PROJECT PROPONENT:

Bastyr University

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL:

Adopt and implement a Master Plan for facilities and improvements on the Kenmore, Washington campus that support the University’s vision for growth over the next 20 years. The adopted Master Plan is anticipated to result in an amendment to the City of Kenmore Comprehensive Land Use Plan, in the form of a subarea plan. It is expected that future development on the campus will be guided by the provisions of a Planned Action Ordinance or Development Agreement with the City of Kenmore.

The University currently leases the Kenmore site from the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. The University is engaged in the campus Master Plan and EIS process to confirm whether it can achieve its objectives for growth on this site. If not, Bastyr will relocate, and future use of the property will be determined by the Catholic Archdiocese, working with the City of Kenmore.

LOCATION OF THE PROPOSAL:

The 51-acre campus is located in the southern portion of the City of Kenmore, south of NE 145th Street and west of Juanita Drive NE (see Location Map). St. Edward Park borders the site on three sides (north, south and west).

THRESHOLD DETERMINATION:

The City of Kenmore and project proponent mutually agree that an EIS shall be prepared for environmental review of the Bastyr University Campus Master Plan and Planned Action. This Scoping Notice constitutes the formal Determination of Significance (DS) for the project.

ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT TO BE ADDRESSED:

The SEPA Guidelines instruct that the Lead Agency shall narrow the scope of every EIS to the probable significant adverse impacts of, and reasonable alternatives to, the proposed action, including mitigation measures (WAC 197-11-408). The City of Kenmore will require that the following elements of the environment be addressed in the Bastyr University Campus Master Plan EIS:

Earth (slopes, excavation, foundation support, soil infiltration potential), Water (streams), Plants and Animals (wetlands, wildlife, and habitat), Environmental Health (fuel storage tanks and similar remnants of former uses), Land Use (land use patterns; compatibility; relationship to plans and policies), Transportation and Parking, Public Services, and Utilities (water, sewer, stormwater management, energy, telecommunications). Land Use issues may include aesthetics, as well as potential light and glare associated with the possible development of a medical clinic in proximity to Juanita Drive NE.

Not required for discussion are the following elements of the environment:  Historic and Cultural Resources, and Air Quality (adequately covered in the City of Kenmore Comprehensive Land Use Plan; March 2001); and Noise (the institutional use will not be a noise-generating activity, and is distant from sensitive receptors).

THE PROPOSAL AND ALTERNATIVES TO BE ANALYZED:

The objectives of the Master Plan for growth and development of Bastyr University over the next 20 years are listed below. The growth rate on which the Master Plan is based would result in a student population of 1,800 in 2010, and 2,500 in 2020, compared to the existing (2003) enrollment of approximately 1,200 students.

>  Develop as a small university with slow and steady growth.

>  Provide a mix of academic buildings and onsite housing.

>  Develop plans and designs to mitigate traffic, parking, and environmental impacts.

>  Provide beneficial health and wellness resources to the community.

>  Preserve and enhance the natural environment to the extent practicable.

To achieve these objectives, the Master Plan will be evaluated as the proposed action. No Action, and at least one Master Plan alternative will also be evaluated in the EIS. Phased development would occur under either the proposed action or the Master Plan Alternative(s). No new construction is anticipated before 2006. The first new student housing is contemplated between 2006 and 2010. Most new construction is anticipated for the period 2010 through 2020. Enrollment is projected to grow at an average annual rate of about 60 students.

1.  The Master Plan. The proposed action includes the following components: develop the campus around an open space meadow (the area of the existing ballfields). Expand academics, administrative and support services outward from the existing building. Provide parking in structures (in the final phase of development). Construct student housing south of the existing campus, along the east edge (on the plateau above the stream), and in the forested area extending toward NE 145th Street. Relocate and expand herb gardens on the site. Add auxiliary uses such as a Wellness Center, Conference Center, Public Clinic, Private Residential Care Center, University Enterprise Space (a facility for producing intellectual properties [newsletters, books, video tapes]), and a Physical Plant.

2.  Master Plan Alternatives: Alternatives to the Master Plan may include variations on the student housing proposal and/or the auxiliary uses to be developed on the site. Elements of the Master Plan Alternative may become further defined as environmental review progresses during preparation of the EIS.

3.  The No Action Alternative: Bastyr University would relocate to some other site (not contemplated and unknown at this time). Future use of the site would be determined by the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, or by some other prospective purchaser, working with the City of Kenmore and consistent with applicable regulations.

SCOPING:

Agencies, Tribes, and members of the public are invited to participate in the Scoping process for this EIS and anticipated Planned Action Ordinance or Development Agreement by commenting on the proposed action and alternatives, and on the proposed scope of work for elements of the environment to be addressed.  Comments are also invited on the probable significant adverse impacts of the proposal, mitigation measures, and permits or approvals that may be required.

A Planned Action Ordinance, if adopted pursuant to WAC 197-11-164 to 172, would indicate that the completed EIS adequately addresses significant impacts of the proposed action, and that future projects consistent with the analyzed project and parameters of the Planned Action Ordinance would not require future SEPA threshold determinations or EISs. Therefore, comment during this Scoping period, as well as during the forthcoming Bastyr University Campus Master Plan Draft EIS comment period, is encouraged.

A Development Agreement between the City and Bastyr University, if adopted pursuant to RCW 36.70B.170 to 210, would set forth the development standards and other provisions that would apply to, govern, and vest development of the campus, uses, and mitigation for the development for the duration specified in the agreement.

Jurisdiction:

City of Kenmore

SEPA Lead Agency:

City of Kenmore, Community Development Department

SEPA Responsible Official:

Bob Sokol, AICP, Community Development Director

Address:

6700 NE 181^st Street/ P.O. Box 82607/ Kenmore, WA 98028-0607

Phone/Fax:

Phone: 425-398-8900            Fax: 425-481-3236

Date:

June 24, 2003

SEPA Responsible Official