Seventy-five citizens met at St. Bernadette's Hall on Monday, December 10, to learn about and discuss the impacts of the proposed Emerald Pointe Condos/Westmark Project.

The program was hosted by a group of Neighbors of Seahurst Park (melessarogers@yahoo.com). The Westmark project would be located on the west side of 136th and Ambaum and would add up to 201 units and 600 new residents to the area.

For 18 years, the developer, Westmark, resisted having to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) on this ill-conceived development, much of which is on a 40-degree slope and is adjacent to Seahurst Park.

The only access in to and out of the Emerald Pointe development will be across Highline School District property and may result in the closure of 136,th which is already a highly congested traffic area due to the local businesses, gas station and entrance to the 543 unit Vintage Park Apartments, as well as the proposed construction of the Highline Mental Health facility on the Highline School District property.

A Stability Analysis of the Emerald Pointe site still has not been completed and shared with the public. In light of the most recent mudslide at Cove Point Rd (Highline Times, December, 12) that involved at least a dozen homes, citizens have a valid concern about construction on these slide-prone lands.

The 9.8-acre Emerald Pointe development will strip the land of second-growth forest, degrade the headwaters of North Creek and impact the adjacent wetlands. It is the structural and environmental soundness of the project that has continued to concern citizens for 18 years.

The City of Burien recently lost a lawsuit on this project due to procedural error-not on the soundness or quality of the project. The permits for Emerald Pointe have not yet been issued by the City of Burien.

It seems ironic that, at a time when we can instantly message each other around the world, citizens can get very little information about the Emerald Pointe project from the City of Burien, its city council or the local school district.

Bravo to those good citizens who took time from their holiday schedules in order to remain informed about their park and community. I strongly encourage citizens to become informed about this project and to address your serious concerns to the City of Burien.

Chestine Edgar

Shorewood