By MATT PATNEAUDE

For the past 40 years, many residents of the Wedgwood community and the surrounding areas have included a trip the Hunter Farms' Christmas tree lot as part of their holiday tradition.

That tradition could be in jeopardy, as the Hunter property was cited in February for not complying with the City's zoning ordinances. The Hunter family is currently seeking approval for a rezone of their property.

At issue isn't the use of the property, which sits just south of NE 80th between 35th Ave. NE and 36th Ave. NE, for the annual sale of Christmas trees, but rather the presence of several sheds built for use as shelters to keep customers and workers at the tree lot out of the rain.

If the rezone application is denied, the City would require the Hunters to tear down the shelters. Without the shelters, the Hunters say the future of their Christmas tree lot may be in doubt.

Wedgwood Community Council members say not only would neighbors miss the Hunter operation, but some fear that the property, along with vacant lot next door, which is owned by Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, will be bought by the U.S. Postal Service if they were to become available.

The Postal Service has indicated interest in building a post office branch in Wedgwood that would include parking spaces for 144 vehicles. Jack Robinson, Wedgwood Community Council land use chairman, said his group opposes constructing a large post office branch in their neighborhood because the traffic it would generate would adversely affect the residential character of the area.

While the Postal Service appears to have backed off for now on its bid to build a new post office branch, local residents who attended the Wedgwood Community Council's Aug. 23 meeting expressed concerns that those plans could be resurrected if the Hunter and Wedgwood Presbyterian properties were forced to sell. The City also found the church-owned lot to be out of compliance with the area's zoning.

The Wedgwood Community Council favors rezoning the area to let the Hunters and Wedgwood Presbyterian continue using their respective properties as they have for decades.

Each year,Hunter Farms gets a temporary use permit allowing for four weeks of tree sales on their property. Bill Hunter Sr. said every year a City official comes out to inspect the tree lot when the permit is issued, and through the years, nothing was ever said about the shelters. "We were surprised when the enforcement act came down," he said.

Hunter Farms, located near Hood Canal, has been a family-run business for over 100 years. The Hunters use their Wedgwood lot only for the Christmas tree sale each year. Other vendors, such as Spooner Farms of Olympia, are authorized to sell raspberries and strawberries on the Hunter property for a few weeks each summer.

Robinson said the City's Department of Design, Construction and Land Use investigated the Hunter property after all these years because a local resident complained about the presence of the shelters. Richard Krochalis, DCLU director, said the City has no choice but to respond to complaints.

Bill Hunter Sr. said all his family wants is to be able to continue using their property like they've always done. "We have no plans to do anything but sell trees. We are just trying to make an honest living," he said.

For more information, contact Jack Robinson at 525-3294.