Snohomish County and City of Shoreline reach agreement on Point Wells

Kagi drops legislation in light of agreement

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011

From the Washington State House of Representatives

OLYMPIA — Officials from Snohomish County and the City of Shoreline reached an agreement this week on addressing the impact of development at Point Wells on local infrastructure.

Sen. Craig Pridemore, chairman of the Senate committee on government operations, called together representatives of the two jurisdictions after the committee passed House Bill 1265. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Ruth Kagi and Cindy Ryu, would require the City of Shoreline to be designated as the lead agency for addressing the traffic impact of the Point Wells development. Sen. Pridemore, D-Vancouver, urged the County and City to reach agreement and move forward cooperatively rather than having legislation dictate the solution.

Kagi and Ryu are Democrats representing Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and the rest of the 32nd Legislative District, including the part of Southwest Snohomish County that includes Point Wells.

“I introduced this bill to assure that the cities impacted by the Point Wells development would have a real voice in determining the impact and how it would be mitigated,” Kagi said. “I’m pleased that local officials reached an agreement and a legislative solution does not appear necessary at this time.

“The city and county have committed to work together to study traffic impacts, solicit public input and share information. I will be monitoring this agreement closely to assure that the cities most impacted by this development are in fact being included in the definition and mitigation of project impact.”

In the agreement, Shoreline will be allowed to consult on the selection of traffic-impact consultants for a study being commissioned by Snohomish County. Snohomish County must keep Shoreline informed of ongoing developments in the traffic study as they relate to Richmond Beach impacts. The parties also agreed to keep each other regularly informed on all mitigation issues, as well as conduct public outreach activities in conjunction with the Point Wells developers.

“I’m pleased we found a solution that works for local governments, citizens and developers,” Kagi said.

Kagi has said that she introduced the bill to ensure that Snohomish County, the City of Shoreline and the Town of Woodway work cooperatively on mitigation issues related to Point Wells, an unincorporated area on the north side of the Snohomish-King County border. Developers hope to transform Point Wells into a mixed-use development with 3,000 housing units.

Access to Point Wells, however, is limited to just one two-lane road, that winds through Shoreline in King County. Many nearby residents, particularly those in the adjacent Richmond Beach neighborhood, are concerned that the scale of the development is too large and will adversely affect traffic and safety along the road.