New organization joins others in fighting proposed Point Wells project

By Evan Smith

A newly formed organization will join others in fighting the proposed Point Wells condominium project on Puget Sound in unincorporated southwest Snohomish County.

The only access to the project is on a two-lane road in the Richmond Beach area of Shoreline.

The new organization is called “Richmond Beach Advocates,” formed with seed money from the Richmond Beach Community Association, a century-old neighborhood organization in Shoreline whose charter doesn’t allow political advocacy.

Richmond Beach Community Association President Bill Willard and Vice President Gerry Patterson said at the organization’s March 11 meeting that separating the advocacy group from the Community Association was consistent with the Association’s charter, but when I asked whether making contributions to the advocacy group could hurt the Association’s status with the Shoreline Council of Neighborhoods, both said that they didn’t know. Shoreline City Councilman and Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen also said that he didn’t know the answer.

Richmond Beach Advocates will join the Town of Woodway, the “Save Richmond Beach” organization and the Innis Arden organization in opposing the project.

Woodway residents are concerned about having their views blocked by the buildings, and Richmond Beach residents are concerned about traffic impacts from the project, while Snohomish County would get tax money from the project.

The Town of Woodway and Save Richmond Beach are waiting for a State Supreme Court ruling on an appeal of a lower-court ruling that the project could proceed under a zoning designation that the State Growth Management Hearings Board has declared illegal. The Town and Save Richmond Beach have appealed a State court of appeals ruling that the project could proceed under rules in effect in the County when the developer applied for its permit.

The project is in Woodway’s urban growth area, but Snohomish County already has approved the project in the unincorporated area.

Richmond Beach Advocates will be able to raise money with the Community Association matching up to $10,000 and to hire attorneys, engineers and other professionals to develop comments for an environmental impact statement with the County.

Richmond Beach Community Association board members said at the Association’s February meeting that the City of Shoreline has not been speaking for the Richmond Beach area.

For example, Shoreline has not participated with Woodway in the appeal to the Supreme Court but, instead, has chosen to negotiate with Snohomish County over impacts of the project on Shoreline.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.