The Low-Impact Development question and why proponents of this blanket approach are wrong

Last week Elizabeth Canning stated in the Redmond Reporter that the Redmond City Council “caved” to pressure from property developers in not adopting a one-size-fits-all approach regarding the state Department of Ecology (DoE) proposal to implement Low-Impact Development (LID) principles. Simply adopting the DoE’s LID principles ignores the fact that Redmond has been implementing LID principles and systems (like rooftop gardens and infiltrating rooftop water directly) in Overlake and downtown for years.

Canning writes that LID processes are “greener, smarter solutions” and that they are cost effective and widely available. What she fails to appreciate is that Redmond is far ahead of most cities in our proactive approach to protecting water quality, which regularly surpass DoE’s standards. The state regulation does provide flexibility to accommodate competing goals and we certainly need to know how those goals might be impacted before we make further changes.

Also, I wanted to address the idea that the council pulled back on this proposal. Others who were engaged in the process earlier would be aware that we were never considering an ordinance that would cover the whole city with DoE’s LID requirement. If those who testified the night of adoption had been part of the process and been present for the council briefings they would be aware that we were not backtracking on this proposal.

Council’s job is to make policy that is balanced and takes all needs into account. What council is doing here is being prudent by gathering all the facts before we make a final decision that has a lasting impact on our city.

David Carson

Redmond City Council, Pos. 7