Lynnwood may ask neighboring areas to join the city

Published 12:07 am Monday, September 29, 2008

LYNNWOOD — Rebecca O’Reilly dealt with Lynnwood and Snohomish County when she fought a high-density housing plan in her neighborhood.

O’Reilly, who lives in a small unincorporated island surrounded by the city, won the battle, but it wasn’t easy.

“I’ve learned that Lynnwood is so much more user-friendly to the average citizen than Snohomish County is,” said O’Reilly, who lives in an area of several square blocks just north of 176th Street SW and west of 60th Avenue W.

Soon, O’Reilly and 27,500 more people could have a chance to put her claim to the test. Lynnwood officials are considering asking voters to the north and east next year to be a part of the city.

If approved, the annexation would add that number to Lynnwood’s current 35,700, bringing it to 63,200.

Lynnwood is joining the parade of those hoping to take advantage of a state tax break that expires in 2010.

Marysville is planning next year to add an area of about 19,000 people to its city of 36,000, for a total of 55,000. Mukilteo has plans in the works to add 11,000 to its current population of 20,000, for a total of 31,000.

If either Lynnwood or Marysville grows as planned, each would leapfrog the second-largest in the county, Edmonds, in population. Edmonds is at 40,560 and Everett at 101,800.

Cities are required by state law to eventually acquire all of the territory in urban growth areas, which are negotiated with the county and other cities.

“We have little or no choice,” City Councilman Ted Hikel said. The tax rebate will help the cities pay for police, land-use planning and other services in the newly added areas.

In the Lynnwood plan, two areas would vote in November 2009. One, with 13,500 people, is north of the city between 52nd Avenue W., 148th Street SW and Highway 525. The other wraps around the city to the east, bordered by 148th to the north and Larch Way to the east and south. This area has 14,000 people.

O’Reilly’s neighborhood, because it’s an “island,” can simply be annexed without a vote, per state law. The city, to O’Reilly’s relief, plans to do so early next year.

The city also plans to annex the southern part of the small Perrinville business district at 76th Avenue W. and Olympic View Drive.

The City Council tentatively plans to vote Nov. 24 on whether to put the measures on the ballot, Mayor Don Gough said. The city has 12 neighborhood meetings planned in October and November and is doing a financial study to see how the numbers crunch.

Officials won’t know until they see the study, but they suspect the annexation won’t pay for itself without the tax breaks, and even then it’s uncertain. While the areas include a few revenue-producing commercial strips, they’re mostly residential.

“What we get down to is if there’s a way to do it financially,” Gough said. “We now have the incentive from the Legislature to help the people in the annexation areas.”

Some of the cost would be one-time, up-front, planner Kevin Garrett said.

“We’re going to have to hire a lot of people,” he said. “We’re going to have to train a lot of people, we’re going to have to buy police cars and vacuum trucks.”

The study also will determine if the city needs to build more offices or precincts, and how fire service would work. Fire District 1 currently serves the areas that would be annexed.

For residents in the unincorporated areas, their taxes would probably go down, Hikel said. Police protection also has been a concern for some, City Councilman Mark Smith said. Sheriff’s deputies cover a huge area in the county, he said.

O’Reilly said she knows about that, too. She said her neighborhood has been plagued by a group of “feral teens.”

“They stand out in the middle of the street and smoke weed and are drunk during the day,” she said. “There’s just no police presence here without Lynnwood.

“Lynnwood seems to be our best hope right now.”

Weigh in on the annexation plans

Neighborhood meetings regarding possible Lynnwood annexations:

7 p.m. Oct. 8: Hazelwood Elementary School gym, 3300 204th St. SW, Lynnwood

3 p.m. Oct. 17: Alderwood Water District, 3626 156th St. SW

10 a.m. Oct. 18: Hazelwood Elementary School gym.

7 p.m. Oct. 21: Hazelwood Elementary School gym

7 p.m. Oct. 22: St. Hilda St. Patrick Episcopal Church, 15224 52nd Ave. W., Edmonds

10 a.m. Oct. 25: Meadowdale High School Library, 6002 168th St. SW, Lynnwood

7 p.m. Oct. 28: First Baptist Church of Martha Lake, 17319 Larch Way

7 p.m. Oct. 29: Meadowdale High School

7 p.m. Nov. 5: Martha Lake Community Club, 16300 Motor Place

7 p.m. Nov. 13: Oak Heights Elementary School Library, 15500 18th Ave. W

10 a.m. Nov. 15: St. Hilda St. Patrick Episcopal Church

7 p.m. Nov. 18: Oak Heights Elementary

For more information, call 425-775-1971.