— by Michael Budnick —
To the Eastsound Planning and Review Committee (EPRC), sent on Oct. 10 by email to Rick Hughes/ EPRC County Liaison
Dear Members of the EPRC,
I am writing this letter to you out of concern for Eastsound’s future. In the late 80’s or early 90’s, Prune Alley was widened and gravel sidewalks were installed, and Fern Street was created. Some years later, North Beach Road was scheduled to be widened. A group of citizens got together (Eastsound Beautification Committee) and a design team was formed. Public comment was taken to identify the design direction the Village should go, so that we did not end up with another Prune Alley. (Called Prune Freeway when it was completed.) It was determined that the design direction of North Beach Road should be quaint, meandering sidewalks, street trees and planting pockets with pinched corners to give the impression of a narrow street.
We worked with the County and the present North Beach Road design was approved. The planting and trees were installed by over 200 citizens volunteering over six weekends. This volunteer community effort won a Washington State award.
Sometime later, Main Street was remodeled using the same design concept. It was presumed by many that when it was time to finally come back to Prune Alley, this remaining street of the downtown core area, would have the same design model. Many of us felt that the design plan that was implemented in the early 90’s should be grandfathered in. When the County started planning improvements on Fern Street and Prune Alley, I believe it was Fred Klein who proposed that the entire street should have its future planned and coordinated.
This may have motivated Fred Klein and Bill Trogdon to create a design for Prune Alley. Klein and Trogdon spent countless volunteer hours interviewing property owners on Prune Alley and created a beautiful rendition of the street’s future. To my knowledge they had the approval of every property owner involved and that plan has fallen by the wayside. The recent plan presented at your last meeting represents the original County plan that created problems in 2014. In fact, what is being proposed does not follow the established theme of our other two streets at all.
I’m also very concerned about adding the three new stop signs on Prune Alley. I’ve lived here for thirty years and the bottleneck happens from the Co-op south. The semi-trucks unloading food and beverage double park in the street. Cars have to use the other lane to get around the trucks. Once past the congestion they are able to proceed north and clear out of the area. If stop signs are at the corner of Prune Alley and Fern Street, it seems that this will magnify the congestion.
The County has drawn plans for the future Prune Alley to be primarily straight sidewalks, multiple stop signs and very wide. The County proposes to take all of the easement in front of my property, cutting through Prune Alley plum trees, madronas, and redwood tree roots. I have been working with Stephanie Conner with the County Road Department. She has been a pleasure to work with, and she is trying hard to solve my site concerns. She has made two changes to date to help save the Prune Alley plum trees and other plantings, but we still have more to resolve.
The bigger picture is about continuity throughout the Village. To my knowledge all handicap ramps on the corners of the town are one ramp for each intersection corner. They require less concrete, and are already established throughout town. Why then do we have such a need to divert from our existing street plans, where is the continuity?
I have asked the County if we are having a public meeting to look at the conceptual direction that the County is going before they spend any more of our tax money. The answer seems to be no. The public review will be after the plan and final elevations have been established. It seems by then, the train will have already left the station.
I urge you to return to the existing implemented street design of North Beach Road and Main Street, and lead the conversation with the County and the community, now. We are not Bellevue. Many of us have moved here for the village character and rural charm Eastsound and Orcas offers. Let us have the foresight to have the Prune Alley street plan match the existing village character. This has taken years to achieve to arrive at this point and the sweat equity of many, many volunteers to accomplish.
I would ask that you take a positive stance to reconsider the Trogdon/Klein plan. This plan truly does represent a closer view of a true vision of Eastsound by the people that live here.
Thank you for considering my and others concerns,
Bingo & bravo Michael! I agree
Well said, Michael, and I think you’re right. We need to keep our original plan. We don’t always have to be bigger, better or brighter. More stop signs are just going to cause more frustration, especially when traffic in the summer kicks in. Take a minute, let the other guy go through, drive around the trucks. Be kind, courteous, smile, wave…I’m with you, Michael. Hope they listen.
Michael, not only are you accurate in your assessment, I was there for the entire scope of community engagement, which set a precedent for our county. Imagine, stakeholders in alignment with proposed intent.
We as citizens worked hand in hand for consensus for a communitive result. That’s where true grass root culture starts. Mind you, it was only the first step. But a huge synergy was being established within our village. I believe there is an opportunity to always have the local townspeople heard. And without it being hijacked by political ideals.
So, community, stand up and be heard, Michael is not only right, but he speaks for our future generations that will be strolling down this lane saying.. I just love this! Our beautiful street beholds what is most dear to us, home!
Says the roofer.
Right on, Michael. We aren’t, and don’t want to be, a Bellevue but neither do we want to be an Aspen. The original “quaint, meandering sidewalks, street trees and planting pockets with pinched corners to give the impression of a narrow street” says it best for all except those few who have forgotten why they are here in the first place. There is a fine line between the three stages of future development in places where “tourist destination” is the backbone of the economy. Which will it be for Eastsound? Trash, Modern Slick or Unique Village.
Thank you Michael for bringing this to ALL our attention now. Keep our rural village look and feel. 3 stop signs?? What next, stop lights? Remember when the paved sidewalks were created to “look” like wood sidewalks?
Every fall I take pictures of the trees in their glory from Lower Tavern to your corner. It would be so sad to see that gone or damaged. The Trogden/Klein is a true vision. Perhaps the planners now are new to our islands and do not understand how precious our lifestyle is.
Right on Michael. Let’s keep to a simple plan !
I agree with Michael, too.
How do we stop the county from ignoring us?
Are you listening, Rick Hughes?
A lot of thought went into the original plan. Eastsound is a delightful, lovely small village. Forget themes, balconies, lookalike paint jobs. There’s enough of that elsewhere in the outside world. Let’s stick to the original plan and regulations and let the village unfold with the plan we have. Let’s not turn into another Friday Harbor.
Thanks, Micheal for your letter.
RIght on, Michael Budnick – I agree with all said here, both your letter and the comments. Enough is enough. Why do people keep reinventing the wheel? I urge all interested citizens and especially Eastsound residents to take a look at the re-written SubArea Plan as well, and be vocal and strongly heard in the revision of the comprehensive plan. Not just Eastsound Village is being impacted by decisions that the public never endorsed – it’s the entire urban growth area.
This is still a rural island. As such, people can drive an extra block and not have to have streets punched through every 200 feet. Please, we need us all to protect the rural character of Eastsound Village, its surround, and the natural character (wetlands, last remaining forest stands) that act as filtration and wind break – something Eastsound desperately needs to keep. These things help keep our waters clean. Without clean water in this very large and important watershed, we are complicit in the demise of the very things we came here to love and protect.
We CAN build a different, more year-round economy and we have a lot of people with vision – especially our young, who know what will be needed to move toward sustainability in our lifestyles and doing least harm to the supporting lands and waters that make our cushy lifestyle here possible.
Thanks for bringing attention to the way that the County has scrapped long hours of volunteer effort and ignored community based planning in favor of a new plan that will only get public review after it has been established. WTF???
Here are the problems, Michael:
1. Narrow streets are not good for bicyclists. Do you ride?
2. Parking is a obviously a huge problem. I doubt if you want parking up and down Prune Alley, but most of the businesses do.
3. Cars speed up and down Prune Alley for a quarter-mile from Main Street to School Road. What’s wrong with breaking it up with a couple of stop signs for pedestrians trying to cross the street safely?
The bottom line is that we need to make Prune Alley safe and usable!