The City of Renton Environmental Review Committee is comprised of the mayor's department heads, including Alex Pietsch, head of Economic Development, Neighborhoods, and Strategic Planning, as if he could vote in an unbiased manner.

This committee reviewed environmental impacts resulting from rezoning needed to support the mayor's "vision for an urban village" and determined that there were none. HCA Secetary Inez Somerville Peteren wrote various emails to city leaders pointing out environmental concerns but these were ignored. She actually thought, since her points were valid, that someone would care at city hall. Finally just a few days before the time expired to file an appeal, she realized that that was the only course to take.

Several HCA members joined forces with Inez to submit the following SEPA Appeal shortly before the time ran out on Monday, April 24, 2006. This was the night that Alex Pietsch had planned for the City Coucil to adopt the mayor's high density zoning. City Council members would have been voting without knowing all the details of the mayor's plan.

But then, the Planning Commission did not know all the details either when it voted to adopt the mayor's zoning plan on April 19, 2006. This group has a couple of thoughful and inquisitive members, but the remainder (one is even an attorney) didn't even realize that they voted without ever being briefed on environmental issues, nor did they realize that they had held no public hearing on environmnetal impacts either. The Planning Commission is appointed by the mayor; and historically, the City Council approves without question the mayor's appointees.