Showing posts with label point wells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label point wells. Show all posts

Council action on Transportation Corridor Study Mitigation Agreement to be rescheduled

Monday, May 5, 2014


Shoreline Council action on the Transportation Corridor Study Mitigation Agreement had originally been scheduled for Monday, June 23. However, due to the fact that the peer review the City is conducting on the traffic modeling done by BSRE's traffic consultants will not be completed in time, and since negotiation of the mitigation package requires completion of the peer review, Council action will need to be rescheduled. Staff hope to get a better sense of the timing for the Mitigation Agreement over the next couple of weeks.




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City announces next steps in Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study process

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Statement from the City of Shoreline

The City of Shoreline held the final Transportation Corridor Study Workshop on April 16. Based on resident comments and feedback from the previous five workshops, the City and the traffic consultants developed preferred alternatives for the street configuration of Richmond Beach Drive and Road and traffic mitigations along these corridors. 

Using the community feedback provided at the April 16 workshop, staff will make adjustments to the preferred alternatives and then present a final recommendation to the City Council. City staff will also prepare a set of design principles for Council review that provide direction for the design, implementation, and construction of the street improvements. These will be based on the community input and modeled after the Implementation Strategies that the City Council adopted to guide design and implementation of the City's Aurora Corridor project. Although the timeline for submission of a final mitigation recommendation to the City Council has not been finalized, staff anticipates that this will occur in late June. City staff will hold an Open House to share the final recommendation with the public prior to the recommendation meeting with Council.

If the City Council is supportive of an acceptable traffic analysis and mitigation package, then they will provide direction to the City Manager to submit the TCS outcomes and agreement to Snohomish County, to negotiate a "development agreement" with BSRE, and docket, or schedule for action, appropriate Point Wells subarea plan amendments that will be worked on later this year. 

Following Council acceptance, the City will provide the “mitigation package” to Snohomish County to be included as part of the transportation section of the County’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The City anticipates Snohomish County adopting the mitigation package and incorporating it into its permit review and analysis, and making it a condition to projects permits. If the City is not able to secure the requirement from the Snohomish County EIS process that the mitigation package will be constructed by BSRE to mitigate the project impacts, the City's Memorandum of Understanding with BSRE states that the City and BSRE will negotiate these mitigations as part of the development agreement. 

The City will also work to negotiate the following items into the development agreement with BSRE: 1) a funding mechanism to pay for the required mitigation package; 2) agreement on the ultimate cap on daily vehicle trips to and from Point Wells and how to enforce the cap; 3) agreement on the sequence of implementation of the mitigation projects; and 4) Point Wells annexation to the City of Shoreline. 

Can We Close the road?

Over the past several years, residents have repeatedly asked why we can't just close the road to Point Wells. With the recent Supreme Court decision the question is once again being asked. While it seems like an easy answer, in the court case YARROW ETC. v. Town of Clyde Hill, 403 P. 2d 49 - Wash: Supreme Court, 2nd Dept. 1965, a case with similar facts to the Point Wells development, the Supreme Court found that Clyde Hill's vacation (closing) of a road due to anticipated traffic increases from a proposed development was unlawful. 

Clyde Hill's City Council was concerned about increased traffic from an apartment complex in neighboring Houghton where the only access was through Clyde Hill. The Council vacated the road and the Supreme Court ruled the action to be unlawful. Below are excerpts from the decision:

In closing a public street, the "public use" that must be considered is broader and more inclusive than the mere use by abutting property owners. Streets are dedicated to the public use .... This implies that streets must be maintained primarily as public ways .... This refers not alone to adjacent property owners, nor to the inhabitants of a particular political subdivision, but to the whole people .... Every citizen of the state has an equal right to use the streets.
Cities are vested only with such powers over the streets as are conferred upon them by the legislature .... However, the power to regulate streets is not the power to prohibit their use by nonresidents .... Similar consideration must be given to the power of a municipality to vacate a street.
...[T]he residents of a particular town possess no proprietary rights to the use of its streets, in priority to or exclusion of the general public. They may not use their power to the detriment of other citizens or municipalities of the state .... The fact that a city may have the burden of constructing or maintaining its streets gives it no peculiar privileges insofar as the use of its streets is concerned.

Closing Richmond Beach Drive near the entrance of Point Wells would open the City up to legal challenges and its actions would most likely be found unlawful under the findings of Yarrow etc. v. Town of Clyde Hill.


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Snohomish County considers ban on building permits in slide areas

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

1997 mud slide in Woodway
Photo courtesy Department of Ecology


According the The Seattle Times, the Snohomish County council is considering a six-month moratorium on building permits in slide areas in the county, in the wake of the devastating Oso landslide. The vote was postponed for a week to allow staff time to research the issue.

The six-month moratorium would give the council time to consider whether to issue new regulations for building within a half-mile of slide-prone slopes.

It would not apply to permits already issued.

Local advocates are watching with interest to see how new regulations might affect the Point Wells development. One of the issues with the site is that the only road in and out of the site goes through residential areas in Shoreline.

There was previously a road from Point Wells which went through Woodway, but it was washed out in a landslide and the hillside deemed too unstable to rebuild the road.

As residents and train passengers know, there are frequent landslides on the bluffs between Everett and Seattle.

Woodway has experienced several slides. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, 

"Early in the morning of January 15th, 1997, a very large landslide occurred south of Edmonds in the town of Woodway. The landslide cut fifty feet into the property above, passed over the railroad tracks, and knocked a freight train into the Sound."


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Overflow crowd expresses grave concerns about projected traffic from Point Wells

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Overflow crowd for Point Wells meeting
Photo by Marc Weinberg

Point Wells Traffic Corridor Study Results disclosed at City Hall
Text and photos, Marc Weinberg


Wednesday, April 16, 9pm  .....Tonight's meeting at Shoreline City Hall regarding the Traffic Corridor Study for the Point Wells Development played to a packed and overflowing crowd. The City had to set up more chairs and that wasn't even enough for the standing room only group that spilled into the lobby. The crowd was estimated to be 200. Many were new faces which I had not seen or heard at other City meetings in this series.
Many of the previous community suggestions were displayed on slides, but there was continued grave concern among those in the most heavily impacted areas along Richmond Beach Drive, Richmond Beach Road and many of the customary 'cut through streets' that are used by residents. 

Doors had to be opened and chairs set up in the lobby
for the overflow crowd
Photo by Marc Weinberg

Those concerns were about the impact to individual neighborhoods, the volume of traffic on major traffic corridors like Richmond Beach Road and how changing that from 4 lanes to 3 with the center being a turn lane can accommodate a four hundred percent increase in volume.

Don't just stay tuned. Go the City website and get involved. The process isn't over and your concerns need to be heard. More people need to be at meetings like the one tonight to send a strong message. Watch for the City Council meetings and do not fail to attend those when this subject is on the agenda which we were told will likely be in June.

You can also write to Kirk McKinley, Transportation Planning Manager, and express your concerns.


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FINAL Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study workshop 7pm Wednesday

Monday, April 14, 2014

FINAL Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study Workshop
Meeting #6: Final wrap-up meeting for Segments A and B
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
6:30pm – Doors open
7:00 to 9:00pm – Workshop
Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave N

Over the past two months, the City, along with Point Wells property owner BSRE, has conducted the Transportation Corridor Study to focus extensively on the Point Wells transportation impacts to the Shoreline community. The final workshop is the culmination of the work from the previous workshops.

Based on resident input and traffic data, traffic consultants will develop a preferred alternative for both Segments A and B. The preferred alternative will be reviewed at the final workshop. Residents are invited to the workshop to provide input.

Once final input is received from residents, City staff and BSRE’s traffic consultants will make any necessary changes to the preferred alternative and present it to the City Council.

In developing the preferred alternative, the study has looked at time spent waiting at intersections, the ability for residents to safely access their driveways, and safety concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Material from the previous meetings, including design options, is available online


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Point Wells developer reacts to Supreme Court decision

BSRE vision of Point Wells

Developer Shraga Biran focused on "metamorphosis and renewal" in creating world-class development

The visionary behind the proposed mixed-use community at Point Wells said an April 10 ruling by the Washington Supreme Court represents a new catalyst for the transformation of the aging industrial site on Puget Sound near Seattle.

By a 6-3 vote, the Court affirmed a prior decision of the Court of Appeals and dismissed challenges to the developer's ability to proceed with the processing of its Urban Center development application in Snohomish County.

"We are engaged in a process of metamorphosis and renewal, with a focus on creating an exemplary, environmentally-conscious community the entire region will take great pride in. The ruling is a major step in making that a reality," said Shraga Biran, a primary shareholder of the Alon Group. Based in Israel, its holdings include Blue Square Real Estate Ltd., a major international developer of real estate, and its local development entity, BSRE Point Wells, LP.

BSRE Point Wells is proposing a dynamic mix of retail and office space with up to 3,081 apartments and condominiums of all types and sizes on the 61-acre waterfront site. If approved by Snohomish County, development and construction could span more than a decade and would provide new public access to the site's three-quarter-mile stretch of beach, existing pier and newly-created amenities.

The property currently hosts the marine fuels distribution center and asphalt facility of Paramount Petroleum Corporation and has no public access due to security restrictions.

"Our goal is to create a world-class showcase of restored natural habitats, public amenities and transportation options that will dramatically enhance the site far beyond its current use and limitations," said Biran.

He cited the importance of ongoing outreach efforts by the local development team, overseen by Blue Square Real Estate CEO Ze'ev Stein, to engage local policy-makers and nearby residents. BSRE is devoting extensive development resources to the project, including cooperative efforts with Snohomish County in drafting project-specific environmental review documents for the County's decision-making process and identification of potential traffic impacts and mitigation in conjunction with the nearby City of Shoreline.

The internationally-recognized architecture firm of Perkins+Will, with extensive expertise and experience in designing environmentally sustainable projects, has developed initial site design concepts for the proposed community.

"With its spectacular waterfront setting offering vistas of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, our entire team recognizes this is a location with unique and rare characteristics," said Biran. "Our goal is to incorporate innovative development ideas with a vision for a new Point Wells." Biran said the estimated billion dollar project will generate hundreds of jobs in Snohomish and King Counties during the multi-year remediation, development and construction process.

Over the past 20 years, Biran has played a pivotal role in the initiation and development of over 10 million square feet of complex residential and business centers, often by upgrading neglected properties to create dynamic, mixed-use neighborhoods across Israel and Europe.


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Save Richmond Beach reacts to Supreme Court decision

Saturday, April 12, 2014


Statement from Save Richmond Beach on the recent Supreme Court decision on Point Wells


SRB to continue the fight


The Washington State Supreme Court finally issued their long awaited decision on whether the planned Urban Center development at Point Wells can proceed and their answer was: Yes.

You can click on this link to see the complete text of the decision.

Although we are disappointed by the Court’s decision, all hope is not lost.  Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean the development is permitted, only that Snohomish County can continue to process the developer’s Urban Center application for over 3000 condos and 100,000 square feet of retail/commercial space.

The dispute started when Snohomish County had to make changes to its comprehensive plan, zoning, and development regulations in order to allow Point Wells to be developed as an Urban Center.  Save Richmond Beach, Woodway, and Shoreline challenged those changes and won -- the Growth Management Hearings Board found several of the County’s changes to be illegal under the Growth Management Act (GMA) and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).  Our Supreme Court case tested whether the developer and Snohomish County could proceed with the Point Wells Urban Center, anyway, under a doctrine known as “vesting.”  The case was jointly filed by the Town of Woodway and Save Richmond Beach.

In a 6-3 decision the court ruled that vesting rights outweigh other requirements of the Growth Management Act and State Environmental Policy Act. The 3 justices who agreed with us wrote a strong dissent echoing SRB's argument that vesting should not be used as a "sword" to push through an otherwise-illegal development: "The GMA and SEPA should be read in harmony and given effect, and not, as the majority holds, written out of existence. The vesting rights doctrine cannot be used as a sword to eviscerate the purpose and function of the GMA and SEPA."

This result means the Urban Center development application for Point Wells is valid and Snohomish County can proceed with processing and eventually deciding whether to approve it. But this is not the end of the fight -- the proposed Urban Center at Point Wells is still a non-conforming development that was previously ruled illegal by the GMHB.  Many problems must be addressed and resolved before Snohomish County can legally issue permits for this project, including the lack of adequate transportation infrastructure and the fact that Point Wells is located in a known landslide hazard area.  Save Richmond Beach will continue to work with you – the affected residents – to ensure the developer and Snohomish County are held accountable for these problems.

We may have lost this round, but we've made progress and the fight is far from over!  The next round will be the SEPA environmental review of the project itself, including the important Transportation Corridor Study being conducted by the City of Shoreline.  The recent requests to send in SEPA scoping comments were the first step in this next round.  We were encouraged by the detailed comments submitted by Shoreline, Woodway, Richmond Beach Advocates, and several private citizens, in addition to Save Richmond Beach.  Please continue to make your voices heard!

Because the fight is not yet over it's more important than ever that you become a member of Save Richmond Beach to help us fund our work. Membership is $120 a year and can be paid in weekly or monthly installments.  You can sign up at our website www.saverichmondbeach.org by clicking the Membership button in the top right corner of the page.  We can’t be effective without members willing to help pay for our activities.


SaveRichmondBeach.org is a community-driven non-profit organization dedicated to preserving our communities and Puget Sound through responsible and sustainable planning.


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Washington State Supreme Court Upholds Court of Appeals Decision on Point Wells Project Vesting

Thursday, April 10, 2014

On April 10, 2014, in a 6-3 decision, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals' decision that BSRE's Point Wells project applications were vested under Snohomish County's "Urban Center" zoning designation. With this decision, BSRE's permit applications for the Point Wells site will continue to be processed by Snohomish County under this zoning designation. To read the Supreme Court decision, click on this link

As noted in the opinion, the Supreme Court concluded that, "BSRE's development rights vested to the plans and regulations in place at the time it submitted its permit applications." The Court went on to say, "Developers' rights vest to the ordinances in effect when a complete permit application is submitted. The plain language of the GMA (State Growth Management Act) indicates that a later finding of noncompliance under SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) does not affect rights that have already been vested".

The City of Shoreline has been working with the Shoreline community and BSRE to identify improvements that will be needed to Richmond Beach Drive, Richmond Beach Road and the surrounding transportation grid to mitigate anticipated traffic impacts as a result of a potential development at Point Wells. The final workshop is scheduled for April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Shoreline City Hall. The final workshop will be an opportunity for City staff to share a list of recommended improvements based on the feedback received at prior workshops. To review materials and comments from the first five transportation workshops, visit this webpage.


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Point Wells on the agenda for the April 14 City Council meeting

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

From 2011: One of the BSRE design concepts for Point Wells

From the Richmond Beach Community Association

On Tuesday, April 8, the City of Shoreline announced that a discussion about the Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study (TCS) will occur at the City Council meeting on Monday, April 14. 

City staff will make a report to the Council. You can review the written report here.

When you read the report, it will become even more clear how crucial the next few months are in terms of decisions to be made that shape our community forever. We urge every community member who has an interest in the TCS to attend this important meeting. And we remind you of the opportunity to personally address the City Council and staff during the public comment portion of the meeting. Also, you can always present comments in writing to the Council.

As a reminder, the last and final wrap-up meeting for the TCS is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 6:30pm, at Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave N. A draft of the staff recommended design options for the corridor including mitigations will be presented for public comment at the meeting. 

The draft options will also be posted on the website. Comments will be welcomed by staff as the recommended design options are updated to incorporate feedback received at the April 16 TCS meeting. This is your last opportunity to provide input.

The Richmond Beach Community Association Point Wells webpage is here.


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Point Wells Update and Mitigation the topics of April Richmond Beach Community Association meeting

Thursday, April 3, 2014


Point Wells Update and Mitigation
April Richmond Beach Community Association meeting
Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30pm
Location:  Richmond Beach Congregational Church
1512 North 195th St, Shoreline

Traci Shallbetter, the attorney hired by Richmond Beach Advocates (RBA) to represent Richmond Beach in the Point Wells SEPA process, will be back again at the April RBCA meeting to talk about steps she and RBA’s traffic engineer have  taken to date on behalf of the community.

These activities include research, communication with the City of Shoreline and Snohomish County and meetings with interested parties. Check out the Point Wells webpage of RBCA’s website to view copies of some of the documents Shallbetter will be referring to.

The second half of the meeting will focus on “mitigation.” Mitigation is a term you will be seeing and hearing if you are following the Point Wells project as part of the SEPA process that is now going on.

Mitigation is the avoidance, minimization, rectification, compensation, reduction or elimination of adverse impacts to built and natural elements of the environment. Mitigation may also involve monitoring and a contingency plan for correcting problems if they occur. 

Under Washington law, the lead agency should review the environmental checklist and other information available on the proposal, including consultations with other agencies to determine whether mitigation is required and if so what mitigation is needed. Mitigation required under existing local, state and federal rules may be sufficient to eliminate any adverse impacts.

In some situations, the adverse impacts are so great that mitigation is not possible, so the lead agency has the ability to stop the proposal if it chooses. In the environmental impact process, serious or severe impacts may be identified for which there is no mitigation possible, but the lead agency can approve the project proposed if the impacts are adequately mitigated or addressed. Mitigation conditions must be reasonable and capable of being accomplished. They must then be included in the permit or approval to allow enforcement.

In some situations, the project proponent can make changes to the proposal that reduce and eliminate the significant adverse impacts. Voluntary mitigation may sometimes exceed the level that could be required of the applicant under regulatory authority and produce a much improved and more desirable project.

The public may assist the lead agency in determining appropriate mitigation for a proposal.  One point at which this can be done is through comments received on the draft EIS.  The draft EIS for the Point Wells project will be issued in the near future by Snohomish County.

Your opportunity to make comments about the mitigation measures needed if the Point Wells project goes ahead are important. You should be thinking about what could be done to avoid, minimize, rectify, compensate, reduce or eliminate the adverse impacts that will be caused by the development at Point Wells. Write your ideas down and send them in when the comment period is announced.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m., in the lower level of the Richmond Beach Congregational Church located at 1512 North 195th Street, to be part of this very important discussion.

Come to the April RBCA meeting to hear other’s ideas on mitigation and voice your own. Ideas that have been tossed around include underground wiring, walking trails connecting parks and a community center. What is your vision?



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Transportation Corridor Study Open House Thursday 5pm

Monday, March 31, 2014

Join Shoreline City staff and neighbors along Richmond Beach Drive and NW 195 and 196th Streets for another opportunity to review street design options related to mitigating traffic impacts from the proposed Point Wells development.

Thursday, April 3
5:00 to 8:00pm
Richmond Beach Library
19601 21st Ave. NW

The City would like to hear from all of the residents in lower Richmond Beach. 

"Please consider coming, especially those who have not had the opportunity to attend any of the first five workshop meetings. Mark your calendars and join us to ask questions and provide your thoughts and feedback. A final recommendation will be developed over the next few weeks. Your input is critical."



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April 1... don't be fooled

Wednesday, March 26, 2014



Text and photo, Marc Weinberg

Don't be 'fooled' into thinking that the Point Wells Project won't affect you ... it will!  Plan to show up at City Hall to participate and learn more about the Point Wells Traffic Corridor Study on April 1.  Doors open at 6:30 and meeting is from 7-9pm.

If you have not been to prior meetings you can catch up here at the City of Shoreline website.
BE THERE and participate in the design of our city and traffic flow.  Anticipate the addition of 3,000 new neighbors in one predominant location and what that will do to your commute and quality of life.



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Comments from Point Wells transportation corridor study online

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The tanks of the Point Wells site are straight ahead.
The road to the right is the only route in and out of
Point Wells and would need to be modified to
accommodate 6,000 new Snohomish County residents

Comments from the Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study Workshop #4 have been compiled and are online here.

The workshop was held on Wednesday, March 19. The next two workshops will be held Tuesday, April 1 for Segment B and Wednesday, April 16, Segment A & B Final Wrap-Up Meeting.

If you are unable to attend any of the workshops, you can submit your comments and/or concerns to Transportation Planning Manager Kirk McKinley. 206-801-2481.


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Point Wells Meets Shoreline ... Round 4 of a 6 Rounder

Thursday, March 20, 2014

City staff discussing impact of traffic on neighborhoods
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Text and photos by Marc Weinberg

City Council Chambers, Shoreline.....March 19. The City of Shoreline hosted round four of a six round series of meetings to get citizen input regarding the Traffic Corridor Study. The study looks at the impact of up to 3,000 new dwelling units which could be built at Point Wells.

While attendance at these meetings is good, it could be better. This is the time to put forth your ideas about how to deal with the doubling of traffic over our major arterial and neighborhood streets. It is likely there could be an additional 11,587 vehicles trips per day out of the Point Wells project when fully developed, to say nothing of the construction traffic during that period.

Plan to come to the two remaining workshop sessions
on April 1 and April 16.
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

One bit of good news .... The Environmental Impact Statement Comment Period has been extended until April 2. Your concerns about this development from an environmental point of view need to be submitted by email.

For questions related to City of Shoreline or about the Traffic Corridor Study contact: Kirk McKinley206-801-2481.

Some things to consider:

  1. Point Wells is located in Snohomish County yet Shoreline, according to the agreement signed by the City Council called the 'memorandum of understanding' (MOU) allows for access to and from this development to be through Richmond Beach and the City of Shoreline streets; namely Richmond Beach Drive, NW 195th Street, and Richmond Beach Road. As you can imagine, other streets will be affected too, with 'cut through traffic' weaving through neighborhoods to avoid the current main routes.
  2. It's not too late for your voice to be heard and comments to be recorded. The final two meetings of the six mentioned above will be held in the City Council Chambers of Shoreline City Hall on April 1 and April 16. Get involved and be there!

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Photo: Traffic solution for Point Wells?

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Traffic solution for Point Wells?
Photo by Tom Jamison

Tom Jamison provided this tongue-in-cheek suggestion for solving the traffic problems anticipated for Point Wells. We do not believe that it is under serious consideration, however all suggestions are on the table right now.

This is the two-lane road which leads to the lower section of Woodway and the Point Wells site.


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Point Wells, the impact on traffic-- putting potential design solutions in the hopper

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Transportation Corridor Study areas


Text and photos by Marc Weinberg

On March 13, The City of Shoreline hosted the third in a series of six public meetings at City Hall on the Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study. The focus of this meeting was the more immediate area surrounding the proposed construction project which is designated as 'segment A' and parallels Richmond Beach Drive and the immediate area.

Kirk Harris responds to audience question
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

The theme of this workshop was to gather comments and create discussion related to several different roadway configurations for vehicle traffic, pedestrians and bicycles. Other major concerns are the 'cut-through traffic' that will be created as people try to avoid what will become the most heavily traveled main roads. These cut-through streets will be those that are now strictly residential and used primarily by people living there.

The most striking fact, based on the projected build-out of Point Wells, is that the models anticipate more than 11,000 vehicle trips per day over Shoreline roads. This is an average of 450-500 vehicles per hour, but in reality, during peak travel times in the AM/PM it will be significantly more, perhaps 2,3, or 4 times that average once the project is completed and occupied. Prior to that, residents along those routes will experience significant construction traffic of trucks and vehicles.

Kirk McKinley, Transportation Services Manager,
gives the audience an overview of the issues
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

There are three more meetings scheduled with the City planners. The March 19 and April 1 meetings will focus on the transportation corridor issues in a much wider impact area referred to as 'Segment B' : the affected areas on Richmond Beach Road, 195th and 185th Streets up to Aurora and as far north as 205th and south to Shoreline Community College. The third and final meeting on April 16 and will wrap up with the entire impacted area.

If you have not yet been involved this would be a time to make your concerns known and be present. All meeting schedules are the same. Doors open at 6:30pm and the meetings are from 7-9pm. For immediate questions you can contact Kirk McKinley, Transportation Services Manager at the City of Shoreline 206-801-2481 or kmckinley@shorelinewa.gov and consult the website.



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RBCA hears from land use attorney hired by spin off organization

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Attorney Traci Shallbetter addresses Richmond Beach
homeowners. Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Text and Photos, Marc Weinberg

Tuesday evening, March 11, the Richmond Beach Community Association held another meeting at the Richmond Beach Congregational Church to discuss the "Impacts of Point Wells Development." 

Vice President Jerry Patterson gave a brief statement about the reality of the need to continue the dialog with the help of professionals like a 'traffic engineer and attorney'.  He said it was extremely important that the community stay involved and financially support a successful intervention in the design of this project which will eventually be built to some scale. Donations are needed and requested of homeowners.

Jerry Patterson, VP RBCA
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

For information go to the RBCA website. Leader says that "If you are not a member of the RBCA, joining is the only way to stay informed about how this project will affect you, the roads, traffic, noise, the Saltwater Park and more. What will all this will cost the city and the tax payers?"

Traci Shallbetter, Real Estate and Land Use Attorney, has been hired by the community. She gave a long and thorough presentation about the law, the dimension of the project, and where the community can have the biggest impact to mitigate the serious changes that will be forthcoming.


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New organization joins others in fighting proposed Point Wells project

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

By Evan Smith

A newly formed organization will join others in fighting the proposed Point Wells condominium project on Puget Sound in unincorporated southwest Snohomish County.

The only access to the project is on a two-lane road in the Richmond Beach area of Shoreline.

The new organization is called “Richmond Beach Advocates,” formed with seed money from the Richmond Beach Community Association, a century-old neighborhood organization in Shoreline whose charter doesn’t allow political advocacy.

Richmond Beach Community Association President Bill Willard and Vice President Gerry Patterson said at the organization’s March 11 meeting that separating the advocacy group from the Community Association was consistent with the Association’s charter, but when I asked whether making contributions to the advocacy group could hurt the Association’s status with the Shoreline Council of Neighborhoods, both said that they didn’t know. Shoreline City Councilman and Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen also said that he didn’t know the answer.

Richmond Beach Advocates will join the Town of Woodway, the “Save Richmond Beach” organization and the Innis Arden organization in opposing the project.

Woodway residents are concerned about having their views blocked by the buildings, and Richmond Beach residents are concerned about traffic impacts from the project, while Snohomish County would get tax money from the project.

The Town of Woodway and Save Richmond Beach are waiting for a State Supreme Court ruling on an appeal of a lower-court ruling that the project could proceed under a zoning designation that the State Growth Management Hearings Board has declared illegal. The Town and Save Richmond Beach have appealed a State court of appeals ruling that the project could proceed under rules in effect in the County when the developer applied for its permit.

The project is in Woodway’s urban growth area, but Snohomish County already has approved the project in the unincorporated area.

Richmond Beach Advocates will be able to raise money with the Community Association matching up to $10,000 and to hire attorneys, engineers and other professionals to develop comments for an environmental impact statement with the County.

Richmond Beach Community Association board members said at the Association’s February meeting that the City of Shoreline has not been speaking for the Richmond Beach area.

For example, Shoreline has not participated with Woodway in the appeal to the Supreme Court but, instead, has chosen to negotiate with Snohomish County over impacts of the project on Shoreline.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.


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Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study Workshop Thursday

Monday, March 10, 2014

Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study Workshop Meeting #3 to review the proposed design options for Segment A (lower Richmond Beach Dr. west of 24th Ave. NW) will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2014.

Doors open at 6:30pm, with the workshop from 7:00 to 9:00pm at Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave. N.

The proposed development at Point Wells will take up to 25 years to fully complete. However, the project’s impacts and mitigations must be identified at this stage of the process. As the Point Wells development project moves forward, the City will host a series of workshops to ensure that the community has an opportunity to provide input on Snohomish County’s environmental review process and identify capital investments that will make for a safer transportation corridor.

For more information visit the city webpage.


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RBCA meeting: What’s on the Horizon for Point Wells

Sunday, March 2, 2014


Topic for March 11 Richmond Beach Community Association Meeting: Come Learn What’s on the Horizon for Point Wells

Within the past 30 days, Traci Shallbetter, land use attorney, and Matt Palmer, traffic engineer consultant, have been retained by Richmond Beach Advocates to provide guidance and counsel to the community on the Point Wells project through the various phases of the Environmental Impact Study.

Shallbetter and Palmer are working intensively to examine possible negative project impacts from a traffic and legal perspective. Their preliminary conclusions have been filed with the City of Shoreline and with Snohomish County as part of the scoping component of the EIS process.

On Tuesday, March 11, their findings will be the topic at the Richmond Beach Community Association meeting. Attorney Shallbetter will provide the community with a detailed description of points made in the scoping letter and then discuss next steps in the Environmental Impact Study. 

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 11, 7:30pm, Richmond Beach Congregational Church located at 1512 North 195th Street in Shoreline. You definitely don’t want to miss this meeting!


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