Traffic is already a challenge for Lynnwood, with Alderwood mall and a wealth of restaurants and shops attracting people every day.
“There’s 37,000-plus people who live here at night,” Lynnwood Mayor Nicola Smith said. “But the traffic doubles during the day with people not only coming to work but people coming in to shop and eat. On the weekends, it can triple.”
And now the city is looking to add more than 1,600 apartments.
Moreover, Sound Transit is extending light rail to Lynnwood by 2023. That will bring thousands of more people driving to town to start their rail commute.
City staff are working on how to fix traffic and also provide other public services, including police and fire service and parks for all the new residents.
As part of the plan, the city wants to spend $50 million on two major projects in the City Center, what Lynnwood hopes will become the city’s downtown near I-5 and 196th Avenue.
The first project would widen a 0.7-mile stretch of 196th Avenue from the Convention Center to Fred Meyer.
The $20 million project would add a lane in each direction, widen medians and create better sidewalks. There also will be bus lanes. The project is fully funded and the city expects work to begin in the next year or two.
A second major project in the City Center includes what is called the Poplar Way Bridge project, which would build a bridge from Poplar Way west of Lowe’s across I-5 to 33rd Avenue W. This would give commuters a new way to get to Alderwood mall and would also disperse traffic from the City Center.
Smith said new roads won’t be enough. The city is also working with transit agencies to handle the new growth and also looking at bike lanes and sidewalks for people to get around.
She also noted that the City Center will gain a more urban feel. She noted that an eight- and seven-story apartment buildings going up near the Lynnwood Convention Center intentionally limited parking spaces.
“We’re saying you live in City Center where you have access to transportation in and out of the city, to your work, to your shopping and eating,” Smith said. “You don’t need a car.
Wave of apartments
Seven major apartment projects are on the horizon in Lynnwood that would add more than 1,600 units in the city. Here is the breakdown of the apartments by units:
• CityCenter Apartments — 347
• City Center Senior Living Apartments — 308
• Lynnwood Place (Phase 2) — 330
• Reserve at Scriber Lake — 295
• Evergreen Village Apartments — 231
• Grantwood Apartments — 116
• Alderwood Mixed-Use Apartments — n/a
Source: City of Lynnwood
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