After avoiding a firm position on where a new University of Washington campus should be located in Snohomish County, the County Council plans on Wednesday to vote on whether to endorse the Everett Station location.
The County Council scheduled a vote during its 9 a.m. meeting Wednesday. The meeting is planned on the eighth floor of the county administration building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.
County Executive Aaron Reardon made overtures to sign the resolution as a joint endorsement of the site, council staff said.
The vote comes as lawmakers are divided over the right location for a future UW branch site.
The site is the smallest of the alternatives, but is located near urban services and transportation.
Democratic County Council chairman Dave Somers said Monday he’d also like to consider the Arlington-Marysville site as a second preference.
Republican County Councilman John Koster, who represents the Arlington area and north county, said he might propose switching the two in order of preference.
The council has a 4-1 Democratic majority.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY COUNCIL
Snohomish County, Washington
RESOLUTION NO. 08-003
EXPRESSING THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY COUNCIL’S SUPPORT FOR THE SELECTION OF THE PACIFIC STATION SITE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – NORTH CAMPUS
WHEREAS, population data clearly shows that over 70 percent of the students who will utilize a UW campus will be in the area covered by Everett to the South Snohomish County line and “travel shed” data compiled for the UW-North study shows that an Everett location most easily accommodates students traveling within a 30-minute radius; and
WHEREAS, the city of Everett strongly supports the academic plan, with its focus on “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) as it is home to over 120 companies in industries that rely heavily on STEM skills; and
WHEREAS, an Everett site is formally endorsed in writing by a wide array of business and labor, including The Boeing Co., the Everett Area and South Snohomish County, Monroe and Edmonds Chambers, and the Snohomish County Labor Council; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature and the Governor have made a concerted effort to focus state economic development policies on industry clusters partnering with higher education programs and research and the state’s aerospace industry, which has a major foothold in Everett, can partner in the development of STEM and other academic planning critical to that industry cluster; and
WHEREAS, being in an urban center, and having leading industries and industrial clusters nearby gives an Everett site a clear advantage in fund-raising to assist a UW Campus with carrying out its mission; and
WHEREAS, Everett puts students most conveniently near restaurants, retail, government services, theaters, Event Centers, mass transit and an array of housing opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Everett is most conveniently located to Interstate 5 interchanges, and to an HOV lane system and the Pacific Station site is adjacent to Everett Station, a modern multi-modal transportation center that serves Sound Transit, Everett and Community Transit, Greyhound, and Amtrak, and provides drop offs for neighboring county transit agencies such as Skagit Transit; and
WHEREAS, the Pacific Station site has the smallest carbon footprint by far of any proposed site and therefore is endorsed by environmental organizations such as Futurewise and the Washington Environmental Council; and
WHEREAS, with transportation and utility infrastructure already in place and easily able to serve the Pacific Station site, the State of Washington will realize significant cost-savings; and
WHEREAS, the total construction cost for the Pacific Station site is the least expensive of all available sites and Everett’s Mayor and Council have provided assurances that they will make attractive below-market offers to the State of Washington for the city’s sites; and
WHEREAS, the Everett Station classrooms on the Pacific Station site provide the most advanced, state-of-the-art, convenient interim space that can be ready immediately.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Snohomish County Council hereby expresses its support and full endorsement to the Governor and the Washington State Legislature for the selection of the Pacific Station site for the University of Washington, North Campus.
DATED this _____ day of January, 2008.
__________________________
Chairman
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