Snohomish is interested in it. Lake Stevens wants it.
Both cities are setting their sights on about 370 acres of rural land west of Highway 9 and north of U.S. 2 that lie between their boundaries. The acreage could be developed for up to 3,000 homes and commercial buildings and generate tax revenue.
Developers have asked Snohomish to add the acreage to its urban growth area, a step needed to make the development happen.
“We are interested, but cautious to move ahead,” Snohomish Mayor Randy Hamlin said.
Meanwhile, Lake Stevens wants to expand its urban growth area all the way to U.S. 2, including the same 370 acres. Lake Stevens already plans to extend its sewer to the area, said Jan Berg, the city’s director of finance and administration.
“Highway 2 is the natural boundary between the two cities,” Berg said.
The Snohomish County Council has the final say on the proposed changes in urban growth areas.
A city can annex land only if the acreage is within its urban growth area.
It may take a few years before the council makes the decision, County Councilman Dave Somers said.
Lake Stevens lost a similar battle in 2005. The county added 411 acres of rural land to Marysville’s urban growth area, dismissing Lake Stevens’ request.
“Lake Stevens is now in an expansion mode,” Somers said.
Lake Stevens estimates that its population will increase from 9,600 to 46,000 by 2025, Berg said.
That’s more ambitious than Snohomish’s projection. By 2025, the city of 8,300 people expects to be a city of 15,000.
Snohomish is working with CamWest Development Inc., Investor’s Development Group, Lennon Investments Inc. and West Coast Land Development Inc. to study pros and cons of the proposed development for the 370 acres.
The developers will pay for the study. Mike Reid, a spokesman for the developers, declined to be interviewed.
“At this time, we consider it premature to be commenting on the proposal,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.
The preliminary proposal includes building 2,000 to 3,000 residential and commercial buildings in the future.
The project raises many questions, including how much tax revenue it would generate for the city and how it would affect already-congested Highway 9, Hamlin said.
“I need to have some questions answered,” he said.
The competition between the two cities may cost the developers extra time and money, said Mike Pattison, government affairs manager of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish counties.
“A dual process is a sidetrack,” Pattison said. But it may also move the project through red tape more quickly, he said.
“In our business, time is money. The first concern is time delay,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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