County Council postpones action on North Creek growth

EVERETT — Homeowners from a rural enclave surrounded by the fast-growing suburbs near Bothell will have to wait a bit longer to see whether Snohomish County will consider upzoning their properties.

The County Council on Wednesday postponed a decision to explore designating three areas along 43rd Avenue SE for urban growth. The council is set to revisit the issue at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 20.

“I’d like to find a way to get them into the UGA (urban growth area),” Councilman Terry Ryan said after the hearing. “I need more time work with the planners and our attorneys to come up with a pathway.”

The council vote was 4-1 to postpone a decision, with Councilman Sam Low opposed. Low, who participated by phone, said he was ready to vote, noting that the issue has been pending since last year. Low would not say how he would have cast his vote.

The neighborhood in the unincorporated North Creek area has been one of many centers for the region’s breakneck growth. Snohomish County of late has been adding people at a rate of roughly 300 per week or 16,000 per year. Many of the new arrivals work in the bustling tech industry in Seattle and its Eastside suburbs.

Council approval at this stage wouldn’t guarantee a change to urban zoning; it only ensures that the proposals will get a closer look, with a final decision in 2019.

Two of the zoning proposals, submitted by a homeowner and a land-use consultant, would put a combined 281 acres along 43rd Avenue inside the county’s southwest urban growth boundary.

That’s controversial because it includes a potential zoning swap designating a similar amount of urban lands as rural in other parts of the county.

Two places that could be affected are the Lowell-Larimer Road corridor in the Everett area and some properties next to Granite Falls. Several homeowners there have said they would suffer financial devastation if they were suddenly unable to develop their land.

Instead of the swap, the county also could consider tinkering with its land-use policies.

A third proposal from the Northshore School District has attracted little opposition. The urban growth line runs through the North Creek High School campus, leaving 31 acres of ball fields in an area that’s technically rural.

The district wants to the county to add that piece to the urban growth area.

The school proposal is the only one county planners have recommended for approval. The other two should be turned down, in their opinion, because they’re out of sync with state law, countywide policies or the county’s comprehensive plan.

Established in 1995, the comprehensive plan was amended two years ago. It’s set for another overhaul in 2023, with a likely showdown between environmentalists and homeowners over where to allow more development.

The homeowners in the current fight live along 43rd Avenue between 188th Street SE and Jewell Road. Some of their back yards touch the grounds of North Creek High.

Farther north along 43rd, the landscape changes abruptly to vast new subdivisions of new homes with small yards. County public works officials opened the street between the two areas for a while, but installed a road block at 188th after the rural homeowners complained about an increase in traffic.

Over the next six years, however, the county is looking to widen and extend 43rd. Plans include lengthening the arterial south to Maltby Road and connecting it to Sunset Road to the north to provide an alternative to congested 35th Avenue SE.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Edmonds Police Chief Loi Dawkins speaks after the city council approved her appointment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds City Council confirms new police chief

Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins will begin in the role Aug. 1. She has more than 23 years of law enforcement experience, including three years in Edmonds.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The Edmonds City Council discuss the levy during a city council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds votes to place levy lid lift on the ballot

By a vote of 5-2, the council decided to put the $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift to voters in November.

A trash hauler from Republic Services. (Provided photo)
Growing Teamsters strike disrupts garbage pickup in Snohomish County

Republic Services said a temporary work stoppage is causing some customers in the county to experience “temporary service delays.”

Lily Lamoureux stacks Weebly Funko toys in preparation for Funko Friday at Funko Field in Everett on July 12, 2019.  Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Everett-based Funko ousts its CEO after 14 months

The company, known for its toy figures based on pop culture, named Michael Lunsford as its interim CEO.

‘Courageous’ teen dives into Silver Lake to rescue 11-year-old

Gauge Bryant, 13, brought the child to the surface. The 11-year-old is in stable but critical condition, authorities said.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.