Shoreline Neighbors,
As mentioned in our earlier SHO January Update, King County Parks intends to start charging rent for any “encroachments”, as they call them, within the entire former rail corridor, not just those that might interfere with trail construction. This was announced in a “Virtual Information Session” on November 12th. Here is a link to a video of that session: https://vimeo.com/481511090
In essence, the county is not content to have just a trail in the corridor but wants to dictate use of the entire corridor and tap a new revenue source. The county is now calling the corridor “public property” and is intent on charging for “private use of public land”. This includes things like gardens, landscaping, parking, and any other (in many cases long-established) uses. And it reserves the right to selectively deny uses.
Further, the county intends to require Special Use Permits just to cross the corridor to get to our homes. They intend to charge each household $500 for the permit plus $50 a year.
This escalation on the part of the county is particularly unjust in light of the 2011 finding by the Federal Court of Claims that land underlying the corridor is owned by someone other than the jurisdiction using the right-of-way for a trail; in most cases that is the adjoining land owner. So we will be charged to use our own land!
As in the past, SHO will oppose the county’s effort to, in effect, steal our land. SHO is currently in the process of retaining legal representation. Our first step will be to provide you with a response to give the county if you are pressured to get a Special Use Permit (SUP).
Almost every property owner adjacent to the ELST will be affected, and we need your help. SHO is merely a non-profit corporation with a small, volunteer board of directors (who have other obligations). SHO needs funding if it is to act. Now, as in the past, SHO will place donations from the trailside community into a legal fund to support litigation and other help to the trailside community (like the SUP response mentioned above). SHO will send a receipt, plus keep a confidential record of each donation, with the intent of refunding any unused funds in proportion to amount contributed.