400 residents into an area that is not nearly big enough to support that amount ofpeople, I am seriously worried about the strain that this will put on the area and the current
people that live there. Our schools already have an overcrowding issue. Adding that manymore students to the area would create a huge burden with classroom sizes, bussing issues and
the likelihood that new schools would need to be built/funded in order to support the hugeincrease in students. This planned development will also put a serious strain on the roads
nearby. The roads are not currently equipped to handle that amount of traffic and the increasein traffic could create a significant safety issue if there were a fire in the Painted Hills
considering there are only 2 routes out.
As a resident of Painted Hills I truly hope that you take all of our concerns into consideration.There are too many serious red flags as to why this type of planned development is not right
for that location.
Thank you.Andrea Van Herk