PRIOR
EXPERIENCE
PLANNING & GROWTH MANAGEMENT
PLANNER
City of Seattle, U District Urban Design Environmental Impact Statement.
PROJECT MANAGER
North Issaquah Roadway Network Improvements.
PROJECT MANAGER
Eastgate SEPA Services, Bellevue, WA.
PROJECT MANAGER
Sammamish Town Center Sub-area Plan and EIS, WA.
PROJECT MANAGER
City of Bellingham Comprehensive Plan Update, WA.
DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER
City of Des Moines Comprehensive Plan Update, WA.
Kent CAO Update, City of Kent, WA.
Federal Way Consolidated Housing Plan, City of Federal Way, WA.
Tukwila Comprehensive Plan Update, Housing Chapter, City of Tukwila, WA.
PLANNER
City of Sumner, Sumner Meadows Golf Course SEPA.
Berk and Associates served on the team that produced the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the U District Urban Design Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS evaluated impacts of several possible Comp Plan and Land Use Code amendments, including changes that would allow increased height and density in the core of the U District. Alex authored the Population, Housing and Employment EIS chapter.
ESA is provided planning and environmental services, including SEPA, for the potential formation of a local improvement district (LID) to improve circulation in the Pickering Park retail area of the City of Issaquah. Alex led ESA’s team in delineating project area wetlands, preparing a critical areas report and mitigation plan, drafting an expanded SEPA checklist, and preparing city shoreline and land use permit applications. The project involves construction of a bridge over the mainstem of Issaquah Creek, relocation of a portion of the North Fork of Issaquah Creek and a series of other roadway improvements. ESA, with Alex as project manager recently won an additional contract to take one of the projects through final design and permitting.
Alex assisted the City of Bellevue with an integrated GMA/SEPA process for their Eastgate Land Use and Transportation Plan. The City of Bellevue is evaluating land use and transportation alternatives for the Eastgate/I- 90 regional employment corridor with the goal of developing a long-term land use plan ensuring that the corridor continues to thrive as one of Bellevue’s five major employment centers. Alex, as project manager, worked with City staff to develop an integration strategy and prepare SEPA analyses and documentation. The key issues in analyzing land use alternatives were traffic, land use compatibility, views, critical areas protection, stormwater management and noise and air quality.
Alex managed the SEPA process for the development of a Town Center sub-area plan in the City of Sammamish. The Town Center Plan is an integrated SEPA/GMA sub-area plan for the Sammamish Town Center. Alex led the effort to prepare a Draft and Final EIS for the Plan. Work also included assisting the design team with development of Town Center alternatives by providing environmental and land use analysis throughout the process. Environmental issues for this 240–acre study area included traffic, wildlife habitat protection, stormwater management, aquatic resource protection, and land use.
The City of Bellingham is developing an Environmental Element to add to their Comprehensive Plan. The City currently has policies and programs spread throughout numerous guidance documents. They desire to have these consolidated into a new element that will help implement the broad environmental policies of the Comprehensive Plan. Alex led the effort to review existing city plans, programs, regulations and technical documents, identify relevant polices and craft chapters of the element on environmental stewardship, natural services, restoration planning and water quality. Alex will also identify gaps in the policy 3 framework and recommend alternatives to address them, and also assist the city with completing a finished element.
Alex served as deputy project manager for the update of the City of Des Moines’ Comprehensive Plan. Alex prepared a gap analysis for the plan and worked with city staff to update Comprehensive Plan elements in compliance with recent State Growth Management Act requirements including best available science.
Alex assisted in the preparing an update for the City of Kent’s critical areas ordinance. The goal of the planning effort was to include Best Available Science consistent with the Growth Management Act. Alex reviewed all documents dealing with biological sciences, authored a gap analysis for the city’s current ordinance and participated in drafting the city’s updated ordinance.
Alex worked as part of a team to produce a Consolidated Housing Plan for the City of Federal Way. Alex headed an effort to collect and analyze population, housing, income, and family data for the City of Federal Way, South King County and King County as a whole. Alex also headed a GIS effort to map current housing conditions in the city according to King County Assessor’s data. The consolidated plan documents the demand for housing by low and moderate-income communities; housing cost burdens, housing condition, and supply and demand; the extent of homelessness, needs of special populations; and health, economic and human development needs. The plan was completed in response to the requirements of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD uses the plan to allocate funds for a number of services.
Alex led the GIS effort for an update to the housing element of the City of Tukwila's comprehensive plan. GIS work for this project included collaborating with a sub-consultant to conduct and map a windshield housing condition survey, and mapping other parameters including housing age, condition, and building grade based on King County Assessor's data.
ENERGY | TRANSPORTATION | INFRASTRUCTURE
DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER
Seattle City Light Denny Substation EIS.
DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER
Horizon Saddle Mountain Wind Energy, Adams County, WA.
DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER
Horizon Wind Energy Pueblo Mountain Wind Facility Environmental Services, OR.
Desert Claim Wind Power Project EIS, Kittitas County WA.
ANALYST
Joint Transportation Committee, Efficiencies in the Construction and Operation of State Transportation Projects.
DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER
Eatonville Little Mashel Bridge.
Kent CAO Update, City of Kent, WA.
PROJECT PLANNER
SR 522 Roadway Improvement Project, Kenmore, WA.
PROJECT PLANNER
Island County, Transportation Plan.
Seattle City Light is designing its first new electrical power substation in 30 years. City Light has retained ESA to lead the development of a SEPA Environmental Impact Statement for the project. The substation is being designed to provide network electrical service to the growing South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods and alleviate distribution congestion in other areas. The Denny Substation Project involves the design and construction of a new substation; a high voltage transmission line linking the substation to the Massachusetts Substation; and a network distribution system. The EIS will analyze three substation design alternatives, three transmission line route alternatives and a no action alternative.
ESA provided project management, SEPA services and permitting assistance to Horizon Wind Energy in support of a wind power facility in Adams County. The project, located on Saddle Mountain roughly ten miles southwest of the small community of Othello, included 32 wind 4 turbines expected to produce about 57 megawatts of power. Alex assisted Horizon with managing the technical work needed for a complete conditional use permit submittal. He also completed an expanded SEPA checklist. The key environmental issues were traffic, aesthetics, air and noise, and wildlife habitat, specifically bats and Sandhill Cranes.
ESA provided project management and environmental services to Horizon Wind Energy for a wind turbine proposals in eastern Oregon. Alex assisted with all aspects of ESA’s work. ESA prepared and coordinated technical studies for the proposal. The project included meteorological testing and development of wind farms on land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Approvals from the BLM and from Oregon’s Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) are required before the projects can be constructed. ESA has assisted Horizon Wind Energy by preparing the NEPA EA for met pole installation and geotech studies, by preparing a draft Plan of Development (POD) in support of the project, and by assisting in coordination with the BLM. A NEPA EIS and parallel EFSC process is anticipated for the full wind energy proposal, which will require an assessment of potential impacts to sage grouse and other wildlife, visual resources, cultural and archeological resources, recreational resources, and other elements of the environment.
Alex was part of a team preparing a SEPA EIS for a proposed Wind Power Project in Kittitas County, Washington. Alex was responsible for drafting the scope of issues the EIS would analyze. He also authored several chapters of the EIS including: air quality, energy and natural resources, recreation, and population, housing, and employment. The proposed project consisted of development of a 180 megawatt wind energy facility on 5,237 acres of privately owned land in unincorporated Kittitas County. The project also required (1) adoption of a site specific amendment to the County’s Comprehensive Plan land use map designation (a sub-area plan with an overlay) to designate the project area as a Wind Farm Resource overlay district; (2) rezoning the site, in conformance with the Kittitas County Zoning Code, as a Wind Farm Resource Overlay Zoning District; (3) issuing a Wind Farm Resource development permit for the proposed project; and (4) executing a development agreement setting forth standards and conditions for development, including mitigation measures.
ESA is providing environmental services and restoration design for the Town of Eatonville’s proposal to construct 1.8 miles of a non-motorized bicycle and pedestrian trail. The trail woul begin in the Town, cross into unincorporated Pierce County and terminate at the Pack Forest boundary. The trail alignment follows an old railroad corridor and would include installation of two new bridges to cross the Mashel and Little Mashel Rivers, both salmon bearing. Alex has provided permitting assistance, drafted a SEPA checklist and coordinated with agency staff and the client. The project requires a Corps nationwide permit, an HPA, section 106 consultation, as well as Town and Pierce County critical areas compliance and shoreline permits.
Alex assisted in the preparing an update for the City of Kent’s critical areas ordinance. The goal of the planning effort was to include Best Available Science consistent with the Growth Management Act. Alex reviewed all documents dealing with biological sciences, authored a gap analysis for the city’s current ordinance and participated in drafting the city’s updated ordinance.
Alex authored a SEPA Environmental Checklist for the SR 522 Roadway Improvement Project. He coordinated with the project engineers and City staff during development of the Checklist. The project involves road widening and construction of a pedestrian/bicycle underpass for the Burke-Gilman Trail.
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