EVERETT — A commercial real estate developer has submitted plans to Snohomish County for a roughly 105,000-square-foot warehouse on Bothell Everett Highway, near the North Creek area.
There’s evidence that Amazon is behind the project, seeking to grow its presence in the county.
The company’s name is mentioned once in the nearly 700 pages of documents that California-based Panattoni Development filed with county Planning and Development Services in July, while applying for several development permits. In an email included in the packet, a state transportation official recommends a precise location for the “Amazon driveway” on Highway 527.
An Amazon spokeswoman told The Herald the company has “no specific plans” for the location “at this time,” however.
“Amazon is constantly exploring possible new locations,” spokeswoman Karen Riley Sawyer said in an email statement. “We weigh a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve customers, while actively engaging the community to consider social, economic and traffic impact.”
Sawyer did not respond to follow-up emails seeking clarification on the mention of the company in the application.
Others listed as project contacts in the documents could not be reached on Thursday. Brenda Fodge, of Panattoni, and Jack Molver, with engineering firm David Evans and Associates, each did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.
The Seattle Times has reported that the warehouse is an Amazon project.
Last spring, Amazon announced it was building a new distribution center just south of the Arlington Municipal Airport. The company already has two smaller delivery warehouses in the county; one is in south Everett, and another is in northeast Everett, at the Riverside Business Park.
The proposed warehouse, named the North Creek Commerce Centre, would be built on about 23 acres at 18712 Bothell Everett Highway, according to the application.
Two parking lots would provide about 440 parking spaces. About 300 employees would work at the facility, described in the paperwork as a “fulfillment” center, a term Amazon uses for some of its larger warehouses.
Neighboring residents have spoken out against the project, raising concerns about the noise, traffic and other issues that would impact nearby homes.
“Amazon Distribution Centers make sense in industrial park areas but not adjacent to peaceful, family-friendly residential neighborhoods like mine,” said Susanne Thompson, who lives near the site.
The warehouse would add to congestion on Highway 527, which is already so heavily trafficked that commuting is difficult, she added.
Once operational, the warehouse would add about 80 more new trips to or from the site during peak morning hours, plus another 110 more new trips during peak evening hours, according to a traffic analysis prepared for the project. New vehicles would include tractor-trailers.
The site, zoned for light industrial, is now occupied by a car dealership and RV storage space. Crews will need to demolish two single-family homes and remove several mobile homes, according to the permit application.
Rachel Riley: 425-339-3465; rriley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rachel_m_riley.
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