Stanwood sets sights on a private college

Published 11:05 pm Sunday, February 17, 2008

STANWOOD — The new University of Washington campus may not be built in Stanwood, but that doesn’t mean a college campus isn’t in the city’s future.

People who are trying to plan for economic growth in Stanwood now are talking about attracting a private college.

Mayor Dianne White, who is lobbying for the UW branch to be built north of Everett, said grassy fields north of Stanwood, in the area of 300th Street NW and Pioneer Highway, would be the perfect place for a campus.

“This is a place where you could come and create a college town,” she said.

The prospect of bringing a college or private school to the city is still in “the dream stage,” White said.

Members of Design Stanwood, a group of city residents tasked with planning for growth in the city, believe the benefits of a college campus, including good jobs and more cultural opportunities, would help make Stanwood more than a bedroom community.

“We’ve talked about it amongst ourselves, and we’ve floated the idea with people involved in private schools,” said Tom Curtis, who was a chairman of a committee that was trying to bring a four-year college to Stanwood last year. “It is in the dream stage, but it is a wonderful dream.”

As was the case last year, not everyone in Stanwood wants to see a college campus built in the city.

Caroline Dettling, 84, who owns a dairy farm, lives next to the intersection of 300th Street NW and Pioneer Highway. She owns a lot of land across the street, where White and other city officials envision a campus being built.

Dettling is concerned that a college campus would bring an end to the quiet way of life she enjoys on the countryside.

“I agree we probably need a school, and I’m not against a school,” said Dettling, who has lived in Stanwood nearly 49 years. “I just don’t want it in my yard.”

However, several people in the city would welcome a college, Dettling said. Many of her neighbors, who are also farmers, would probably sell their land to make room for a campus, she said.

During two community meetings last year, several people shared similar concerns about a campus bringing traffic, growth and noise to the city, Curtis said.

“They really felt they moved to Stanwood because it was a small city that didn’t have much in the way of industry, and that’s what they wanted and that’s what they got,” Curtis said. “They didn’t want to see it change.”

Considering the nation’s shaky economy, now is not the best time to begin planning for a new college in the city, Curtis said.

But someday, when the time is right, Curtis hopes a campus will become reality.

“It could be a wonderful opportunity for an entrepreneurial, four-year school to develop in a great site and meet the needs of the community,” he said.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.