Well, the City of Issaquah is at it again. They are proposing to allow 35 acres of forest to be clear cut up near Issaquah Highlands, leaving not a single stick standing.

Wait a minute, they just passed a tree protection ordinance making that impossible, right? Well, no.

The city is saying that if they call this new development an ‘Urban Village’ that the code can be circumvented allowing a clear cut. You and I? Sorry, if you have even a single signficant tree that you want to cut, you must fill out a form per tree… and on.

Oh, but the city says, this is a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), look at all the trees we are saving!

It doesn’t fly. Any other TDR, not called an Urban Village, would have to save the trees on the development parcel too. They could potentially buy extra land to protect in order to allow an increased amount of impervious surface (potentially allowing the take of more trees) but not here.

No extra land protected, just the same old four acres protected to the one developable already required by King County to let them move the Urban Growth Boundary.

And the city wonders why citizens and businesses call foul on the rules.

Sheer hypocrisy.

Connie Marsh

Issaquah