Port adds wall removal
to permit application
posted 04/12/01
As a result of an injunction filed by the American Legion, the Port of Friday Harbor will include the removal of the wall on the Unocal property in its application for a shoreline substantial development permit. Port officials do not believe this will result in delays to the development of the Unocal site. A four-story building is under consideration for the site.
Legion files injunction
posted 04/03/01
Plans by the Port of Friday Harbor to remove part of the concrete wall at the old Unocal site on Front Street were halted when the Hackett-Larson American Legion Post filed an injunction March 29 in San Juan County Superior Court.
A temporary restraining order was granted by Judge Alan R. Hancock barring removal of the retaining wall or disturbance of the site pending a hearing to determine if the project is subject to Friday Harbor's Shoreline Master Program and/or the state Model Toxics Control Act.
Port Commission Chair Greg Hertel said the Port always intended to obtain a shoreline permit for the cleanup. In order for the Port to obtain the necessary permits for cleanup of the site, the extent of the pollution must first be determined. A plan for removal of the contaminated materials is required as part of the permit application. By removing part of the wall, technicians would be able to drill core samples.
Hertel said it turns out removal of the wall won't be necessary in order for the geo-tech firm to drill core samples. "They can drill from an angle and get core samples," he said. "They can drill horizontally if they had to."
Cleanup of the site, which was the location of above-ground diesel and gasoline tanks from 1924-1983, will be paid for by Unocal. Under terms of the 1998 purchase of the site by the Port, Unocal is financially responsible for cleanup of any contamination discovered within ten years of the purchase.
In the motion for temporary injunction, Post Commander Kortney Dempsey stated:
We do not disagree that the contamination should be removed. however, this may well be an extensive cleanup project requiring significant excavation and removal of dirt and rock, and the entire scope and method of the cleanup should be considered at one time rather than in the current piecemeal fashion.
As a condition of the restraining order, the Legion had to put up $12,000 in security to pay costs if anyone was wrongfully restrained by the order.
Owners say addition
won't block view of Brown Island
posted 03/27/01
Friday Harbor House owners hope to sign a ground lease with the Port of Friday Harbor for the old Unocal site on Front Street within the month. They also hope to clear up misunderstandings about the project -- a proposed addition to Friday Harbor House.
"We want to be good neighbors, "said Langdon and Anne Simons who own FH House along with general partner Seattle Mayor Paul Schell. "We're a little unhappy the Legion didn't talk to us." The plans call for construction of a five-suite two-story building on top of a two-story basement to be built by the Port of Friday Harbor. "We think it's well designed and an attractive addition to the community," said Langdon.
Responding to concerns voiced by American Legion members, the couple said they believe the new building will not block the view of Brown Island from the second floor of the Legion. However the legion members' view of the ferry dock would be blocked. One of the architects took photos last Friday from inside the Legion Hall and created a computer-generated image of the view with the addition in place.
The project started after the port purchased the Unocal property for $350,000 and sought a lessor which would not need access from Front Street according to the Simons. "The Port gets increased revenue and also builds a two-story basement to house U.S. Customs and Port offices," said Landgon.
The Simons believe their project meets the town's height restrictions and complies with the viewshed ordinances. Project architects have met twice with the Town of Friday Harbor Historic Preservation Board. There is no requirement for public hearings in order to obtain a building permit for this project.
Langdon said a SEPA application will be submitted to the town in the next few weeks. The SEPA process will give the public an opportunity to comment.
Legionnaire shoots verbal volleys at Port
Model of proposed four-story building to be built next to upper port parking lot in Friday Harbor.
posted 03/15/01
An American Legion member yesterday blasted the Port of Friday Harbor's plans to cooperate with Friday Harbor House on construction of a hotel/office building that would obstruct his club's view.
"You've been a very rude neighbor," an angry Karl Mueller told Port commissioners during a meeting yesterday, March 14.
Mueller, a vice commander of Hackett-Larson Post, contended the Port told members they would be included in discussions about future uses on the old Unocal property, located below the Legion and toward the Friday Harbor ferry terminal. Previous to Port Commission Chairman Greg Hertel meeting with Legionnaires on March 13, only one person from the Port discussed the project with a Legion representative, Mueller said.
"Nobody from Friday Harbor House or the Port contacted us," he said.
Hertel requested the meeting after Port commissioners, at a meeting earlier this year, decided greater communication with the Legion was needed.
"This has not been a big, giant secret," Port Commissioner Brian Calvert told Mueller. "No one on this commission wants to rough-ride over the Legion."
Legion members contend the southeastern view from the club would be trimmed from past the Friday Harbor ferry terminal to about the Port's main dock, the Legionnaires estimate. "We'll never see Brown Island again.... That's a lot of view," Mueller said.
A conference room planned for the hotel's addition would also
"not only take our view but also our business," said Mueller. The Legion and other clubs -- with a total membership of more than 2,000 -- use the Legion's basement meeting room, Mueller noted. Some of those clubs' members are supporting the Legion's opposition to the building, which would rise four stories from the water side.
View from the water also would not be as appealing, according to Mueller. Ferry riders first impression of Friday Harbor would be "two of the ugliest buildings in the state," Mueller maintained.
Port Auditor Marilyn O'Connor said the new building would not be ugly.
Port Director Steve Simpson offered a history and rationale of the project. The Port purchased the Unocal property primarily to control use of it and access to the Port, Simpson said. Providing year-round economic development was the second priority, which the hotel would fulfill by employing more than seasonal employees. The Port also puts property it buys to the "highest and best use," Simpson said.
Friday Harbor House's owners, who also attempted to buy the Unocal property, proposed maximizing the parcel by building a structure with the bottom two floors used by the Port and U.S. Customs and the top two for hotel suites and a conference room.
Since the project only requires "a simple building permit" from the Town of Friday Harbor, Simpson noted only written comments have to be officially accepted. "There's no showdown," he said.
However, the Port is moving up an environmental review -- under State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) provisions -- of the project to allow for comments earlier in the process.
Simpson also explained the Port and Friday Harbor House owners only have "a handshake" agreement so far, but the Port likes to live up to its agreements. However, he also hinted the Port commissioners might want to reconsider their plans. "We need to ask ourselves if this is still a good project," Simpson said.
The Port is "not married" to the project but needs to maximize the property's economical potential, Hertel said.
"We don't want your taxes to go up just so these guys (staff) have a nice office," Calvert said.
He said there are "a lot of ways the Port could build new office building space," but it would be fiscally irresponsible not to put the property to the best use possible.
"I know you have a mandate to make a profit, but at what expense," Mueller countered.
He questioned the economic benefit of constructing hotel rooms. Only "minimum-wage maids" would be employed, Mueller said.
People who stay in the hotel rooms will spend money at other businesses, Hertel responded.
Legion member Grant Moyer asked if the Port put out a request for proposals for the property. Simpson explained the Port has a standing request process for potential use of Port property that is published regularly. The Port, which was approached by Friday Harbor House's owners, decided to work with them because they had already expressed interest in the Unocal property.
"Many people would like to have a business there," Moyer responded.
"If you can show me some other revenue stream ... I'm all ears," Calvert said.
Simpson noted the Legion once had plans to construct on the water side of the building. "We're also in the same development business," he said.
The Legion has a foundation that a three-story building could be constructed upon, Mueller said.
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