Toil and Trouble at the Top of Thompson Hill

Neighbors populating the Creekstone, Southridge Estates and SouthCliff developments in Kennewick have major concerns over a proposed land use change that would have 40.6 acres on the eastern edge of Thompson Hill reclassified from low to high density development.

The impact could be profound. It could mean the addition of up to 1,100 multi-family housing units, an increase of up to 8,000 vehicle trips per day on all existing roads in the area, impacts to storm water runoff and irrigation, the potential for erosion, landslides and slope issues in the area, and impacts to the aesthetics of the area due to light and glare from the development of structures that could tower 45 feet above the top of the hill.

Concerned individuals are encouraged to let city officials know about their opposition to this, if they haven't already, by tomorrow, October 29th. Go here to learn more or voice your input. A public hearing will be held on November 2nd and the City of Kennewick will make a decision in early December.

Some residents have cited an access restriction up on Thompson Hill which they say scrubbed the sale of property surrounding 360 Cellars Estate some time ago. Thompson Hill is known for its stunning views, but also steep hillsides and very limited access roads.

One neighbor took a different approach saying, well, you could always move somewhere else...you moved out this way to get away from it all, who are you to deny someone the same opportunity? The response to that was, it's such a small area and an attempt to do the same thing was thwarted some time ago, maybe people have forgotten.

The biggest objection, and duly noted, is the greatly increased traffic traversing the steep hillside with very limited access ways to get around. If the developer is successful with the the change, then there could potentially be up to 8 times the number of housing units than there are currently in Panoramic Heights.

How does this affect traffic flow on 27th, 26th, and 25th Avenues; Dawes, Edison, Grant, Irving and Kellogg Streets? The prediction would be 8,000 more traffic trips off the hill per day. Some will go to the south over Sherman, but many of those trips will be through Panoramic Heights neighborhoods. Also, opponents say the irrigation water would have to be shared between Panoramic Heights and any development on Thompson Hill.