Where to put ferry dock?

MUKILTEO — Moving the ferry terminal east to the tank farm and removing the old tank farm pier would be best for Mukilteo.

That’s the view of a majority of the Mukilteo City Council.

The council voted earlier this month to say they prefer to relocate the ferry dock as far east as poss

ible and remove the old tank farm pier.

It’s one of the options the state is considering for the ferry dock. The state is looking at replacing its aging ferry terminal in Mukilteo and was considering several options about where it could be placed.

At one point, the state even considering moving the terminal to Edmonds and Everett, although those ideas got little support.

A final decision on rebuilding the ferry terminal rests with the Legislature, which is expected to consider the issue in the next session. In 2009, lawmakers kicked in $63.3 million for planning a terminal and beginning work. Officials are waiting for the options to be narrowed before trying to estimate the cost.

There now are three options on the table for the ferry terminal. One is to leave it where it is at while making improvements. Another is to move it shortly east of its current location. And the last, favored by the council, was to move the terminal even further east toward the Port of Everett Mount Baker terminal.

Under that last scenario, the state would relocate Mukilteo Speedway on an extended and realigned First Street. Included in this option are a ramp for overhead passenger loading, four toll booths, 109 public parking spaces and a Sound Transit commuter station.

Mukilteo officials wanted to choose what best fits into its long-term waterfront redevelopment plan. The option they chose allows for a longer promenade and a mixed-use development near the current ferry terminal, and leaves room for expansion of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building. It’s also the only option redirecting the Japanese Gulch Stream into an above-ground channel — something that’s important for the city.

Councilman Tony Tinsley said he supports the option with reluctance, but it’s the best choice of those presented. The council voted 4-1 with two members absent.

“The best thing that we can do is to attempt to lobby with the state … to create the best possible outcome for Mukilteo,” he said. “It scares me to think that the ferries will choose another option.”

Kevin Stoltz was the sole council member against the option, which he called the worst. “We are talking about building a four-lane highway next to the railroad tracks. It’s inefficient use of space,” Stoltz said.

He said a big part of the stream would have to go under this roadway, and only a small part would be above ground. The option also is the most expensive.

“I don’t think it’s best for the city, and I don’t think it’s best for the state,” he said.

The Port of Everett commission voted unanimously to support moving the ferry terminal.

The port is working to take over the property from the U.S. Air Force, and its goal is to make a property exchange with the ferry system for the new terminal and to force removal of the old government pier near the tank farm.

Many visitors of the waterfront support the city’s preferred option, said Alan Rice, chairman of the nonprofit Friends of the Mukilteo Waterfront. He spoke in support of the option during the council meeting earlier this month.

The Mukilteo terminal is one of the state’s busiest, yet it’s perched on the same wooden pilings planted into the beach in 1952.

Since 1972, the state has recognized that the terminal needs a major upgrade but has failed to follow through.

The state planned to build a new terminal on the former tank farm site a few years ago. The project was set aside in 2007 by the Legislature when costs were projected to be as high as $300 million. Officials also determined that soil on the proposed site wasn’t suited for building.

The state gave Washington State Ferries money to continue studying the tank farm area, and the study turned up some suitable spots.

Business editor Mike Benbow contributed to this report.