Neighbors sue to halt proposed Frognal subdivision
Published 1:30 am Sunday, September 11, 2016
PICNIC POINT — Neighbors of a proposed 112-home subdivision in Mukilteo’s future annexation area are suing Snohomish County and the developer to stop the project from going forward.
Hearing examiner Peter Camp approved plans for Frognal Estates in May. A 3-2 majority of the County Council voted in August to uphold Camp’s decision on appeal.
The Picnic Point Preservation Committee and the Regatta Estates Homeowners Association filed their lawsuit in King County Superior Court on Aug. 30.
The suit names Frognal Holdings, an Everett-based company run by developer John Lakhani, who also built the nearby Regatta Estates in the 1990s.
Points of contention include managing stormwater runoff, landslide risks and increased traffic near Picnic Point Elementary School. Much of the 22-acre site is steep and wooded.
The neighbors’ suit focuses on the county’s decision to allow the developer to alter a restrictive covenant for a lot where 32 of the Frognal homes would be built.
The neighbors contend that the covenant should have protected the lot as wildlife habitat and that it cannot be changed unless Regatta Estates homeowners agree.
The hearing examiner had ruled that it was legally permissible for the developer to remove the covenant restriction.
The development takes its name from the upscale Frognal section of north London. It’s been in the works since 2005, when permit applications were filed with Snohomish County under the name Horseman’s Trail.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
