A state growth management hearings board has again rejected the Snohomish County Council’s efforts to allow urban development, such as a car lot and big box stores, at Island Crossing.
The board is also asking Gov. Gary Locke to impose financial sanctions against Snohomish County until county officials stop trying to press ahead with attempts to put the Island Crossing area inside the city of Arlington’s growth area.
The decision, issued Thursday by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board, also noted that it was the county’s third attempt to take the land at Island Crossing out of farming.
Arlington auto dealer Dwayne Lane has repeatedly pushed the County Council to remove restrictions on a 110-acre area at Island Crossing so he can build a car lot on a high-profile spot next to I-5.
Those changes, however, have been fought by farmers, the Stillaguamish Flood Control District, Gov. Gary Locke and others who say the land should stay in farming.
Potential development of the property, which lies in the floodplain of the Stillaguamish River, also worries nearby neighbors, who say Lane’s car lot and big-box retail stores that may be built there would worsen flooding in the area.
Other attempts to change the zoning of the land have also been shot down by the hearings board, but the County Council restarted its attempts to rezone the land in May.
“I’m not surprised,” County Councilman Dave Gossett said of the decision. “When we brought this back again, it seemed to me that the case was clearly flawed. That’s why I voted no.”
Lane could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Tom Lane, Dwayne Lane’s son and the CEO of the Dwayne Lane Family of Auto Centers, said in a statement that the request for state sanctions was a red herring.
“There’s nothing here that will ever involve sanctions,” Lane said. “Snohomish County and the Island Crossing property owners have acted in good faith. No one is asking the County Council to do anything that would result in the loss of tax revenues to Snohomish County.”
Lane said the decision was good news, because they could now proceed with their challenge in Superior Court.
“This decision is very good news for us because it means that we finally have the Central Puget Sound Hearings Board clearly in our rear view mirror. We totally agree with the board that it’s time to get the future of Island Crossing before a court of competent jurisdiction,” Lane said.
In its decision, the hearings board said the council’s latest attempt to take the land out of agriculture violates the Growth Management Act, the state law that protects farmland and timberland from urban-style development.
Gossett said that law also requires the county to make sure road improvements keep pace with development. Gossett said he hoped the governor would not impose sanctions, which would mean less money for fixing roads.
“Financial sanctions makes that more difficult than it already is. I would hope that part does not happen,” he said.
If Locke orders sanctions, Snohomish County could lose its local share of gas and liquor taxes.
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