Dear Centralia residents,
I’m writing this letter to let you know what is currently being proposed on Reynolds Avenue. Last June, there was a public comment period on a proposed development for two huge warehouses called the Skookumchuck Commerce Center.
It wasn’t very public, and conveniently the same developer announced at the same time they were interested in tearing down Yard Birds and building a warehouse on that location. I think that was a distraction from this project to have everyone look the other way.
The entire undeveloped property on Reynolds is located on the FEMA flood map. FEMA bases their high water marks from historical data, not projections. The proposal for this would fill the properties 1 foot or more above the base flood elevation.
If Centralia allows this development with all that fill, where will the water go in the next big flood? It's not a matter of if a record-breaking flood will happen. It's a matter of when. This would be devastating to the homes in the surrounding area.
The downtown area is protected by a levee on the south side of the Skookumchuck. North of that we are not so lucky. All the extra flood water gets pushed our way.
There are many reasons why this development should not be allowed besides it being a floodplain. The proposal sits above the aquifer that the city pulls water from. It’s also an aquifer recharge area, which means water gets filtered through the ground and put back into the aquifer. If this goes through, the plan is to have 80% of the property covered in concrete and asphalt. So then you wouldn’t have water being filtered back into the groundwater. It would be diverted to storage ponds that are then dumped into the Skookumchuck River.
Not to mention all the pollution from the trucks and traffic created from this. We all know how bad traffic can be on Reynolds with the train. Just imagine that with 800 additional semi-trucks on the road each day.
Currently, the decision on the State Environmental Protection Act process has been put on hold for a hydrological and hydraulic assessment. Once the city receives all the studies, they have 14 days to review the information and issue a SEPA decision. There will be another public comment period before the SEPA decision.
From a public records request, I have reviewed emails between city employees and the developer. It’s interesting that the developer acts as if this is a done deal set in stone and is a bit of a bully to the city. This is not a done deal. The properties have not been purchased and permits have not been issued. The sale is pending, but is not complete. The pending sale is based on if they get the SEPA approved or not.
If the City of Centralia has the best interest of their current residents, they will not allow poor development that would be harmful to the safety of their residents.
Why is the City of Centralia flirting with an international developer to flood our city?
Bethany Milton
Centralia
