Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, April 25, 2008

Ban on mini-cities considered

County Council may refuse applications for large rural developments

By Jeff Switzer
Herald Writer

 Snohomish County is heading off a proposal to build 6,000 houses near Lake Roesiger and any other similar project that would create an urban island in the county's rural areas.

In a 3-2 vote this week, the County Council signaled it might soon refuse all applications for such projects, called fully contained communities, until Dec. 31, 2009.

It makes no sense to allow new mini-cities in rural areas given the region's direction to reduce energy consumption and miles driven, County Council chairman Dave Somers said.

"This is a timeout to relook at fully contained communities," Somers said. "They don't make any sense from a land-use planning standpoint, from a transportation planning standpoint, or from a fiscal standpoint."

Such projects create urban housing deep in rural areas, but require thousands of acres of open space be preserved and the creation of new jobs along with the new housing. The Puget Sound Regional Council recently voted to "avoid" such projects.

The council's direction threatens a proposal by Dave Barnett, a developer who has proposed the Falcon Ridge Planned Community. Barnett owns 3,000 acres of timberland west of Lake Roesiger where he plans a golf course, 6,000 houses, retail shops and a job center.

Snohomish County is in the early stages of reviewing Barnett's housing proposal.

The developer is moving ahead as planned despite the council's direction, said George Kresovich, Barnett's attorney.

"We're not overly concerned," Kresovich said. "There's no reason for a minute we're not going to pursue (a fully contained community). There's no change in the marching orders. Mr. Barnett will look at whatever other options there are."

Somers and Democrats Mike Cooper and Brian Sullivan voted to have the county planning commission review the proposed ban. Democrat Dave Gossett and Republican John Koster voted against the move.

It's a waste of time for the planning commission to consider a moratorium on accepting applications, County Executive Aaron Reardon said.

"The moratorium doesn't do anything," Reardon said. "It's nothing more than playing politics with the issue. I would encourage the council, if they desire, to begin the process of either rewriting the ordinance (allowing fully contained communities) or repealing it entirely."

Somers said he plans to try to repeal the county ordinance.

If the majority of the council wants to eliminate the existing code, "I'd like to have conversations and work as constructively with them as we can," Reardon said.

The county opened the door for fully contained communities in 2005 after years of lobbying by Barnett and his team of the state's foremost experts on such projects.

Refusing even to accept applications such as Barnett's is pointless, Kresovich said.

Ultimately, the County Council has control over whether or not Barnett's project or any other fully contained community is approved, he said. Sending it to the planning commission is "in our view, an ill-thought-out, pointless waste of county resources," Kresovich said.

Kresovich and others started lobbying the county in 2003 to adopt policies and development regulations for fully contained communities.

Given prior approvals for policies, Kresovich said he is confident the County Council won't adopt a moratorium on applications.

The county's growth plans count on fully contained communities to take in 15,000 people, Gossett and Koster argued.

"If you eliminate this, you've got to figure out where these people are going to be," Koster said.

To repeal fully contained communities unhinges the county's plans for population growth, Gossett said.

"My district was ground zero in 2005 and I'm not willing to ram any more people into those neighborhoods," Gossett said. He called on councilmen to identify properties where zoning should be boosted to allow more homes per acre for the predicted population increase.

Transportation studies for Barnett's proposal are pending, and project proponents plan to hold public meetings later this year before filing an application with the county, Kresovich said.

Based on the direction at the moment, a majority of the council could repeal all the policies and regulations allowing fully contained communities in the county. That then would go to Reardon for his review.

"The question is what's going to happen," Kresovich said.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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