LYNNWOOD — The Good Shepherd Baptist Church is facing passionate opposition from neighbors to its proposal to remodel the church and community gardens as well as build an affordable senior housing apartment building, community arboretum and small event center.
The church needs to rezone about half of the roughly four acre church property, 6915 196th Street Southwest, from a single family zone to a multiple family zone so it can build the 40-unit senior housing apartment building, according to Lynn Melby, the congregation president.
Residents in nearby single family houses and Copper Ridge Condominium told Lynnwood’s Planning Commission last week the new church campus will bring more traffic congestion, noise and crime. They are also concerned the land will remain multiple family even if the church leaves or changes its plans.
“It is not just a line on a map,” Cindy Kang, who lives in a house near the church. “It is going to be permanent on the landscape.”
Residents are also worried a new dead end street to give community gardeners access to the church’s community gardens will be opened for a through street. Kang described the proposed development as a “nightmare.”
“Once there is an access road, people will cut through,” Kang said.
After listening to hours of testimony last week, Lynnwood’s Planning Commission decided to continue the public hearing on Aug. 11. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the Lynnwood City Council Chambers.
The planning commission could make its recommendation as early as the Aug. 11 meeting and inform the city council, Lynnwood community development director Jim Cutts said. Afterwards, the City Council will consider the planning commission’s recommendation and make its own decision as early as September.
Residents reminded planning commission members that the city is already overrun with multiple family housing at last week’s meeting. The city adopted a 60-40 policy, which is supposed to promote about 60 percent single family residences in Lynnwood and about 40 percent multiple family residences. To date, the city is roughly split in half.
“The policy is a bit short sided because they are going to have this wave of people (seniors) who are going to need housing.”
There is also an issue of fairness. The city’s proposed city center will bring hundreds of multiple family buildings into the city. The city center subarea plan calls for about 300 acres west of Interstate 405 and 196th Street to be redeveloped as a compact urban center over the next 20 years.
The Good Shepherd Baptist Church also wants to remodel the church, which has not been significantly remodeled since the church was founded in the 1960s. The plan is to double the size of the fellowship hall, improve the restrooms, change the sanctary’s layout and make the church more accessible for those with special needs.
Church members also want to build a community arboretum, which would be open for elementary school fields trips and Edmonds Community College students.
He also noted the senior housing project is misunderstood. The three-story apartment building would contain about forty 500-square-foot, one-bedroom apartments as well as common rooms.
Even though the church is requesting two acres to be rezoned, the building can not cover the entire two acres because of city regulations and required setbacks.
The church is willing to sign a binding agreement or contract with the city to ensure the church will follow through on its promises.
“We want to do this right.” Melby said.
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