By Kate Reardon
Herald Writer
Community Transit officials hope creating more places for folks to park their cars near Lake Stevens and in Marysville will get people out of their vehicles and onto the bus.
CT recently spent $2.5 million to buy 3.4 acres near Fourth Street SE and Market Place in Lake Stevens. In coming months, officials will determine whether that property or a different piece would make a good park-and-ride. The closest park-and-ride lot now is in Marysville or Everett, CT spokesman Tom Pearce said.
"We believe there’s a very strong need out there because that area has grown tremendously in the last few years," Pearce said.
In Marysville, CT plans to quadruple the size of one park-and-ride lot just east of I-5 to about 200 parking spaces, Pearce said. CT is waiting for final design approval from the state. The work could go out to bid late this year with construction beginning in spring. The expanded lot could open in fall 2002.
"There’s definitely a need for this in the Marysville community," Pearce said. "We’re putting money in, and the city is putting money in."
There are no price tags yet for either plan, but work on costs and timelines is under way.
The public also will be able to give input on putting a lot on the Lake Stevens property beginning later this year. That siting process also includes examining the property for location, access and environmental concerns.
The study also will analyze what routes would serve the area, such as a direct route to Seattle. If CT does not choose the Market Place site for a park-and-ride, it would eventually sell that property, Pearce said.
The Lake Stevens area park-and-ride could have as many as 300 stalls and six bus bays. CT has money to develop the lot, but there’s a possibility of using some federal money too, Pearce said.
Lake Stevens City Administrator Dave O’Leary said the park-and-ride would benefit the community.
"It’s pretty much universally agreed around here that anything we can do to get more cars off that trestle is going to be a huge benefit to everybody," he said.
CT has also looked at a site at Highway 9 and Vernon Road, although State Department of Transportation officials had concerns about access at the site.
CT bought the Lake Stevens site as an opportunity to "lock up the property," Pearce said. It could be three years before a park-and-ride lot opens there.
CT bought the property from Barclay’s Northwest, the developer of the 38-acre Lake Stevens Station shopping center. Target is the only tenant. Earlier plans for the shopping center called for several additional buildings for retail and offices, but to date nothing has been built.
You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455 or send e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
