By Kate Reardon
Herald Writer
STANWOOD — A neighbor living next to the site of a proposed fire hall will begin talks with the city to seek a compromise to concerns over how the project will affect traffic, noise and the environment.
A hearing scheduled for today for neighbor Joe Bolewicz’s appeal to the project’s environmental review has been canceled.
Stephanie Cleveland, Stanwood’s community development director, said the hearing was canceled mainly because she realized the project proposal fit under different city guidelines for review.
The size of the building proposed for a residential zone is what triggered the procedural change, she said.
That means the city, which withdrew its environmental review, will take a different route in the permit process. The architect will draft a permit plan, which will go to the city planning commission for review and the city’s hearing examiner. A public hearing also will be held.
"What it does is afford us a new opportunity to work with the appellant," Cleveland said.
Bolewicz, could not be reached for comment.
Cleveland said she does not anticipate the procedural change to cause any additional delays in the project.
Plans call for a 13,000-square-foot building on about 1 1/2acres just south of Highway 532 on Pioneer Highway. The new building would be more than twice the size of the existing fire hall and contain offices, meeting rooms, a training room, kitchen, showers, laundry area and space for eight volunteer firefighters to sleep.
Stanwood residents approved a bond measure in 2000 to build a new fire station. The existing station on 270th Street NW was built in 1960 and has been damaged by dry rot and termites. It doesn’t meet current fire codes and might collapse in a major earthquake.
The fire department had hoped to build a new station just east of the existing one, but it would have cost about $1 million just to prepare the site, which would have required pilings driven into the sand and peat ground.
You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455
or send e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.
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