Updated Through November 17, 2023

The Applicant withdrew this permit application on October 24, 2023. The GMVUAC will continue to monitor this situation.

Project Name: Wildlife Meadow Glamping and RV Park

Proposal: A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow construction, in three phases, of a recreational campsite consisting of 8 tent, 25 RV and 15 cabin sites together with all supporting facilities, such as parking, toilet/shower, kitchen, office/host and an onsite store for campers. This represents a commercial facility to be sited in King County’s Rural Area and in the Rural Forest Focus Area.

CUP: CDUP23-0002: https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/permitting-environmental-review/dper/documents/PublicNotices/CDUP23-0002-NOA.ashx?la=en

Location: Northside of SE Kent-Kangley Rd, ~1⁄2 mile east of the intersection of SE Kent-Kangley Rd and Landsburg Rd SE. Within King County’s Rural Area. Within the Cedar River / Ravensdale Rural Forest Focus Area (RFFA). Situated ~2 mi from the Maple Valley city limits.

Parcel: 3022079103; 47.31 ac; zoned RA-10.

Parcel Status: In 2007, at the applicant’s request, the parcel was granted Designated Forestlands status, resulting in a greatly reduced property tax burden. Due to extensive historical Boundary Line Adjustments by the applicant, the parcel has only one Development Credit on it and, thus, only a single residence could be built when and if the Designated Forestlands status is changed, in spite of the RA-10 zoning.

The GMVUAC provided detailed Comments on the subject proposal. The Area Council reviewed all available documents provided by the King County Department of Local Services-Permitting (DLS-P) Division,—including the SEPA Checklist, as well as applicable King County Code and Policies, parcel history, and business feasibility / possible future uses. In its workthe Area Council also interacted with people in the surrounding vicinity and nearby neighbors of the proposed project to understand the community’s multiple concerns.

The proposed project in King County’s Rural Area and the Cedar River / Ravensdale Rural Forest Focus Area (RFFA) calls for a large commercial operation with high-density housing that, based on experiences at other operations of its kind in King County, could and, probably, will, expand to even higher density housing. Coupled with an overworked and understaffed DLS Permitting Division’s Code Enforcement Group, it could prove extremely difficult to enforce King County Code Title 21A ZONING, 21A.08.040 Recreational/cultural land uses, A. Recreational/cultural land uses for an RV per “Condition 2. Recreational vehicle parks are subject to the following conditions and limitations, a. The maximum length of stay of any vehicle shall not exceed one hundred eighty days during a three-hundred-sixty-five-day period;….“

The Area Council found many issues related to the proposed project and detailed them in iuts Comments, including a set of comprehensive Conclusions based on the above information and provide a set of Recommendations. Based on our research, review of all the available documents, and the rationale contained herein, we recommend the proposed project permit application be denied outright. Should the proposed project permit application not be denied outright, we recommend an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be conducted under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to address the serious local environmental concerns cited herein, as well as the regional concerns including those associated with the City of Kent water supply. Should the proposed project permit application be approved, we cite many specific Conditions to be imposed and enforced! We would emphasize that one of the criteria given in KC Code 21A.44.040 Conditional use permit. G. is that: “The conditional use will be supported by adequate public facilities or services and will not adversely affect public services to the surrounding area or conditions can be established to mitigate adverse impacts on such facilities;….” Herein, we have detailed our concerns regarding such impacts.

Area Council comprehensive Comments were submitted to the King County Dept. of Local Services, Permitting Division, on August 6, 2023.