Getting bogged down

The owner of the Kennydale Blueberry farm has applied for a rezone from RC to medium density R8, to allow additional homes to be built on the 3.5 acre site.

Council is considering allowing the property to instead be zoned to low density R4, which would allow one or two new homes, and would require that a biologist survey the wetland and put it into a protected status at the time of development.

Many members of the public have expressed concern that waiting to survey the wetland until the development may be too late; they have specifically pointed to the site shown below, which is directly across the street from the blueberry farm. Some have speculated that the wetland peat bog may extend from the blueberry farm right under 20th street, to this site. ( I snapped the picture below last weekend)

 

And above and below is how the site looks today, now that some digging is occuring. A neighbor told me that ducks have been flying in and out.

 

Whether council zones the bluberry farm property RC or R4, we need to make sure that the wetlands are not built on. And we should have a biologist survey them out as soon as possible.

While R4 would require wetland protection, we’ve been told that RC zoning would not require wetland protection, and that dog kennel runs or horse paddocks could be built on the low lying areas.

Personally, I would like to see the 2.25 acre damp area remain a blueberry farm, regardless of whether an additional home is built on the uplands. We have many homes in Renton Highlands, but only one U-Pick Blueberry farm.