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Cedar Park subdivision approval appealed

Last November, Washington County Dept. of Land Use and Transportation approved an application for a 56-lot subdivision in Cedar Mill, north of Cornell between NW 119th Ave. and NW 113th Ave. The subdivision, called “Cedar Park,” was proposed by Westwood Homes LLC.

The subdivision consists of two segments, separated by a branch of Cedar Mill Creek and its steep and wooded banks. The western segment, Phase 1, would be built first.

The eastern portion of the subdivision, which would be built as Phase 2, would be accessed from NW 113th via an extension of Melody Lane. The current western end of that road is a narrow gravel drive that leads to the existing homes.

The application included a request for a Hardship Relief Variance (HRV) to allow developers to reduce the usual requirement of a 22-foot-wide paved road to connect the subdivided parcels to NW 113th to an 18-foot-wide paved surface. The existing easement is only 20 feet wide, and the adjoining property owners do not want to sell a large portion of their front yards to make room for a standard-width road.

In early December, an appeal was filed by the Friends of Maple Hill Lane, a group of residents of the area, on the grounds that a HRV, processed as a type II HRV, is inappropriate for this type of request.

The group is also concerned about issues relating to the Significant Natural Resource areas in the properties. Developers propose to build on some of the “vegetated corridor” during Phase 1, and then “mitigate” that encroachment by restoring areas within the “open space” areas, much of which is covered with blackberry and other invasive plants.

Appellant Colin Carver says, “They claim to Clean Water Services that this is the only way they can meet minimum density (11.25 acres times 5/acre = 56 houses). The developers made no attempt to set aside any of the land from the density calculation, as is allowed for wetlands, SNR, or steep slopes. In my opinion, the pursuit of profit is displacing environmental concerns.”

There will be an appeals hearing in the auditorium of the Washington County Public Services Building, 155 N First Avenue in Hillsboro on Thursday January 16th at 10 am. Members of the community may attend, and can sign up to testify.

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