Court dismisses push for clear access to Stanwood shoreline

Published 3:47 pm Tuesday, May 12, 2026

EVERETT — One man’s push to preserve access at a beloved beachfront in Stanwood was dismissed in court this week, but the judge’s decision isn’t stopping his fight to show the shoreline is open to all.

On Monday, a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled K’Allen Specht and the county largely agreed on the key points in the case and any disagreement was over judgement decisions, not the county government’s responsibility to act.

Specht, a Wenatchee resident, has argued the actions of Snohomish County officials made his favorite childhood beach, a 50-foot stretch of sand and driftwood on the Puget Sound near Warm Beach, inaccessible.

Armed with four inch-thick binders and a wealth of knowledge gained during a monthslong dispute, Specht represented himself in court opposite two attorneys from the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office.

He filed a petition last September claiming the county has used “ghost signs,” concrete barriers and the removal of parking spots to erase waterfront access at Hillman Place — a public right-of-way created in 1909 off Soundview Drive Northwest in Stanwood. Specht contends that private property has encroached on the public access point and that “No Beach Access” and “By Order of the Sheriff” tow-away signs make the beach appear closed, court records said.

County prosecutors said there is no “justiciable controversy,” meaning there isn’t an existing dispute because they agreed the public has access to Hillman Place despite the signage, according to court records.

In his petition, Specht asked for a writ of mandamus — a court order demanding action from the government — and a declaratory judgement, compelling the county to ensure shoreline access at Hillman Place is clear and unobstructed. This included asking for permanent public access signs, restoration of public parking, ensuring the right-of-way is visible and removing any misleading signs and concrete barriers, according to court documents.

“It’s something that I couldn’t sleep if I left it undone,” Specht told The Daily Herald last year. “It’s really something that I’m passionate about, and I feel like there’s some remedies that could possibly be happening.”

Locals nearby have jumped aboard Specht’s cause.

Arlington resident Tony Arena recently bought property down the road from Hillman Place. He joined Specht in court on Monday to show his support.

“They are kind of holding the public hostage, not letting them access the water,” Arena told The Daily Herald. “It just kind of seems inherent and like human nature that you are able to access the beach.”

Arena said Specht’s petition felt like a righteous fight to restore public access at Hillman Place as it was always meant to be.

The legal action didn’t have the same success in court.

Snohomish Superior County Court Judge Karen D. Moore dismissed both the writ of mandamus and a declaratory judgement at the request of Snohomish County prosecutors.

County attorneys argued Specht failed to make a claim that the court could grant relief to because both sides agree Hillman Place is a recorded public right-of-way that is accessible to all, court documents said.

The dispute, according to the judge, came down to whether the county was ignoring a legal responsibility to act, not the decisions that were being made. Moore said she could not rule on how the law was being implemented in terms of signage or accessibility without risking infringing on the powers of county executives.

“I can’t find that there is a clear duty, that is nondiscretionary, that the county has failed to take action on,” Moore told the parties in court on Monday. “You may have disagreements on how the county has determined it is going to include Hillman Place in the Shoreline Management Act and how it’s going to maintain it, that is all discretionary and I can’t as a judicial official require them to do things that are not mandated.”

The Shoreline Management Act requires local governments to develop their own Shoreline Master Program that determines land-use policies and regulations, including public access elements. Snohomish County’s current plan requires public access on shoreline street ends, right-of-ways and utilities to be “preserved, maintained and enhanced.”

A Snohomish County Public Works spokesperson referred questions on the decisions that led to the addition of signage and barriers on Hillman Place to the prosecutor’s office, citing potential future litigation.

”We believe the rulings are correct and are pleased to have the matter concluded,” Bridget Casey, the county’s chief civil deputy prosecuting attorney, told The Daily Herald.

The dismissal ended Specht’s current legal challenge, but it didn’t dash his hopes.

“I got some key admissions, so I’m pretty happy with the way the case went overall,” Specht said outside the courtroom, noting that both sides agreed the public does have access to the land, as well as how wide the access point should be and where it ends.

Specht said he now plans to fund a land survey out of his own pocket, an estimated $20,000 to $25,000 cost, to have an official record of where the public access is and where it is being blocked by private property.

“It’s a pretty big ask, but if the county won’t do their job, I’ll do it for them,” Specht said. “They should know where their roads are.”

He then plans to turn his attention to a larger injunction in hopes of landing a more equitable solution for the beach access.

“This was never meant to be adversarial, I just want my beach back,” Specht said.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com