MARYSVILLE — A plan to build almost 170 houses near the Tulalip Indian Reservation has been put on hold.
A Snohomish County judge Dec. 4 reversed an earlier decision by the city of Marysville’s hearing examiner.
The Grove Church tried to sell the property in northwest Marysville to a Texas contractor, called LGI Homes. The hearing examiner approved the company’s land use permit in May.
The Tulalip Tribes appealed that decision in Superior Court, because of the potential effects of a new neighborhood on the environment.
The builder now has asked to send the proposal back to the hearing examiner to look at other options, court records show.
The property is at 3211 140th St. NE. The middle of that road is the northern border of the reservation.
A development was built on a neighboring plot in the 1990s, and wouldn’t meet today’s standards, according to the city. Those houses surround Nina Lake. Wetlands in the area drain into Quilceda Creek, the main stream running through Marysville and Tulalip.
The Grove Church bought the land about 20 years ago to build a new parish. The nearly 60-acre parcel is worth about $5 million, according to the church.
It’s been on the market for about five years. The tribes had an opportunity to buy it but didn’t make an offer.
The church chose to sell to the Texas builder after receiving multiple bids. Money from the sale was going to go toward expanding a chapel on Grove Street. The deal hasn’t been made final.
The tribes told the court they were worried that the development would harm endangered salmon that use West Fork Quilceda Creek, and that it would add traffic. There’s one road to get in and out of the proposed neighborhood.
In her ruling, Judge Marybeth Dingledy found that it was a mistake to let the project go forward as planned, because of the environmental concerns. She highlighted the city’s decision to grant exceptions to wetland buffers.
Dingledy also suggested finding another route into the proposed neighborhood that wouldn’t disturb the wetlands.
That’s why the Texas company asked to revisit the permit application. It hopes the hearing examiner can resolve those issues and any others noted by the judge.
A hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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