Amy Buckler, planner for the city, said that (back in March) Glenn Wells, the architect/developer for the townhomes, had what's called a "pre-submission hearing" to build 9 more townhomes on the land that the rookery occupies. He is not listed as the owner of the land (which is, apparently, for sale) but people can request such a hearing to discuss the feasability of a proposal before, say, the purchase of a piece of property for development, to let the builder know what sort of issues they would have to confront.
The city's critical areas ordinance provides protection for endangered species, so great blue herons present no barrier to development except that their nests are protected during the breeding season. The urban forester consults with developers to assess whether certain trees are to be preserved, but the presence of nests do not confer special consideration for trees.
The heron nests were discussed at the hearing. Amy Buckler said she'd let olyfriendsofherons.org know if there is any further action on the property.
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4 comments:
Thanks for the update on the rookery and the proposed nearby development. Is there a way to get the rookery area protected (I don't have the 240K either!)
Does your post mean that the nests are protected in the immediate breeding season but not after?
And does the lack of contact from Amy Buckler, city planner, mean that the townhomes are not imminent?
Can we organize anything around protecting the rookery?
Does this post mean that the nests are protected only during the active breeding season, and once the herons fledge, the nests can come down?
Is that a city proviso, or some other entity?
Could the trees with the nests be saved and still allow development?
Nests are protected when they are active. The breeding season goes from mid-Februaru to mid-August. That means, after mid-August the trees with the nests could come down.
Since Great blue herons aren't endangered species, the city would give them no special protection. City ordinances protect endangered species only.
The rookery land is still in limbo (I think) and yes, development could occur that spares the nesting trees (maybe--I don't know how they are arrayed). However, herons will relocate for a variety of reasons, it seems. No development could occur and the herons could still relocate. All this makes for a delicate tenancy of the herons.
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