Sammamish has until Nov. 3 decide whether to appeal a decision by the Shoreline Hearings Board siding with King County on its appeal over three of four issues on development of the southern end of the East Lake Sammamish Trail (ELST).

Sammamish should not appeal the SHB’s decision.

King County appealed a City Hearing Examiner’s decision over four issues and the City appealed over two: the placement of a stop sign and the Examiner’s ruling that the City couldn’t force the County to undertake drainage mitigation the City demanded in one specific location. The Examiner ruled the City’s requirement went beyond the legal standard to demand the County fix pre-existing drainage issues.

The stop sign dispute is over whether the sign should stop traffic or trail people at a road intersection.

Because the County appealed the Examiner’s rulings on some issues, the City had to be present with its legal counsel and staff to defend the rulings. Since they were going to be there anyway, the City Council decided to appeal the drainage and stop sign issues. Sammamish Comment opined at the time this was a waste of tax dollars and staff time over these inconsequential issues.

The SHB concluded the Examiner was correct on these issues.

Sammamish should let go of the other issues on which it lost. Filing an appeal would be a further waste of tax dollars and staff time.

It’s time to proceed with the southern end of the trail, which is roughly from the 7-11 to the Issaquah city limits.