No. 1 on Mill Creek’s legislative agenda this year is a proposed law requiring counties to follow city planning and building standards for development in Urban Growth Areas.
House Bill 2045 failed to progress through the Senate Government Operations Committee in 2007, but community leaders in several Snohomish County cities are pushing for the bill’s reintroduction this session, claiming county approved development along municipal boundaries has run amok.
“Our standards are much higher than the county’s, and we really find ourselves scratching our heads when we’re looking at annexations in areas developed under the county’s supervision,” Mill Creek Councilwoman Donna Michelson said at a meeting with Lake Stevens Democrat Sen. Steve Hobbs on Jan. 3. “It would be really helpful to us if the county conformed with our development standards in areas that we may some day annex.”
County leaders lobbied against the bill last year and negotiated an agreement with lawmakers and the Association of Washington Cities to report back to the Legislature on the issue this year.
Since then, complaints about Snohomish County’s substandard development policies have only increased among city leaders.
“It’s a huge problem,” Mill Creek Mayor Terry Ryan said in a phone interview on Wednesday, Jan. 9. “If we’re supposed to annex these areas someday, I think they should at least resemble our own cities.”
Complaints that increased development in unincorporated areas is taxing roadways and municipal services top a growing list of concerns.
Mill Creek Community Development Director Bill Trimm said the Legislature should implement a system of rewarding cities for good planning efforts.
“That’s something that’s really missing,” Trimm said at the meeting with Hobbs. “We’ve really focused on smart growth land uses — increasing walkability within the community, reducing vehicle trips, mixing retail and residential uses. It would be nice to get some help from the state in purchasing rights-of-way and other things so we can continue with this type of development.”
Mill Creek also is asking state lawmakers to reduce restrictions on real estate excise taxes to help fund parks and other amenities.
“Under the Growth Management Act we’re packing people in as politely as we can, but we’re running out of space for parks and areas for these people to recreate,” City Councilman Mike Todd said. “These people have moved here thinking that they’d have these amenities and we’re having a hard time providing them.”
Hobbs said Mill Creek’s concerns reflect those of other cities in the 44th district, but warned that it may be challenging this session to address everyone’s issues.
“We’re in a supplemental budget year, so money is going to be tight,” he said. “A lot will depend on how generous the Legislature is feeling.”
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