Resources for landscaping in protected areas? (Bellevue: lawyers, house, neighborhood)

[jjinla]

We are in Bellevue and have a native growth protection easement on our property, but we'd like to expand our yard and grade it about 25 feet into the buffer, not the actual area. Since we are a SFR and would construct a natural barrier to the area to keep anyone out, we feel that the buffer isn't really necessary (and some argue that the wetland has moved further anyway as the plants there don't indicate a wetland anymore). Does anyone have resources to go about this as far as engineers, landscapers, lawyers, etc. (vs. just the city, as they always say no unless you are armed with info.)?

Please, no arguments as to what we are doing as nobody sees it but us and it's posing a hazard to our kids as WE need a buffer to keep coyotes out of our property (currently the buffer is right against our house). Thanks.

[Living in LFP]

Actually using motorized equipment to "grade" the buffer will get you into a whole slough of land use misery and possibly costly mitigation and the security of a performance bond to make sure you do the restoration work. You may be able to get away with just grading/clearing vegetation with handtools, but don't remove any native plants just Himalayan Blackberry/Japanese knotweed if that's what your headache is. As far as erecting a buffer you may be able to get away with a split rail fence with the lower portion being covered with wire lattice to keep small animals out, but unlikely a coyote.

[mkarch]

I heard a great story about a house in our neighborhood where the owner built their yard into the buffer.

Apparently they "snuck" in several hundred yards of fill over Christmas weekend and extended their yard into a ravine. Some of the fill rolled down and clogged a drain pipe. Over the next few weeks the ravine filled with runoff until the entire area collapsed sending a tsunami of mud and water into the house on the other side of the ravine.

Just because you find someone willing to do the work doesn't mean it will go unnoticed. I'm sure that guy was thinking the same thing "heck, I'm the only one that sees it, who cares?"