Developer Files Federal Civil Rights Suit Against City of Lake Stevens
Is this the picture of man whose civil rights have been infringed upon? Developer Galen Holmquist of Monroe stands on the edge of his proposed development off Grade Road in the summer of 2006.
Local developer Galen Holmquist has filed a federal civil rights suit against the City of Lake Stevens.
According to Washington Court records, Holmquist originally filed a claim in Snohomish County Superior Court, but the case was moved to the Federal District Court Docket on April 22.
I don't have any other information at this time, but if I had to bet, this is probably sour grapes over the City not letting him build ten billion houses on the property he's gobbled up in the Walker Hill/Grade Road area.
Related
LS Journal: Large Development off Grade Road Nears Approval
Labels: court, galen holmquist, lake stevens
posted by Kevin Hulten at
5:45 PM
3 Comments:
Hmmmm. I'm not great at math, but 100 homes on 30 acres is hardly "a billion."
In fact, it sounds like 3.3 units per acre, far short of the 4 units per acre as required by the state Growth Management Act (GMA).
The difficulty is that, since the passage of the GMA by the Democrats in the early 1990s local communities have less control over growth in their communities.
So the choice is either urban sprawl, or urban density. The public overwhelmingly supports greater planning and urban density rather than sprawl...unless it is in their own neighborhood.
It's this mentality that makes growth issues a challenge for local elected officials, and a nightmare for any businessman who tries to provide the the demand the home market seeks.
The struggle will continue until either the state allows sprawl to keep dense growth out of neighborhoods or local communities begin to accept greater density.
We can't have it both ways.
Anonymous Tom Matlack would like to remind everyone Mr. Holmquist bought the Eaglemont properties at a 9600 ft/2 zoning. He then asked for an upzone to 3600 ft/2 which incited the storm of protest from neighbors and residents. To appease the peasants, certain city officials "assisted' Mr. Holmquist in jig-sawing some 7200's to buffer a bunch of 3600's. All of this was behind closed doors, after hours, and after public testimony.
So, Councilmember Neal Dooley made a motion to compromise at 7200ft/2 for the whole kit-and-kaboodle and that is what passed.
Even at 9600 ft/2, the GMA was not in danger of being abridged and in my mind Mr. Holmquist was fortunate to escape with his lot-size averaged PRD!
But, Mr. Holmquist's complaint against the city is not an Eaglemont concern; it is some long-standing brouhaha from around the corner down 36th Street, home of the world famous misplaced utility poles and unpaved street. Hmmmm, I wonder who did that Montecristo Estates subdivision????Ohhhhh...it's ole Galen again!
As for home market demand, I just walked my dog in Pacific Ridge's 180 unit Greenwood Estates subdivsion out 131st and 4th Street.That subdivision is in our city limits and there are only 5 houses built. The rest is empty lots, deer pellets, two nice tot lots, and the footprints of my trusty hound.
Tom Matlack
Please - NO MORE!! Why does every developer think an "empty lot" (translate: trees, native plants, undergrowth, rocks, birds, bees, lizards, frogs, deer, bobcats, salamanders, raccoons, possums, field mice, beetles, occasional ball tossing kid) requires scraping, digging, nullifying, grinding, slapshot garbage house construction for MORE people? (not to mention $$$$$ in his pockets).
Demand? What demand? Have you taken a stroll through some of those ugly monstrous housing developments around here - you know, the ones with the BIG signs out front, $40,000 off, PLEASE BUY ME? (even if you can't afford me - after all Bush will help out hedge-fund crooks and big mortgage houses, but NOT YOU) hehe.
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