WOODWAY — The developer hoping to build up to 3,500 high-end condos at the Point Wells industrial area has scheduled another public meeting this month — a signal that it soon could seek formal approval for the project.
Neighbors in Woodway and Shoreline, who are worried above all about the development’s impact on traffic, will be watching closely.
BSRE Point Wells LP has scheduled the meeting for Jan. 27. That starts the clock ticking to submit a project application to Snohomish County. Also, the meeting should offer the first glimpse of the scope and location of the proposed buildings.
“It’ll be very specific. There will be a design, a site plan,” said Gary Huff, a Seattle attorney representing the owners. “You could see conceptually what we’re proposing.”
The plans also should give clues to other features the developer has in mind, such as public beach access, natural areas and businesses. The Jan. 27 meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Shoreline Conference Center. The developer also hosted two informational meetings last year.
For now, marine-fuel storage tanks and an asphalt plant occupy the 60-acres of unincorporated land at the very southwestern tip of Snohomish County. The ground is contaminated by a century of industrial use. Still, it’s prime real estate with a sandy shoreline and an unobstructed view of the Olympic Mountains.
Should redevelopment move forward, cleanup is sure to take years. A bigger problem might be roads. The only way to get to the area is through two-lane Richmond Beach Drive in Shoreline and building new roads appears unlikely.
The application process is governed by Snohomish County’s urban centers code. After the public hearing, the developer must wait at least 30 days —after Feb. 27— to submit its project application.
Neighbors worry that the developer might be able to vest the project under existing rules before the state reaches a decision on a zoning challenge. The challenge was filed with the state’s Growth Management Hearings Board by Town of Woodway, City of Shoreline and the Save Richmond Beach community group. A hearing is scheduled March 2.
Woodway Mayor Carla Nichols said people who live near Point Wells aren’t necessarily against the project, “but they want it to make sense, too.”
“We are appealing on issues that need to be resolved before a project is submitted,” Nichols said. “We’d like those clarified for all parties.”
Shoreline planning director Joe Tovar is worried about the potential for the project to dump 30 times the current traffic onto a dead-end, two-lane road. He hopes the growth board will invalidate the county’s urban center zoning. While urban centers might work along I-5 or Highway 99, he said “it’s wholly inappropriate at Point Wells.”
BSRE Point Wells is part of Blue Square Real Estate Ltd. and the Israeli holding company, Alon Group.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Public meeting Jan. 27
BSRE Point Wells has scheduled a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27 to discuss plans to build a large mixed-use development at its asphalt and marine-fuels plant next door to Woodway. About 60 minutes of slide presentations are to be followed by a moderated question-and-answer session.
Seating will open at 6 p.m. at the Shoreline Conference Center auditorium, 18560 1st Ave. NE
For more information, go to www.pointwells.com.
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