Shoreline, Woodway Move Closer to Making Snohomish County Negotiate on Point Wells

Shoreline and Woodway inched closer Wednesday to what the cities hope will result in Snohomish County having to negotiate with them on the scope of the .

A bill unanimously passed the House Committee on Local Government that would enforce limits on density in a place such as Point Wells unless an interlocal agreement is formed prior to permits being issued. In this case Snohomish County would have to form an agreement with the cities of Shoreline and Woodway.

The unanimous 9-0 aye vote of five Democrats and four Republicans on the committee showed strong bipartisan support for the bill, HB 1265, which co-sponsor Ruth Kagi (D-Lake Forest Park) hopes the House will pass by March 7. A similar bill proposed last year that partnered Shoreline with Maple Valley did not end up being voted on by the House. 

Developer Blue Square Real Estate is proposing a 3,081-unit development on the 61-acre Point Wells site in unincorporated Snohomish County. The site is only reachable via two-lane Richmond Beach Drive from Shoreline.

“(Snohomish County) can’t approve it until they address the impacts with Shoreline and Woodway,” Kagi said. “I’m sure Snohomish County will have serious concerns with it. Shoreline and Woodway have had serious concerns with not being heard so for this is an effort to make this a fair playing field.”

Kagi said she has talked on several occasions with Snohomish County Councilman Dave Somers, who testified against the bill with a lobbyist hired by Snohomish County last Friday.

“We have two different views of the issue,” she said. “He really feels, legally, Snohomish County has the authority to approve this.”

Blue Square is aiming to complete its project application to Snohomish County by a March 4 deadline. The cities of Shoreline and Woodway, at the developer's invitation, plan to be present when the application is submitted and watch as a checklist of requirements for the plans are evaluated, Shoreline Planning Director Joe Tovar said.

Kagi said she is not opposed to development at Points Wells and neither are most of her constituents. They simply want something smaller and more manageable, perhaps a development half the size of what has been proposed.

“It’s such an incredible piece of property and it’s an environmental travesty operating as an asphalt plant,” she said. “Everyone sees the benefit of cleaning it up and fitting it in to the surrounding community. But with 3,100 units there’s no way the surrounding roads could absorb that impact. There’s a reasonable compromise that could be reached. Snohomish County has not negotiated with Shoreline and Woodway to reach that agreement. They’ve said we can’t legally do that which I don’t think is a reasonable position.”

During last Friday’s hearing, Somers stated that the county ended up in court and lost a $2.6 million judgment when it agreed to a moratorium on processing a project several years ago.

Somers' office had returned by 5:30 p.m. a voicemail seeking comment that was left early Thursday afternoon.

A companion bill in the Senate, SB 5421, sponsored by Sen. Maralyn Chase (D-Edmonds) is scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Tribal Relations & Elections at 10 a.m. Feb. 21.