EVERETT — More gridlock and more houses are expected between Mill Creek and Lynnwood after the Snohomish County Council lifted a building ban while saying the county will never widen 164th Street.
The council voted unanimously Monday to turn to buses as the key way out of bumper-to-bumper traffic in south Snohomish County.
The council labeled the busy road near I-5 at “ultimate capacity.” It’s a technical move that allows the county to approve more housing in the area, but without having to add lanes to fix stalled traffic.
Instead, they’ll push residents to ride buses using programs bankrolled by higher developer fees.
The county can’t widen 164th Street any further, County Council chairman Dave Gossett said.
Talking people out of using their cars — called traffic-demand management — is the only solution, he said.
“Pavement won’t work,” Gossett said. “We looked for a solution to get cars off the road and we think we found one.”
The move sidesteps widening 164th Street, which is estimated to cost $100 million and would chew through homes and businesses along the road. The road runs from Highway 99 across I-5 to Mill Creek and carries more than 50,000 cars a day.
A representative of the building industry said the council did the right thing, but dozens of residents who lobbied against the idea at a public hearing last month won’t be happy with the decision.
The vote “recognizes the reality that we’re turning away from road expansion in that area,” County Councilman Dave Somers said.
The county’s public works staff this summer banned most housing projects that would exacerbate gridlock on 164th Street.
Permits were not granted for any housing project that would put more than two cars on the busy road east of I-5 during the evening commute. The county staff said the glut of traffic threatened to break county gridlock standards.
The council action Monday lifted that building ban. New housing applications could be processed starting as soon as next week, county public works director Steve Thomsen said.
The decision was a tough one, Republican County Councilman John Koster said.
“I wasn’t real excited about doing this,” Koster said. “There is no other option. Otherwise it’s an effective moratorium on development.”
It’s a trade-off expected to be repeated in other urban areas of Snohomish County. Gridlock mounts, but more dense housing projects are required to meet state population targets.
The area north of Lynnwood and west of I-5 is expected to be the fastest growing in the county, with about 30,000 more people by 2040. That many people moving into the area would make it the second fastest growing area in the four Puget Sound counties, according to the Puget Sound Regional Council.
The county did the right thing, said Mike Pattison of the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties, a development group.
Population growth plans put the majority of growth in south Snohomish County, and that predetermined the fate of 164th Street, Pattison said.
“On the surface, it’s an acknowledgement of gridlock,” Pattison said. To meet the plan, more housing is needed, he said.
The building ban costs property owners and developers time and money, he said.
Last month, dozens of residents argued against the county’s plans to allow more growth and gridlock.
Traffic will get worse as long as the county allows development, Mark Beales of Mill Creek told the council in November. “It’s bumper-to-bumper,” he said. “‘Ultimate capacity’ just to allow development is just insane.”
The county is responsible for the housing in unincorporated areas, and also spending money to improve gridlock, Mill Creek City Councilman Terry Ryan said at the November hearing.
“What’s missing here is common sense,” Ryan said. If development is causing the problem, then a moratorium is needed, he said.
“‘Ultimate capacity’ is just a cop out,” Ryan said. “How many people are really going to take the bus? It’s not reasonable to think that is the solution.”
Gossett and Somers argue that the county must allow more housing and population growth within the urban areas or it will instead push into rural areas.
Higher one-time developer fees would go into effect in a month or so, pending a signature from County Executive Aaron Reardon. The fees are slated to rise from $150 to $650 per new home.
The money will pay for traffic demand management programs, which persuade people to take the bus and leave their car at home.
Builders also would be required to improve sidewalks that lead to bus stops and push new residents to buy bus passes. The county also plans to better synchronize traffic lights and consolidate business driveways in future years.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
