Ravensdale meeting on YarrowBay developments in Black Diamond rescheduled

The two major Yarrow Bay developments were to be addressed at a March 16 Ravensdale 98051 community meeting, but the meeting has rescheduled.

The Black Diamond SEPA/FEIS hearings and the Master Planned Development public hearings were originally scheduled to be completed by Friday, March 12. Tuesday we learned they will be extended into next week, with a high probability they will continue at least through Tuesday, March 16.

The key presenters for our March 16 meeting are also key to the hearings in Black Diamond, so that leaves me with no alternative but to cancel our March 16 community meeting.

Yarrow Bay has proposed two major Master Planned Developments (MPDs) in Black Diamond, The Villages and Lawson Hills. Together these MPDs will add 4,530 single-family and 1,520 multi-family units for a total of 6,050 dwelling units on 691 acres along with 1,165,000 square feet of commercial and office space. A total of seven new schools in the Enumclaw School District will be required to accommodate the growth. The impact of these MPDs on all surrounding areas will be great, not only due to traffic increase, but ultimately to environment and lifestyle. The city of Black Diamond has been conducting hearings on this topic.

The purpose of the Ravensdale 98051 meeting is to understand how the Black Diamond/Yarrow Bay MPDs will specifically affect the unincorporated Ravensdale 98051 zip code area. However, all local residents are welcome. Presenters will be Colin Lund, director of development for Yarrow Bay; Steve Pilcher, community development director, city of Black Diamond; Paul Reitenbach, King County department of development and environmental services, senior policy analyst and King County department of transportation traffic engineer, Matthew Nolan. These key individuals will be presenting their plans and answering your questions.

The window is closing on the opportunity to offer comments, ask questions or perhaps mitigate impacts. We urge you to attend. The meeting is hosted by 98051 Voices, an umbrella affiliation consisting of local groups established within the Ravensdale 98051 area. For additional information contact Susan Harvey at susandharvey@hotmail.com

Susan Harvey

Ravensdale

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