New road proposed for Birch Bay

By Jack Kintner

The Birch Bay Steering Committee proposed a new connector running west from Blaine Road to public parking lots just east of Birch Bay Drive at its December 19 meeting.

“It will encourage pedestrian traffic and is the right idea, although the exact site will be difficult to determine,” said Pat Alesse, representing the central reaches neighborhood.

Consultant Marty Kask pointed out several possible routes for the proposed new road, including along the south side of the Birch Bay Golf Club’s course where a primitive road now exists. The road would not connect with Birch Bay Drive itself.

Linda Tucker’s motion proposing a re-zone of land west of the Arco refinery from residential to heavy industrial was defeated 8-3. County planner Sylvia Goodwin opposed the motion as did Doug Robertson of the central uplands neighborhood because the Trillium Corpor-ation, owner of much of the land in question, has yet to complete negotiations with the Arco refinery on land use in the area.

Kask added that since neither party was represented at the meeting the question should not be considered until later.

In the only other action taken by the committee, Robertson moved to bring the committee’s vision statement into conformity with current zoning regulating building heights along Birch Bay Drive. Bill Grant had previously been ruled out of order by chair Meg Grable when he attempted to bring the question up during consideration of the minutes for the previous steering committee meeting held December 12.

“Specific height limitations of one or two stories should not be included because the way the whole document works, it only affects a small section of Birch Bay Drive anyway,” said Grant, once Grable allowed him to bring up the subject again.

Kask responded by pointing out that on November 14 a motion had passed saying that heights may vary if they do not obstruct views. Robertson’s motion then passed, 7-2.

Kask concluded the meeting with a brief look at other parts of the vision statement, noting his intention to include a request that the Blaine school district consider placing their next elementary school in Birch Bay.

The committee’s next meeting will be at Birch Bay Leisure Park on Wednesday, January 9 at 7 p.m..

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