EVERETT – Arlington City Council’s decision to annex Island Crossing is legal and valid, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Ellen Fair ruled today.
Attorneys for Snohomish County filed a lawsuit Dec. 10 demanding the city repeal last month’s annexation of the 110-acre area east of I-5.
“We are very appreciative of the court’s ruling,” Arlington Mayor Margaret Larson said. “Residents there have had their land tied up for 17 years.”
Snohomish County Councilman Dave Gossett said an appeal by the county is possible.
Gossett originally opposed the placement of Island Crossing in the city’s urban growth area, a step required by the state’s Growth Management Act before land can be annexed into a city.
“It was an unwise planning decision,” Gossett said.
Opponents of the zoning action and the annexation have expressed concerns about the loss of farmland in an area prone to flooding.
City officials believe that when the state Supreme Court decided in October that businessman Dwayne Lane could build a car dealership at Island Crossing that the ruling paved the for the city to annex the area.
“This action today by Judge Fair should amount to a final legal ruling that puts an end to years of litigation,” Lane’s lawyer Todd Nichols said.
City officials hope the county won’t appeal Fair’s decision.
“We want to get on with serving our new residents of the city,” spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.
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