Public weighs in on city’s plan to expand

By KATIE MURDOCH

Officials from the cities of Snohomish and Lake Stevens continue to fight for the same parcel of land and both are now reaching out to the community for support for their respective proposals.
The Snohomish City Council is hosting a community forum April 2, inviting stakeholders and residents that would be impacted if the city’s land expansion proposal goes through.
At stake for Snohomish is a bubble of land north of the city’s current northern urban growth area boundary, an area the two cities have been vying for for more than a year.
Last year developers proposed to build a 265-acre urban village with stores, offices and up to 3,000 homes. The developer wants to call Snohomish home.
In order for that to happen, Snohomish must get approval from the county to expand its urban growth area 375 acres north of U.S. 2 along Highway 9. The developers formed SR9/US2 LLC to pay for the necessary studies.
The investment group estimated the site could bring the city up to $650 million in new assessed property value, which would increase the current property tax base from 75 to 80 percent. Property, sales and utility taxes could add up to $2.6 million to the city’s general fund, doubling it.
Lake Stevens also recognizes the benefits the urban village could bring to their city and requested the county include the area in its UGA. Last year, Lake Stevens submitted a UGA expansion request for 950 acres, which includes the urban village. Snohomish’s request is essentially just for the proposed urban village property.
“I think it’s important during the workshop there’s a two-way conversation,” Snohomish Mayor Randy Hamlin said last week.
At the April forum, Hamlin would like for the community to understand where the city is at in terms of expansion and discuss the feedback received from surveys that were mailed to potentially impacted residents late last month.
“We’d like to listen to concerns and make sure we look at all potential issues and not miss any holes,” Hamlin said.
Lake Stevens officials held a public workshop last month.
Hamlin, Councilwoman Lynn Schilaty and planning director Corbitt Loch attended.
“I went to observe the process they were using to see what was and wasn’t working to apply it to our outreach,” Hamlin said.
Conceptual maps show Joywood, a neighborhood north of Snohomish, sandwiched between apartments on two sides and businesses on the other two if the proposed urban village is built.
Schilaty said she sensed a high level of frustration from Joywood residents during the Lake Stevens workshop.
“They weren’t heard at the meeting,” Schilaty said. “Lake Stevens is going forward and claims they’re listening to citizens.”
Joywood residents have told Schilaty they want to be in Snohomish not Lake Stevens.
“Our job as a city is to listen and let people know we care and let them be apart of the process,” she said.
Snohomish officials invited Joywood residents to a workshop last week, as a preview for the upcoming forum.
The goal was to make sure everyone was up to the same understanding of where Snohomish was in the expansion process, Hamlin said.
“We made sure everyone was aligned and there’d be no confusion on April 2,” he said.
Some Joywood residents said they’re not being heard and said they’ll move if their homes are surrounded by an urban village, while others are willing to see the process through.
“On behalf of the Joywood Association, I want to reaffirm our community identifies with Snohomish,” resident Matt Shaeffer said. “Nothing in the Lake Stevens process has been done to persuade us to identify with Lake Stevens.”
Joywood residents appreciate the city’s efforts to move forward and city staff should remember there’s a lot at stake for the homeowners, Shaeffer said.
“All we’re asking for from both cities is to take our input to heart and consider what is best for the cities, communities and people impacted,” Joywood Association spokesman Coby Dilling said.
Members of the Joywood Association don’t have an issue with either public process in Snohomish or Lake Stevens, Dilling said.
“We as a community were extremely appreciative of them holding the workshop and inviting us,” he said.
Dilling expects approximately 25 Joywood Association members to attend the April 2 forum.
“We’re there to listen and get information,” Dilling said. “The last thing we want to do is pick a fight — that won’t benefit anybody.”