Camas rules environmental impacts of proposed road realignment near planned LDS temple can be mitigated

The city of Camas has determined that a road-realignment proposal related to the planned Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Camas, which would realign Southeast Bybee Road, has a “mitigated determination of non-significance” when it comes to environmental concerns. The City, which acts as the lead agency under the state’s Environmental Police Act (SEPA) rules, said Sept. 12, that it had found possible adverse environmental impacts related to the road realignment that could be mitigated under certain conditions. According to the City’s SEPA documents, development plans related to the proposed LDS temple include shifting the existing Southeast Bybee Road to the east to better align with the intersection of Northwest 38th Avenue and Northwest Fisher Creek Drive. “The proposal affects (a) total of seven parcels … (that) are either adjacent to existing right-of-way and/or the final located of the redesigned Southeast Bybee Road right-of-way in order to achieve the city-required alignment with the Northwest 38th Avenue and Northwest Fisher Creek Drive intersection,” the applicants noted in their report to the City. If the road realignment is approved, Bybee Road would become a three-lane “collector” road, according to City documents. “Southeast Bybee Road will be redesigned as a fully improved road with necessary curbs and gutters to tie into existing stormwater drainage infrastructure,” the report stated. “Stormwater runoff from Southeast Bybee, will be collected with catch basins and routed to the stormwater facility at the northern end of the realigned road. The stormwater will be treated and detained within the facility, which is a wet pond. The facility will discharge toward the wetland located north of the facility.” The report does note the presence of songbirds and deer that have been observed on or near the site, and said the site “is located within what is commonly referred to as the Pacific Flyway … the general migratory route for various species of ducks, geese, and other migratory waterfowl (which) stretches from Alaska to Mexico and from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains.” Other birds, including robins, “may also seasonally utilize or be near the site,” the applicants stated in the report, adding that “new landscaping will be implemented in the redevelopment right-of-way” as a proposed measure to preserve or enhance wildlife on or near the site. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), commonly referred to as the Mormon church, has announced plans to build its sixth Washington state temple on a 15-acre site near the intersection of Southeast Bybee Road and Southeast 20th Street in Camas. “Plans call for a multistory temple of approximately 43,000 square feet,” the churchofjesuschristtemples.org website noted earlier this year. According to Clark County property documents, the LDS church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, purchased several parcels of land near the intersection of Southeast Bybee Road and Northwest 38th Avenue/Southeast 20th Street in west Camas for $8.25 million in May 2023. The planned temple site is adjacent to a 0.53-acre property owned by the city of Camas and located near Evergreen Tennis, Fisher Investments and two apartment complexes — Kielo at Grass Valley and Grandview Place. The planned Camas temple drew criticism from at least one community member in early 2024. Enoch Tsai told Camas City Council members on March 4, that he opposed building a temple on that particular piece of land. For 16 years, Tsai said, he and his family have “upheld a tradition every evening: walking down Bybee up 38th and among the trees on that site.” “I feel like, to tear down that corner for a temple, does not resonate with the needs of that community,” Tsai told Camas officials. Tsai said the proposed temple site is home to deer and other wildlife and “bordered by protected land and wetland buffers.” The City’s SEPA report on the proposed road realignment states that there are “no critical areas or associated buffers located on the property proposed to include the realigned right-of-way.” According to the report: “The proposal includes the redesign and alignment to portions of the Southeast Bybee Road right-of-way. The realignment will align Southeast Bybee Road to the existing Northwest 38th Avenue and Northwest Fisher Creek Drive intersection (and) will improve circulation within the vicinity. The development will also provide pedestrian-friendly design, with wide sidewalks and landscaping to promote activity and visual interest at the ground level. This encourages pedestrian trips.” The City has set three conditions on the proposed road realignment, including: • A condition that the applicant addresses localized flooding on Southeast Bybee Road and provide the City with stormwater plans “to minimize the localized flooding at the culvert crossing under Southeast Bybee Road;” • A condition that the applicant provide a set of civil engineering improvement plans to the City that include tree removal and retention, grading plans, erosion control plans, utility plans for water and sewer systems; and • A condition that the applicant must “revise and resubmit a final stormwater report prepared in accordance with (the Washington state Department of) Ecology’s latest 2024 Stormwater Maintenance Manual for Western Washington for review and approval, prior to final engineering plan approval.” Comments on the City’s SEPA determination are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. The City will not act on the proposal until the end of its 14-day comment period. Comments may be emailed to communitydevelopment@cityofc amas.us or mailed to Community Development Department, 616 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas, WA.

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