HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

Reading the October 9 letter to the editor of The Northern Light from former Blaine City Manager Dave Wilbrecht regarding the proposed UGA Swap/Birch Point annexation, the following remarks caught my attention:

"We’ve seen this before. In 1996 Blaine annexed East Blaine, where development stalled for years due to the high costs of utility infrastructure. Only after state funding helped cover those costs did East Maple Ridge move forward, while Grandis Pond remained unbuilt because utilities were financially unfeasible. I wonder if Birch Point faces the same fate."

In 2024, the City of Blaine undertook a massive sewer upgrade on G St and vicinity to accommodate East Blaine development over the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area. State funding covered part of that, and Whatcom County loaned the city the rest. Now it appears that cost to taxpayers was wasted, and the city wants us to pay for their mistakes.

Of historical note, in 1994, when I led North Cascades Audubon Society to victory at the Washington Supreme Court, setting legal precedent for critical areas protection statewide, I noted in our background documents that the City of Blaine had designated the East Blaine CARA as an Urban Growth Area in violation of the Growth Management Act. Had the city revised its plans back then, all this nonsense could have been avoided.

Mr. Wilbrecht goes on to say, "The proposed swap will carry enormous utility, road, and stormwater costs – costs that will ultimately be passed to homeowners through sale price, utility rates, and taxes." History is apparently repeating itself.