Residents near Juanita Beach Park are protesting a proposal to replace the two current private piers, including one at the Bel Lago Condominiums, with a new 272 foot private pier, claiming it would impact use of Juanita Beach Park and the nearby open water. Meanwhile, the owner is claiming that his plan is within regulations, look better than the current piers and be better for the environment.
Ecco Design, Inc. has submitted a Process I Substantial Development Permit application to build the pier at 9049 and 9123 NE Juanita Drive. It would contain 22 slips for moorage and replace two separate piers.
Before city of Kirkland Planning Director Eric Shields decides whether to approve or reject the application for the permit, however, the public is invited to provide comment on the proposal until April 6. If he decides to reject the permit application, his decision can be appealed to the Shoreline Hearings Board.
In order to build the pier, Ecco Design will need to also get a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers, which they are in the process of obtaining.
A petition has already started online opposing the permit with more than 100 signatures. Among the qualms stated in the petition are that the unusually long length of the pier would negatively affect access to open water around Juanita Beach Park for water sports recreations such as kitesurfing and paddle-boarding, as well as cause potential harm to the salmon and Blue Heron at Juanita Creek, which is directly adjacent to the property. The petition also states that allowing such a long pier, much longer than any other in the bay, would set a troubling precedent.
Bel Lago Condominiums LLC owner Ken Nelson, however, said the criticism about the project is completely off point.
Nelson first looked into building the pier in 2012, but originally it would have been shorter and contained fewer slips. It also would have only replaced Bel Lago’s pier at 9123 NE Juanita Drive. While he was working on the project with the various government agencies, the adjacent property on 9049 NE Juanita Drive was sold to Waterfront II LLC, which Nelson manages for the owner. Nelson said they plan to add a 12 unit condo on the property owned by Waterfront II LLC, but unlike Bel Lago they will be within the height limitations set after the city annexed the neighborhood.
This isn’t the first time Bel Lago has been the focus of controversy. Despite neighbors’ objections, King County let the seven-and-a-half story building be built between Northeast Juanita Drive and the shores of Lake Washington in 2006, blocking many neighbors’ views. The condo was sold to Bellevue-based Legacy Homes in 2012.
When the purchase of the adjacent lot occurred, Nelson said it was suggested he build the pier on both properties rather than just one. Not only would this move the pier further west and away from Juanita Creek, but it would have the pier extending out farther into deeper water, which would have less of an impact on the habitats.
As for environmental concerns, Nelson said their plans are based on recommendations from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers, and will actually improve the surrounding habitat. As part of the project, they will be mitigating the area by putting in logs and trees as well as water plants.
“We’re going to spend thousands of dollars improving the shoreline habitat for the benefit of the environment,” he said. “We’ve never been told by a single agency or by the city we’re not in full compliance with what we’re doing.”
The reason for the long pier is due to the shallowness of the water, according to Nelson, which negatively impacts the local habitat. Extending it was done to satisfy concerns by the various government agencies, particularly the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We have no desire to pay for a longer pier just for the sake of paying for a longer pier,” he said. “We’ve gone way beyond the mitigation that’s minimally required.”
Nelson said, the idea of placing the longer pier on both properties has been favored by the city, something planner Désirée Goble with the city of Kirkland confirmed.
“I think the city would prefer to see one pier versus two,” she said.
While neighbors see the longer pier as an eyesore, Goble said having it on both properties will reduce the number of piers that could potentially be built along the water. Goble also said having one pier instead of two will reduce the environmental impact by moving it away from the park.
Nelson added that despite claims he’s heard that yachts will be moored on the pier, he intends to include covenants in the condos that will cap the size of boats, depending on their place on the pier. The furthest eight slips, for example, will be limited to boats 24-feet long or shorter, while the next ten slips will have a maximum length of 21 feet. The next four, closest to the shore, would be lifts for smaller boats like canoes.
