WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Snohomish County and City of Shoreline reach agreement on Point Wells

Kagi drops legislation in light of agreement

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, chair of the Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations and Elections Committee, called together representatives of the two jurisdictions after passing House Bill 1265 out of committee. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Ruth Kagi and Cindy Ryu, would require the City of Shoreline to be designated as the lead for addressing the traffic impact of the Point Wells development. Pridemore urged the county and city to reach agreement and move forward cooperatively rather than having legislation dictate the solution.

“I introduced this bill to ensure that the cities impacted by the Point Wells development would have a real voice in determining the impact and how it would be mitigated. I’m pleased that local officials reached an agreement and a legislative solution does not appear necessary at this time,” said Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park. “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 ensure that the cities most affected 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 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, NW Richmond Beach Road/Richmond Beach Drive, 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.