MALTBY – Costco will have to wait before beginning construction on a new store in south Snohomish County. A group of local residents has appealed a planning decision related to the project.
The Sno-King Environmental Alliance and a half-dozen other appellants are raising questions about the store’s potential impact on traffic and drainage in the area.
The appeal was filed with the Snohomish County Planning and Development Services office just hours before a deadline on Monday, planner Tim Rhoades said.
Costco wants to build a 149,000-square-foot store on 15 acres near the junction of Highways 9 and 522. A Costco gas station with up to 16 pumps also is planned. The cost of the project is estimated at $7 million.
The location previously housed an auto salvage and parts store, and a business park. Because the land is zoned for industrial use, the Costco store did not require a zoning change. County planners also determined there was no need for a full environmental impact statement.
The appeal states, however, that the store isn’t consistent with the county’s land-use rules, that Costco should be required to address increased traffic the store would create, and that drainage from the site could affect a nearby stream and other wildlife habitats.
The lead opponent, Sno-King Environmental Alliance, has been active in fighting the proposed Brightwater sewage treatment plant in the same area south of Maltby.
Rhoades said the appeal will be forwarded to a hearings examiner, who will set a hearing. The planning department can ask that the appeal be dismissed, but so far the county is considering its options.
Costco operates two other stores in Snohomish County: a general warehouse store in the Silver Lake area and a more business-oriented store and gas station on Highway 99 in Lynnwood.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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