Sammamish City Council members were adamant they wanted to “go slow and do it right” on the annexation of the Klahanie area, but Mayor Tom Vance and a majority of the Council have been pushing to adopt a complete revision to the Comprehensive Plan before the August recess.

Council Member Nancy Whitten  believes flaws remain in the new Comp Plan, which has been a virtual complete rewrite of the detailed plan adopted in 2001 after 18 months of work by the Planning Advisory Board. The new Comp Plan is far more general, she says, reducing environmental protections, particularly potentially for Pine Lake. Pine Lake is one of six “303(d)” lakes in King County. Beaver Lake and Laughing Jacobs Lake or Lake Sammamish (I forget which), also in Sammamish, are two others.

Vance, Deputy Mayor Kathy Huckabay, Council Member Tom Odell and Council Member Bob Keller describe themselves as environmentalists in addition to Whitten. Ramiro Valderrama has a solid environmental record and Don Gerend tends pro-development.

Keller quietly worked with Whitten to improve the new Comp Plan and led a rogue committee on the Planning Advisory Board to adopt strong environmental policies when staff proposed a set of general policies that were a mere one and three-quarters pages. Keller is the one member of the current City Council who worked on the original Comp Plan. The City Staff led the effort to water down the new Comp Plan, and the Planning Commission approved.

But the leadership, Vance and Huckabay, have been pushing to adopt the new Comp Plan despite concerns over environmental policies. State law sets a July deadline, but often grants waivers if cities fall behind but are making good-faith efforts to get the job done.

Repealing the first Comp Plan is set for its second reading tomorrow night. Concurrent is the second reading of the new Comp Plan and establishing an effective date.

“Go slow and do it right” was the theme for Klahanie.

“Go fast and go on vacation” is the theme for the Comp Plan and the environment.