Letter to the Editor: An Update on the Point Wells Development

To the Editor:

We attended a meeting June 11 to get an update on the Point Wells development. This is a Snohomish County development but the impacts and traffic from this large project will be felt in the neighborhoods of Shoreline.

Save Richmond Beach (a volunteer organization) and the City of Woodway (surrounds the site) want a smaller development. These entities successfully convinced the Supreme Court to take up the question of Point Wells. This is good news. Shoreline and the Shoreline City Council members were asked to join the appeal to the Supreme Court but they chose not to do so.

On another front, Governor Inslee recently signed into law Senate Bill 5417, the doughnut-hole bill.  This bill allows a city to annex a site if that city surrounds the site. This again is good news because Woodway surrounds Point Wells and Woodway wants a smaller development.

There is, however, a new bill being promoted – House Bill 2068. This bill would reverse the effects of Senate Bill 5417 and would negate Woodway’s ability to annex the site. Snohomish County and the developer have deployed lobbyists to get this bill passed. Shoreline and the Shoreline City Council members have deployed our City’s lobbyist to also get House Bill 2068 passed which, again, negates Woodway’s ability to annex the site and reduce the size of the development.

Hundreds of people have been attending meetings and writing letters to protest a large complex at Point Wells. If you have concerns about the size of the development at Point Wells you can:

• Contact your elected Shoreline City Council Members at council@shorelinewa.gov
• Contact your elected representatives Maralyn Chase, Ruth Kagi and Cindy Ryu.
• Follow “Save Richmond Beach” www.saverichmondbeach.org
• Follow House Bill 2068 www.leg.wa.gov

Tim and Leslee Shanahan

Shoreline