My Edmonds News – Page 3 – Edmonds Environmental Council

Parks, trees, zoning: 250 fill Edmonds Council chambers Tuesday to have their say

by Teresa Wippel
Posted: April 2, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

An estimated 250 people attended Tuesday’s council meeting. (Photos by Teresa Wippel)

An estimated crowd of 250 people packed the Edmonds City Council chambers Tuesday, spilling out into the foyer. Some were fearful that a cherished neighborhood park and community center could eventually be sold to help offset the City of Edmonds’ $20 million budget deficit. Still others mourned the removal of a historic 100-foot redwood tree. And yet another group expressed concerns about how future zoning changes could impact their neighborhood.

Letter to the editor: A request to continue Edmonds Marsh work

By William Alexander
March 30, 2025
My Edmonds News

Editor’s note: This letter to Mayor Mike Rosen is being republished here at the author’s request. We did ask the city last week if they had a response but so far have not received one.

Dear Mayor Rosen:

Walk & Talk tours begin — starting with Westgate neighborhood center

by Nick Ng
Posted: March 27, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

About 15 attendees, including Edmonds City Councilmember Vivian Olson (center), started the Walk & Talk guided tour at the PCC parking lot on March 27. (Photos by Nick Ng)

Speeding, unsafe sidewalks and lack of crosswalks along 100th Avenue West were some of the concerns Edmonds residents voiced during the first day of the Edmonds Walk & Talk tour Thursday morning at the Westgate neighborhood center.

Council hears plan for engaging community in centers, hubs and middle housing concepts

by Teresa Wippel
Posted: March 12, 2025

Photo collage from City of Edmonds Neighborhood Centers and Hubs web page.

Link to My Edmonds News Article

Two phrases — “neighborhood centers and hubs” and “middle housing” — are a major focus for the City of Edmonds this year as staff works to update the city’s development code. The Edmonds City Council Tuesday night learned more about those efforts, which follow the council’s adoption of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update Dec. 17.

Edmonds Planning Board to continue discussion of neighborhood centers and hubs Feb. 26

Posted: February 24, 2025

Link to My Edmonds News Article

The Edmonds Planning Board during its Wednesday, Feb. 26 meeting is scheduled to continue its discussion of the city’s planned code updates for its neighborhood centers and hubs.

Edmonds Environmental Council, city reach agreement on appeal of critical aquifer regulations

Posted: February 1, 2025
My Edmonds News

Under the settlement agreement, the City of Edmonds has agreed to study stormwater infiltration and the possible risks of forever chemicals and other toxins polluting the drinking water aquifer. My Edmonds News file photo

Updated Feb. 3 with a comment from the City of Edmonds

The Edmonds Environmental Council (EEC) said Friday night that is has reached an agreement with the City of Edmonds to suspend the EEC’s appeal of city regulations related to the city’s critical aquifer recharge area (CARA) regulation approved by the Edmonds City Council in May.

The State of Edmonds Waters: Part 2 — Edmonds streams

Posted: February 2, 2025
By Bill Derry

Edmonds resident Bill Derry is the president of the Pilchuck Audubon Society and a member of the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates. He previously served six years on the board of directors for People for Puget Sound.

Part 2 of a 5-part series. You can read part 1 here.

In the first article on Edmonds’ waters, I discussed what happens when old growth forests are replaced by development and rain becomes contaminated stormwater runoff. This article looks specifically at Edmonds’ streams and how our choices are changing them.

Edmonds has four streams that could support salmon, in addition to several smaller streams (see map below). The four salmon streams are Willow, Shellabarger, Shell and Perrinville Creeks, all of which drain toward Puget Sound.

2024 surveys show record number of salmon in Shell Creek

— Story and photos by Joe Scordino
Project leader, Edmonds Stream Team
January 1, 2025

High school students collecting data on stream conditions and salmon occurrence.

The Edmonds Stream Team completed its annual adult salmon surveys in Edmonds’ Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek (located in Meadowdale Beach Park) in December. The Stream Team documented the highest number of chum salmon spawners in November 2024 since surveys began in Shell Creek in 2017.

Comments from a packed council chambers set tone for Tuesday meeting

By Teresa Wippel, My Edmonds News
November 11, 2024

Business owner Erika Barnett urges the council to ensure Edmonds’ Comprehensive Plan protects the character of the city’s downtown.

Passionate comments about city planning, providing police and fire services, and protecting the character of downtown Edmonds dominated public testimony at Tuesday night’s Edmonds City Council meeting, as advocates for a range of viewpoints packed the council chambers to have their say.

Reader View: The myth of affordable housing

By Joan Bloom
Posted: December 8, 2024

When Edmonds councilmembers claim their draft Comp Plan, soon to be approved, includes “affordable housing,” are they lying or just ignorant?

Salmon eggs begin Edmonds journey

Story and photos by Chris Walton
Posted: December 6, 2024

Kaelie Spencer, Edmonds Fish Hatchery manager, receives 85,000 coho salmon eggs at the state hatchery in Issaquah.

On Thursday, a team of Sound Salmon Solutions volunteers processed this year’s batch of coho salmon eggs at the Edmonds Fish Hatchery located at the foot of Pine Street in Edmonds.

Reader View: Let’s extend the deadline for finalizing the Edmonds Comprehensive Plan

By Joan Bloom
Posted: December 1, 2024

An open letter to the Edmonds City Council and Mayor:

I can’t imagine how stressful this holiday season has been for all of you, given the financial state of the city, biennial budget deliberations, the Regional Fire Authority issue, and the Edmonds Comprehensive Plan update.

Many of us are extremely concerned that council will finalize the draft Comp Plan by year end. Yet, xouncil has six months after the Comp Plan update deadline of 12-31-24 to finalize the Comp Plan before the State preempts local control and enforces housing mandates.

Excerpt from: Council OKs Boys and Girls Club design; discusses legislative agenda, Comp Plan

My Edmonds News
Posted: November 26, 2024

Council OKs Boys and Girls Club design; discusses legislative agenda, Comp Plan

Letter – Environmentally Sensitive Zoning and ‘Staggered’ approach to housing density zoning over 20-year Comp Plan

Letter sent to Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen, Edmonds City Council, and Edmonds Planning Director

From: Edmonds Environmental Council
November 25, 2025

Please see the linked OpEd piece in My Edmonds News yesterday and the comments to it.

Link to My Edmonds News article

Reader View: A better idea for Edmonds Comprehensive Plan update – ‘Environmentally Sensitive’ zoning

By Joe Scordino
Posted: November 23, 2024

Much of Edmonds shouldn’t be further developed because of inadequate or antiquated infrastructure, or the area is already overbuilt for the existing landscape or it has unique landscapes and critical areas requiring additional restrictions. But our state Legislature didn’t take this into account when it mandated every city to update their Comprehensive (Comp) Plan to allow for increased housing density.