EVERETT — Two groups of homeowners are asking the Snohomish County hearing examiner to take a closer look at plans for a housing development next to a dormant dump where underground fires burned decades ago.
The neighborhood east of Everett’s Silver Lake has a long history with the Go-East landfill and Bakerview, the subdivision the landowner has been trying to build.
The last time P&G East LLC of Kirkland submitted plans for a 97-home proposal, the hearing examiner sent them back for more study. That was two years ago.
In early May, the reworked project re-emerged from the county planning department. Planners decided it would have no significant environmental impact, if the developer follows specific steps. The decision addresses closing the old landfill, rezoning the parcel for residential use and creating a subdivision.
The neighbors aren’t convinced, given the landfill’s history.
“Several (homeowners association) members will be directly affected by any explosion or fires that may occur due to the release of methane gas that is generated in the landfill or the combustion of other flammable materials, similar to what occurred in the 1970s and 1980s,” their appeal states.
Magnesium and old car parts are thought to have contributed to the fires, but no one is certain what’s underground. The dump ceased operations in 1983. It still needs to undergo a formal closure process. The neighbors argue that the county and the Snohomish Health District need to do more work on that front.
Also on the neighbors’ list of concerns are the prospect of increased traffic, construction noise, landslide risks, polluted storm runoff and compromised views. They wonder who would be responsible for monitoring the landfill after it closes, and who would pay if something goes wrong.
Gary East, who bought the landfill in 1979 with eyes on redeveloping it, has called government requirements to close it “draconian.” East has said neighbors are opposing a plan that promises to improve their area — not make it worse. He also has asked why neighbors make frequent use of the trails crisscrossing the wooded property, if they’re alleging it’s dangerous.
The appeal was filed May 22 by the homeowners associations for 108th Street Point and Kings Ridge. Together, they include about 150 homes, many alongside the proposed building site. No hearing date has been set.
The houses wouldn’t be directly on top of the old landfill, but on a different part of the property on the 4300 block of 108th Street SE, outside Everett city limits. About two-thirds of the 40-acre site would remain as open space or buffers.
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