When the Seventh Church of Christ Science comes down, some neighbors fear that environmentally hazardous materials could be released during the demolition.
On April 18, a city hearing examiner heard their concerns.
The church property at 2555 Eighth Ave. W. was sold to devel oper David Fletcher despite last-minute efforts by the Queen Anne Historical Society to save the building.
City planners approved the church's demolition in February, but neighbors issued two appeals arguing that the city has not properly reviewed and protected for the large amounts of lead and asbestos that may be released when the building, nearly 80 years old, is razed.
Deputy Hearing Examiner Anne Watanabe heard the case presented by two couples living near the church, Elizabeth Crone and Jorge Baron and Danyelle and Stacy O'Neal. The residents say Fletcher knowingly failed to provide accurate information about the building's possible environmental health hazards in his review of the site, submitted to the city's Department of Planning and Development (DPD) in August.
More than 80 neighbors signed a community statement of concern, motivated by the severe consequences that the presence of any amount of lead poses for young children in the area. The National Safety Council urges the containment of all debris caused during construction involving surfaces with lead paint, and emphasizes that it only takes the lead-dust equivalent of a single grain of salt for a child to register an elevated blood-lead level.
Children under 6 years old are particularly vulnerable to the adverse health effects of lead, because their brains and central nervous systems are still forming. Low-level exposure has been linked to reduced IQ, learning disabilities and stunted growth. High levels of exposure can cause comas, or death.
Despite these dangers, few local laws regulate lead emissions during demolition.
The church was sold due to the high cost of renovation. It is located in an entirely residential area, and two blocks away from Coe Elementary School. Fletcher plans to build homes on the property.
Earlier in the appeal process, the congregation of the church and the developer prepared a mitigation plan. They offered to give neighbors 48-hour notice before demolition work, erect an 8-foot fence, use wetting practices and monitors to contain dust, and cover the loads removed from the site. The DPD said it would make these safety measures a requirement of the permit.
However, for immediate neighbors like Crone, that is not sufficient.
"I am afraid that, even if the demolition were to proceed in a textbook fashion, low levels of lead contamination are still inevitable unless the lead paint is removed prior to the building coming down," she explained in an e-mail.
Crone and her husband are asking Watanabe to order a new city review or require an Environmental Impact Statement. The couple, along with several other neighbors, have spent countless hours attempting to delay the demolition to protect their children.
"Our lives have literally been on hold," she said.
Sarah Anderson is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
[[In-content Ad]]
