City of Snohomish slide graphic
SNOHOMISH — Earlier this month, the City Council authorized annexing the North Lake area into the city and heard about the county’s future plans for extending the Centennial Trail 12 miles south to King County.
North Lake UGA
The City Council this month adopted a resolution to pursue annexing acreage on the north end of town.
Called North Lake, the area being annexed is located north of 22nd Street and east of state Route 9.
A boundary review will conduct a 45-day review. Afterwards, the North Lake homeowners will become city residents. In early 2026, there will be a transfer of stormwater from the county to the city.
The impact is not instant. Those living in the area will not have “to connect to City utilities, and they won’t see any significant changes on their tax bill,” city planning director Brooke Eidem said by email.
About four years ago, the city identified three subareas including this one of North Lake.
Each area was assessed for economic value and land usage.
“During the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update engagement throughout 2022-2024, staff asked the public to identify where future growth should be located, and one of the most common answers was north,” Eidem said.
There are no owners or developers involved, limiting discussions around “fiscal impacts, the provision of municipal services, and serving the public interest,” a Snohomish County document said. This is done because it is “simpler and prevents little pockets of annexed areas from being driven by a proposed development,” Eidem said.
The public can contact the city planning department with questions at planningdept@snohomishwa.gov or by calling 360-568-3115.
Centennial Trail
The county is actively planning the trail extension from the city of Snohomish to King County.
The county will work on the trail plan this year and into 2026 and likely 2027.
The project “will likely be over the next 10-plus years,” county senior parks department planner Emily Griffith said. The project will rely heavily on funding.
In 2016, the Snohomish County Council “approved a purchase and sale agreement to acquire the railroad right-of-way and improvements south of Snohomish to the King County line from the Port of Seattle,” the Centennial Trail South project webpage mentioned. The county secured the former rail line’s ownership in 2024 through what is called railbanking.
The 12-mile trail will go into Snohomish County. It will extend into King County as Eastrail, adding 30 miles, “to Renton and connecting to over 175 miles of the Puget Sound’s larger regional network,” Griffith said.
The trail route crosses “steep cross slopes, bridges, trestles, sloughs, and other natural features,” according to the Centennial Trails South project webpage.
“Completion of Centennial Trail South will support recreation opportunities, contribute to healthy lifestyles, and provide environmentally friendly movement of people,” Griffith said. This includes pedestrians and bicyclists.
According to the Centennial Trail South project webpage: “$2 million has been secured to conduct engineering studies” toward an initial design of the trail. Griffith said the estimated cost in 2023 was $120 million.
The current Centennial Trail runs 30 miles from Snohomish to Skagit County.
In 2022, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) gave Snohomish County “a Certificate of Interim Trail Use,” the Tribune reported. This decision was made after the county wanted answers from STB about “adverse abandonment,” the Tribune previously reported.
