LAKE STEVENS — Two of the bigger issues in Lake Stevens are scheduled to be discussed by the City Council today.
Mayor Vern Little and the City Council will hear a presentation on building costs for the planned civic center campus on Grade Road. Also, city staff plan to discuss options for how close to allow construction near lakes, streams and wetlands.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lake Stevens School District Educational Service Center, 12309 22nd St. NE.
The city plans to build a new city hall and public safety buildings on part of 44 acres in the northeast part of the city. The property also could contain a new library if a bond measure is approved, along with shops and homes.
The ballpark price tag for construction now stands at $15 million to $18 million, without land acquisition or sewer costs figured in, city administrator Jan Berg said. These costs have yet to be nailed down, she said.
The city has yet to buy any of the property. It has been negotiating with Michael Mastro, a Seattle-based real estate investor, for purchase of much of the land it needs for the project.
Moving city offices and the library from their current cramped quarters in downtown Lake Stevens, near the northeastern lake shore, to the land on Grade Road would free up valuable property for redevelopment, city officials have said.
The city received $800,000 this year from the Legislature for the new civic campus. Options mentioned for financing the rest have included selling property, leasing to buy and issuing bonds.
Makers, a Seattle consulting firm, is scheduled to discuss the cost figures with the City Council in person for the first time on Monday, Berg said.
The City Council voted in April to widen no-build areas near the city’s waterways. But some would like to see them larger still. Two environmental groups, the Pilchuck Audubon Society and Futurewise, recently protested the new city ordinance with the state Growth Management Hearings Board. The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties recently filed as a third party in the action to back the city’s position, Berg said.
Previous rules required a buffer of up to 50 feet between a new building and a stream, and up to 150 feet for lakes and wetlands. The new city rules increase those distances to up to 100 feet for streams and provide for small increases in some categories of lakes and wetlands.
The environmental groups are calling for distances to up to 250 feet for streams and 300 feet for lakes and wetlands.
After voting to approve the changes in April, council members said they’d like to consider adding to the no-build zones.
Mayor Little and some business leaders objected to this idea, contending it could interfere with downtown redevelopment plans.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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