History of CNW

Initially, CNW was a group of Wellington neighbors who became aware of potential development in their immediate neighborhood. Many of these residents were familiar with planning requirements for residential development and understood what this proposal meant to the neighborhood. 

The development would include rezoning the area from R-1—one house per acre—to R-4, four houses per acre (or equivalent land transfer). Such a change would require nearby residents to convert from septic to city sewer at the then cost of  $30,000 per household (now between $50,000 and $100,000, depending on the distance.) 

Certain environmental and traffic impact studies were required of the developer. Some of these were not initially met. These neighbors decided to voice their concerns and prepare for resistance from the developer or questions from the City Council.

In June 2004, CNW was officially formed as a WA state non-profit. A land use attorney was retained. More than 200 residents of the Wellington neighborhood brought their collective expertise in geology, traffic, physics, land use, law, wildlife, neighborhood character and more, submitting written or oral comments at public meetings. A total of 1200 pages of documentation was presented which refuted the developer’s Environmental Impact Statement. Members met many times with City officials. 

In 2006, a building moratorium was issued by the City Council until more study could be undertaken. The findings were: there were many environmental, traffic, noise, and neighborhood character reasons why the development should not go forward.  Three public hearings were then held with the City Hearing Examiner in 2007. These resulted in a recommendation which led the City Council to vote unanimously to deny the rezone and plat applications submitted by the developer. 

The developer sued CNW and the City. This action eventually led to CNW’s and the City’s case being presented in front of the Washington Supreme Court. The Superior Court issued a summary judgment in favor of CNW and the City. The developer then appealed that decision, where the Appeals Court found for the developer. Whereupon CNW and the City appealed to the State Supreme Court. The State Supreme found in favor of CNW and the City unanimously--an unusual outcome in a land use case. WA State Supreme Court’s decision was cities should be able to decide for themselves how to distribute their growth management allotment. Afterward, the City decided not to rezone the R-1 areas of Woodinville, but instead focus growth in the downtown corridor where infrastructure to support growth already existed.

In 2014, after further work by CNW, the City formally acquired a portion of the property in question and set it aside for open space. That space has become Wood Trails -- a larger, trailed park available to all residents of Woodinville. 

By 2023, it was clear issues in Woodinville’s future extended well beyond the Wellington neighborhood. There are many issues across the City of great concern to its citizens: the possibility of a dump being sited in Woodinville, the large amount of development which may lead to major change in the look and feel of our beloved Woodinville, and more. As a result, the Board has broadened the breadth of itself, including updating formally the organization’s name to Concerned Neighbors of Woodinville, reflecting its broader scope.  At this juncture, CNW sees the need and importance of having a City Council which is more citizen-focused instead of developer-focused as seems to be the case today. 

Because of the importance of having a City Council which is concerned about its citizens, the CNW board voted to publicly endorse candidates who would reflect the concerns and desires of the all of the citizens of Woodinville.