Submitted by Kirk Kirkland, John Garner.
On October 4, 2024, Pierce County Planning staff made an inspection of Wasmund Road near Spanaway and Audubon creeks. They were investigating the complaint about digging and excavation without a permit. They found that installation of two culverts in the road and extensive gravel added to the road and on JBLM property. See complaints at the Pierce County website.
The Tacoma Rescue Mission has received neither a Site Development Permit nor a county Clearing and Grading Permit necessary to do work on Wasmund Road or to the wetlands surrounding Spanaway Marsh. Such excavating in wetlands and creeks also requires Hydraulic Permit Application from Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Kirk Kirkland filed a complaint on behalf of Environmental Coalition of Pierce County and at the same time asked the Planning Staff not to allow further damage by delaying the issuing of the county’s Site Development Permit and a Clearing and Grading permit.
If approved the Site Development Permit will provide plans and specifications on how the Tacoma Rescue Mission can build a Tiny Home Village of 289 homes on an 89 acre site on Spanaway Loop Road.
Sean Gaffney was on vacation last week, but in a recent e-mail he said he would answer questions about the size of fine for damaging the wetlands and discuss whether the Planning Department would give out a Fill and Gravel permit before the Superior Court appeal is decided in March 2025.
In an e-mail to Gaffney last week, The Environmental Coalition asked the planning staff not to grant a Site Development Permit or a Fill and Gravel permit, as it may result in cutting down trees, damaging the wetlands and streams and further disturbing wildlife habitat.
This wildlife habitat has Garry Oaks on the site as well as a state endangered species of the Western Gray Squirrel.
The appeal to Superior court aims to ensure compliance with SEPA’s requirements, forcing consideration and analysis of the project’s impacts on the state-endangered Western Gray Squirrel and its habitat, wetlands, and other elements of the environment.
The court appeal calls for the county staff to withdraw the Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance and directs county staff to issue a threshold Determination of Significance for the proposed project, resulting in an Environmental Impact Statement being required.
In a recent County Council meeting, the chair of the council, Ryan Mello asked the county Finance Department to confirm that financing for the project would be delayed until the court judge made his decision.
At the Spanaway Creek crossing, a new culvert has been installed and substantial gravel added to the road at both Spanaway Creek and Audubon Springs Creek. This created a flow that altered the natural flow between wetlands into Spanaway Marsh. At Spanaway Creek, the county’s complaint report said that “The culvert replacement activities went into JBLM property”. And the excavation “raised the previous road level with a considerable amount of fill.”
In addition, the report from the site visitation by the staff said, “a gravel driveway was placed in the eastern area just north of the gate on to Tacoma Rescue mission property.” This gives access to the building site
“Washington State law also requires people planning projects in or near state waters to get a Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). This includes most marine and fresh waters,” according to the WDFW application. Violations of permit conditions can cost up to $ 9,000.
At the Environmental Coalition, we are concerned that if the developer is granted a permit and allowed to proceed with clearing and grading, they are likely to remove evidence necessary to show the value of the forests, the wetlands and the wildlife habitat that an Environmental Impact Statement would indicate.
A few decades ago, Audubon Society and Conservation Northwest successfully appealed the Environmental Impact Statement that was used to stop the building of a four-lane highway called the Cross Base Highway. The highway planner’s design involved bridging Audubon Springs and clearing trees for the proposed state highway.
The highway would have connected Pacific Avenue with Interstate 5 near Tillicum. The state court found that the Environmental Impact Statement was inadequate as the highway would destroy the wildlife habitat at this location. The highway was never built.
Since that time, WDFW has changed the status of the Western Gray Squirrel from a “listed species” to an “endangered species”.
Spanaway Marsh is not the only place where the Western Gray Squirrel has habitat around the state. Unfortunately, these Squirrels are dying in these other locations — principally because of the increase in road traffic.
Such arrogance, to believe that what they want to do is more important than the law dealing with development near wetlands and the trees (Gary Oak) which are protected..
I am totally disgusted with how our county government has handled this. They have turned a blind eye on this tiny home village probably because there are millions of dollars involved. Not ok. This is a protected wetlands. If an average citizen went to build there they would be made to jump through so many hoops they wouldn’t do it. Not ok to mess with mother nature. Leave our protected wetlands and wildlife marsh alone.
This is just mind boggling did the laws change on protecting our wildlife and our wetlands if so I must of missed the announcement 🤬 this whole thing is ridiculous!!
Unbelievable! You would think the county government would hold everyone to the same laws and standards. I would hope they would at least do things correctly and not try to ram through the project, but that appears to be wishful thinking.
TRM is NOT above the law, however, they are most likely willing to pay the fines that may be imposed in order to continue on with the project before they lose their funding. I am NOT impressed with TRM and their shenanigans. This project should be stopped! There is nothing right about what’s happening with this property. They are not abiding by the laws and regulations that the rest of us are required to do. I vehemently oppose what is happening.
Not to mention the fines are paid by us taxpayers
Why does some people and/or organzations think the rules and laws do not apply to them? The arrogancy of the Rescue Mission to go ahead with their plans without proper permits is unbelievable to me. To destroy pristine habit and wildlife is just unconscionable. First off, permits should not be approved as this is just the wrong place to destroy. One of the last pristine areas e destroyaround. Too much is at stake for this
area to be destroyed. Please, heavily fine them
This whole situation is very very wrong. If they can’t build the cross base highway which would have benefited tens of thousands of people then why is it they are allowed to destroy this area to put in 289 homes for non contributing citizens.??
This is appalling. Pierce County do better and abide by the set of rules you have established for the rest of us.
I can’t believe that their continuing work on this site! I’m appalled at their total disregard for permits! Keep up the pressure and let’s pray it gets stopped for good!
Tacoma Rescue Mission calls itself Christian, but their acts toward the Spanaway Marsh in Spanaway-Parkland are neither ethical nor moral. In fact, they appear to be quite illegal and dishonest. They know Spanaway Concerned Citizens has filed a lawsuit, asking for an Environmental Impact Statement from the state, so what do they do? They go out to Spanaway Marsh with big equipment, and, without permits, illegally do the exact kind of damage that will degrade the Marsh from a Category I wetland to something much lower on the scale. Lower on the scale means the Marsh is less likely to be saved through the law. How low will TRM continue to stoop?
Meanwhile, if they get their way, in a day of global warming, when the number one way to cool land is to save and plant trees, TRM plans to cut down 900 trees on the Marsh. 900. Let me say that again: 900 trees. Some of them, like the slow-growing Garry Oaks, as much as 300 years old. What will that do to the ability of the Spanaway-Parkland area to mitigate our hotter summers? What will that do to cause flooding more often, since tree roots can hold great amounts of water, and so help prevent flooding? And in this day and age when water is becoming scarcer across the world, they want to risk damaging two huge wetlands that sit over a sole source aquifer. What will that do to Spanaway-Parkland’s ability to provide our drinking water, our washing water. What will it do to the water of our streams and lakes, to our endangered salmon and orca?
I notice none of the proponents (TRM, the county executive and his office, the Republicans on the County Council, big donors, etc.) of this proposed ecological travesty live in Spanaway-Parkland. It’s not their community, so why should they care? All along throughout this process of trying to change the zoning of the Marsh so TRM and the county can build high density on a Category I important wetland, they have refused to listen to the people of Spanaway-Parkland, and readily defamed and slandered us by calling us “NIMBYs” from the very start. But it appears the real NIMBYs are the proponents themselves.
I am in disbelief and so frustrated that none of the county or state agencies that have been made aware of these egregious acts have not stopped them! I have lost all respect for TRM and their disregard for the people and land they profess they want to be “good neighbors “ too.
Maybe this is the definition of *executive priority* as noted on their permit application. Link to verify *executive priority*: https://pals.piercecountywa.gov/palsonline/#/permitSearch/permit/documents?applPermitId=1013476
The construction activity at the proposed tiny village site is part of a master plan under the permitting system developed by Washington Dept of Ecology. This means that any portion of the site that is has any construction on it (including demolition and clearing) must have a Stormwater Construction Permit. That permit will require that a stormwater mitigation plan be developed and present on the site of the construction. It also requires that at Certified Erosion and Control Lead (CESEL) be available or on site during any construction activity. From information obtained so far, the activities described do not comply with the Ecology permitting requirements. Thus, all construction should be halted and a substantial fine imposed for that which has been done. It would be appropriate to file a complaint with the Pollution Control Hearings Board- responsible to permit violations.
If any of “us” were to build without permits, we’d be fined big time and would more than likely have to tear down or redo whatever we had done. I’d rather Cross base hwy had gone thru to I-5 but there were viable reason they couldn’t. And those same reasons should apply now. As well as making the raceway traffic called Spanaway Loop even worse.
I live in the butting neighborhood. What they have done so far Increases the the chance of our road flooding out. The water from the new culverts along with the existing culverts will increase the water that moves through our wetlands by 3 times. Imagine living on a single lane PRIVATE road with one way in and out being at risk. We the people that live in this neighborhood maintain this road ourselves. There is no information on the flow of Ingress and egress studies that were done, prior to TRM putting in these new culverts. (Because it wasn’t) If it floods, 30+ families will be stranded! No access for emergency vehicles either. I cannot believe the State has not jumped in and shut the whole thing down!
I have been to several of these community meeting about this purposed Villiage! It is beyond disgusting that this is allowed to happen. They should not be out there with out permits doing anything. If I did that I would be fined and possibly put in jail. This has to stop where are our elected leaders Where is the Pierce County Council Jani Hitchens, Mr. Mello where is code enforcement, and the rest! Why does this entity not have to follow the rules? Enforcement the law tell them to cease until they have the proper permitting!!!!
When the squirrels are finally gone can they finally build the cross base road?
No. They have chosen a “Village” instead.
When are we going to come to the conclusion that our watersheds are one of the most important wild areas that need to be left intact. Water. Everything comes down to clean water.
It is shameful that people and corporations feel they can bypass our rules and regulations. The ‘do as you want and ask forgiveness later’ just cannot be tolerated anymore. There should be penalties involved for people who blatantly destroyed, diverted, and and criminally altered this ecosystem.
Please someone turn this in on the federal level! This isn’t just a state issue because water is also a federal jurisdiction. There is a reason nothing was built on that land exceptcs barn. The county forced the owner to split his property when they extended the Loop and its odd how the county got the land so cheap later on.
not much of an environment left to our current and future generations…seems all human endeavors are crooked and hell bent on profits n destruction of whats left of our natural environment here.
There seems to be a lot of dishonesty going on. The county is turning it’s head and granting the Tacoma Rescue Mission special permissions and changing zoning, etc., that they would not otherwise do for the normal citizen, you and me, the tax payers. Building this massive project in wetland with threatened species (animals and trees) is irresponsible and will only encounter a lifetime of problems, issues and costs. This massive project is being designed after the one in Austin, TX, which is not in wetlands and has had two murders this year alone. Let’s pray they don’t destroy the sensitive eco-balance of the wetlands, habitat and our connecting waterways. If TRM is being dishonest now, who knows what’s to come in the future. There are other places this can be built that will not to cause so much damage, so why aren’t they doing it? STOP BUILDING IN THE WETLANDS PLEASE!!!!!
We know what this is.
Creation to push out & fill-in land, to later check the land and claim these are not wetlands and have the boundaries changed.
Shameful, sin-filled deceitful crooks.
TRM with this “good neighbor” claim. Heard it on a commercial and ran with it.
PROTECTED anything does not have a permit that allows what’s being done here.
If flooding damage and unclean water hot beds happen because of TRM’s selfish and arrogant tactics, who’s on the line to pay the damages and bills ?
Stop this project, only bad has and will be the end all of this book that should have never had a page written.
Side note: Teresa Latham was shot and killed. Driving past this area. TRM has allowed this. Giving a place for the ones up to no good. (Already shows the process)
You were able to hear them shooting on that property all different times (day & night), 10 days before that.
Who should also be at fault ?
I am disgusted in many ways with this.
Move everything you messed up in Tacoma into the woods in Spanaway, then say
“look, we cleaned it up” ..
I could go on, you get the just.
Stop this crooked project Now.
Cross base Hwy was not aloud due to the squirrels, water, trees, etc, so why is TRM being aloud to build their village? Do the laws, permits, etc not pertain to them? Why? We need to save our wetlands, etc, I feel our climate change has to do with covering every piece of dirt with asphalt & concrete, they are suffocating mother earth! 296 tiny homes is not going to help, stop the insanity!!
I still have some questions. First, I agree that permitting issues should be applied fairly. But isn’t this approved by executive order, and not legally needing the same level of permitting, however fair or not that is?
Second I understand the environmental impacts, and that is never good and should always be taken into consideration. But I’m questioning people’s priorities and sincerity about this issue. Do people here also speak out and protest the Bridge Industrial Warehouse project in Tacoma, or the Dupont Gravel Mine expansion? For comparison, the article from this website about the expanding mine has maybe half a dozen comments. Are we concerned with the serious levels of pollution military bases put out, with one literally next door? Such as an old army landfill and underground ammunition storage just west of this site, and just south has long been a training area amongst the wetlands and marsh, that the base has numerous unexploded ordinance zones, in 2016 and 2023 they shut down wells on base that provided drinking water because of high levels of PFAS, that there’s an ongoing lawsuit against the base related to the latest shutdown, and all that water is a part of the same watershed area we all live on…has any of this ever been a concern anywhere near the level of this one housing project for anyone here?
And in response to some arguments of, right idea, wrong place, what reasonable alternative locations are you proposing that haven’t already been investigated?
I question priorities because most attempts at helping homeless folks are consistently derided and shut down for any and all possible reasons (apparently now environmentalism) and this continues to look like we are fine with deeming these people as unfit for help by the society that they grew up in. If this development gets a couple hundred people off the street while having the same impact as other modern developments exploding in our county, is that not at least a net neutral scenario? Considering we have, and continue to increase, plenty of destruction of habitats, pollution of our air, waters (especially the Puyallup), for the sake of expanding commercial property or worse, doing the same to prevent at least SOME random encampments that produce trash and often proliferate drugs does not seem so unreasonable to me.