By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer
ARLINGTON — The Arlington City Council has followed a planning commission recommendation to allow a controversial auto storage yard in south Arlington.
In a 6-0 decision, the council approved the development permit for the project Monday night.
The proposal ran into opposition from nearby landowners and the Stillaguamish Tribe during public testimony at the planning commission level. The city council decision was based on a review of planning commission records.
The plan is to build a 40-acre storage yard for cars deemed financial losses by insurance companies. The site, which has a history of farming use, is south of the Arlington Airport near 51st Avenue NE.
City officials said the auto storage yard fits the industrial uses allowed by zoning within the city’s comprehensive plan adopted in 1995.
"The issue of whether this area should remain rural or not has long since been decided," said Cliff Strong, the city’s planning manager.
That didn’t stop nearby residents and the Stillaguamish Tribe from fighting the proposal. Some opponents fear it will pollute salmon streams and an aquifer. Others say it could lower property values or be an eyesore. The tribe raised the possibility that the land was the site of a 19th-century Indian warrior village, but an archaeological study found no evidence of that.
The next step is for developers to apply for construction and building permits, which will be reviewed by city staff rather than the city council. Don Fitzpatrick Jr., co-owner of Airpark Industries, hopes construction can begin this summer and the storage yard will open in the fall.
Fitzpatrick said the auto yard is different than a junkyard. Cars will not be disassembled there. Rather, they will be auctioned to auto dismantlers, rebuilders and used car dealers.
The storage yard, which would be surrounded by an 8-foot fence, will be run by Copart, a national auto recycler that has more than 80 sites in 36 states.
"It would be almost the same thing as a parking lot at a Safeway," Fitzpatrick said.
You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446
or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.
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