MUKILTEO — A popular eatery in Old Town Mukilteo might be demolished to make more room for cars to line up at the ferry terminal.
The owner of The Buzz Beach Bar &Grill, one of a handful of waterfront restaurants frequented by ferry commuters, is considering tearing down the restaurant and leasing the land to the state for additional ferry terminal holding lanes, state and city officials said.
If the deal goes through, there’s enough room on the Buzz Beach property to double the size of the ferry terminal’s vehicle holding area. That would take more than a mile of traffic backup off Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said.
Reducing congestion on the only road to the waterfront could help alleviate a longtime headache shared by Old Town residents, who have had an increasingly difficult time getting in and out of their neighborhoods.
“It provides us a temporary solution to a long-term problem,” Marine said.
City officials had hoped the state would solve the problem by building a new ferry terminal, possibly with holding lanes over the water. However, construction of the new ferry terminal was delayed indefinitely by rising costs and other factors.
Details of the plan to add more holding lanes are still being worked out, said John White, director of terminal engineering for Washington State Ferries. If an agreement is reached, the new holding lanes could be installed by the end of this year, although early 2009 would be more likely, White said.
The restaurant owner seems “willing to move forward as quickly as possible” to reach an agreement, White said. The owner approached the state with the idea for new holding lanes about six months ago, Marine said.
“It’s a good interim solution,” White said. “It doesn’t solve all the problems out there by any means.”
The owner o f The Buzz Beach Bar &Grill, which is part of the Buzz Inn Steak House restaurant chain, did not return voice mails left at the chain’s corporate office in Everett.
State officials want to be sure funding for the holding lanes is included in next year’s budget before proceeding with plans.
State Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, who is chairwoman of the Senate transportation panel, said she approved of the plan to expand the terminal’s holding area. Haugen has voiced concern over the rising cost of building a new ferry terminal in Mukilteo.
“We have to look for innovative ways to solve problems while we look forward to see if we can build that project,” Haugen said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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