Showing posts with label woodway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label woodway. Show all posts

Public hearing in Woodway May 20, 2024 regarding annexation of Point Wells

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Town of Woodway. Point Wells is lower left with the large dock
Google maps

Town of Woodway
Public Hearing on annexation of Point Wells
Monday, May 20, 2024,  6:00pm at Town Hall

On May 20, 2024 the Town Council will host a public hearing at Town Hall 23920 113th Pl W, Woodway, WA 98020, on whether to adopt an ordinance annexing Point Wells into the Town. The meeting will start at 6pm, and there will be an opportunity for residents to express their opinion as to the pros and cons of annexation. The council may or may not act on the ordinance following the public hearing.

Mayor Mike Quinn stated, "As you know, the issue of whether the Town can and should annex Point Wells has been a topic of discussion since the Town’s incorporation in 1958.'; 
"For the past fifteen years, the Town has invested substantial time and resources into protecting our interests through policy development and litigation. And for the past two years, the Council and I have solicited public comment, obtained expert legal opinions and financial analysis, and engaged with our governmental partners to resolve any operational issues."

Monday night is an additional opportunity for residents to provide feedback. 

Additional information can be found (including a Q&A)  on their website. Written comments can be emailed to: heidi@townofwoodway.com.


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Woodway residents: Coffee with the Mayor Saturday

Saturday, November 18, 2023


Woodway residents are invited to join Mayor Quinn and their neighbors for a casual Coffee with the Mayor on Saturday, November 18, 2023 from 1 - 2:30pm at Town Hall.

If you have a question that you’ve always wanted to ask or if you simply want to spend some time with your neighbors learning about Town government or discussing new ideas, I’d encourage you to join me. Hope to see you there!
--Mayor Quinn

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Public safety discussion in Woodway on November 6, 2023

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Town of Woodway
Public Safety Discussion
Monday, November 6, 2023 
from 5-6 pm at Town Hall

We have increasingly heard concerns from residents about speeding and burglaries in Town. Please join me and the Town Council for a discussion on policing and public safety in Woodway. 

This will be an opportunity to learn about how the Town funds and provides police services. 

We will be joined by Police Chief Jason Valentine, who will provide an update on regional trends and safety tips that you can use at home and in your neighborhood. We also look forward to hearing from you.

The meeting will be at Town Hall on Monday, November 6, at 5 pm. Please feel free to stay after the discussion for a public hearing on the Town’s budget during the Council meeting, which starts at 6 pm.

Mayor Mike Quinn


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Woodway Town Council to hold public hearing on Point Wells Monday October 2, 2023

Monday, October 2, 2023

Point Wells is at sea level. Town of Woodway is on the cliff above
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Point Wells Public Hearing Monday October 2, 2023 6:00pm at Town Hall 23920 113th Pl W, Woodway, WA 98020

Since 1999, with the Town Council’s creation of the Point Wells Advisory Committee, the Town has been planning for the potential annexation of Point Wells. 

Last October, Council directed staff to focus more intentionally on gathering information and identifying options that would provide Council with the ability to thoughtfully consider an annexation in 2023. 

This has included information on public opinion, financial considerations, potential Town liability and legal risks, and options to complete an annexation. At each Council meeting since January, staff has provided Council and the public with updates on these topics, and Council has provided residents with an opportunity to comment.

The Town has engaged the property owner regarding their vision for Point Wells, as well as the Town’s potential annexation of the site. 

Simultaneously, we have engaged Snohomish County, the City of Shoreline, and Olympic View Water and Sewer District in negotiations on an interlocal agreement (ILA) that would provide the Town with the option of annexing Point Wells under RCW 35A.14.296. 

The statute provides a process through which the Town can complete the annexation of Point Wells by mutual agreement, without the property owner’s consent.

Negotiations with our government partners are now complete. As a result, Council will hold a public hearing on the ILA on October 2, 2023 at 6pm. 

You can find a copy of the draft ILA and additional information related to annexation on the Point Wells page of the Town’s website

Testimony is being accepted in person at the public hearing or by submitting written comment. Written comments must be submitted to at heidi@townofwoodway.com no later than 4:00pm PST on October 2, 2023.

After hearing from the public at the meeting, Council will consider a resolution that authorizes Mayor Quinn to sign the ILA and to submit a “Notice of Intent” to annex Point Wells to the Snohomish County Boundary Review Board. 

If the Board authorizes the annexation, final approval of an annexation would not occur until Council holds another public hearing and approves an annexation ordinance.

If you have any questions or comments (other than written comments for the public hearing), or if you’re unable to attend the Council meeting, please feel free to email Mayor Mike Quinn at mquinn@townofwoodway.com. Also, please feel free to check out our Point Wells Q/A, located on the Point Wells webpage.

--Town of Woodway Mayor Mike Quinn


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No Urban Center at Point Wells

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Point Wells from Google Earth

By Tom McCormick

BSRE’s attempt to develop Point Wells as a high-density Urban Center is officially dead.

Since about 1900, Point Wells has been a tank farm. Point Wells is a low-lying property on Puget Sound in unincorporated Snohomish County, directly north of Shoreline. The only road to Point Wells is through Shoreline.

BSRE Point Wells, LP (BSRE) owns the land at Point Wells (about 61 acres). An unrelated oil company owns the pier, the fuel and oil tanks, pipes, and other structures. 

Marine fuel and asphalt oil operation and loading dock
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Since June 2020, the marine fuel and asphalt oil operations have been quiet. No vessels have offloaded or loaded marine fuel as they had in the past, no trains have offloaded asphalt oil, and no tanker trucks have transported it.

In 2011, BSRE submitted land use applications to Snohomish County to develop Point Wells as a high-density Urban Center. BSRE proposed to build about 3,000 residential units, in buildings as tall as 180 feet, plus over 100,000 square feet of commercial space. Since 2011, BSRE has spent over $10 million attempting to get its applications approved.

Snohomish County twice denied BSRE's applications due to substantial conflicts with the County's development code. The County's most recent denial of BSRE's applications was upheld by the state Court of Appeals in December 2022.

In March 2023, BSRE filed a petition for review with the Washington Supreme Court, hoping that the Court would accept its petition and reverse the Court of Appeals decision. That did not happen.

On July 11, 2023, the Washington Supreme Court denied BSRE's petition for review. As a result, BSRE’s attempt to develop Point Wells as a high-density Urban Center is officially dead. The County's denial of BSRE's applications, as upheld by the state Court of Appeals, is final.

Now we must wait to see what BSRE, and the unrelated oil company, will try to do next.

Will BSRE try to gain approval to develop Point Wells as a smaller-scale Urban Village, with perhaps 400 to 800 residential units, plus a second access road? As long as Point Wells remains unincorporated--that is, as long as it is not annexed by the Town of Woodway or the City of Shoreline--any application by BSRE to develop Point Wells as an Urban Village must be submitted to the County for processing.

Or will BSRE work with the oil company, and try to resume the site’s marine fuel and asphalt oil storage and distribution operations, a nonconforming use under the site's current Urban Village zoning? Under the County's code, if the oil company's marine fuel and asphalt oil operations are determined to have been "discontinued" for more than 12 months, the oil company cannot resume its "nonconforming" operations. 

While there are strong arguments that operations have been discontinued, the oil company could try to argue that, even though there has been no offloading, loading, or distribution of marine fuel and asphalt oil since June 2020, operations were never completely discontinued because it continues to employ a small crew, apparently to oversee management of the storm water system, and maintenance and repair of the equipment to keep it in running order.

Meanwhile, annexation lurks. Pursuant to a 2019 Settlement and Interlocal Agreement between the City of Shoreline and the Town of Woodway, the Town has the first opportunity to annex Point Wells. As an initial annexation hurdle, the Town must successfully negotiate an annexation interlocal agreement with the City of Shoreline, the County, and Olympic View Water and Sewer District. 

If the Town is successful, then the Town’s elected Council would need to vote in favor of annexation. If the Town fails to annex Point Wells, then the City of Shoreline will have an opportunity to annex it.

Stay tuned for further developments.


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Woodway residents: Coffee with the Mayor Saturday April 15, 2023

Friday, April 14, 2023

Coffee with the Mayor
Saturday, April 15, 2023,  9 - 10:30am

The next Coffee with the Mayor is this Saturday, April 15. I’m pleased to report that we’ve had great attendance and enthusiasm for my Coffee with the Mayor meetings. Over the last year, these are some of the topics that we’ve discussed:

  • How to welcome new residents to Woodway (welcome package, neighborhood walking tour, etc)
  • Town Budget
  • How to get involved in town government
  • Meeting other neighbors
  • Forming a volunteer committee
  • Library
  • Point Wells
  • Policing
  • Noise, specifically landscape noise during the day (leaf blowers, lawn mowers)
  • Town Fair
  • Speeding in Woodway – on Woodway Park Road and in Twin Maples in particular

If you have a question that you’ve always wanted to ask or if you simply want to spend some time with your neighbors learning about Town government or discussing new ideas, I’d encourage you to join me. 

We will meet at Town Hall from 9-10:30 am. Hope to see you there!

--Mayor Mike Quinn


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Town of Woodway continues outreach to residents about potential annexation of Point Wells

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Mike Quinn, Mayor
Town of Woodway
Point Wells Update from Mayor Mike Quinn's newsletter

For the past six weeks, at each Council meeting, Council has provided residents with an opportunity to discuss the Town’s potential annexation of Point Wells. 

It’s been a good discussion. We’ve received clarification on a number of issues, answers to a number of questions, and we’ve identified areas needing additional research/analysis.

We will be hosting two open houses in April. These will be additional opportunities for residents to learn more and provide feedback. We will announce the dates/times in the next Woodway Whisper town newsletter. 

If you have any questions or comments in the meantime, but you’re unable to attend a Council meeting, please feel free to email me at mayor@townofwoodway.com

Also, please check out our Point Wells Q/A, located on our website here: Point Wells Annexation Q/A - Feb 2023.


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Town of Woodway begins discussions on possible annexation of Point Wells

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Town of Woodway is on the bluff directly above Point Wells
Google Earth

From Town of Woodway Mayor Mike Quinn

The Town Council has begun the process of evaluating whether to annex Point Wells. The method of annexation the Council is considering is a very detailed process that begins with the Council’s adoption of an agreement with Snohomish County (called the “interlocal agreement method”). This method of annexation does not require the property owner’s consent.

The adoption of the interlocal agreement can only take place after a public hearing. This hearing is tentatively scheduled for May. If the interlocal agreement is approved, the Town would then submit a notice of intent to annex to the County’s Boundary Review Board in early June. Final approval of an annexation may take months after submission of the notice to the Board.

We do not intend to wait until May to hear from our residents on this important topic. Beginning at the Council’s February 6 Council meeting, we have added a “Point Wells Public Discussion” topic to each Council meeting agenda. The meetings start at 6 pm. Remote (virtual) participation is available for most Council meetings – more information can be found in individual calendar events on the Town's website. Click here to visit the calendar.

This agenda topic will provide an opportunity for residents to come speak with the Council about the potential annexation of Point Wells. We will provide updates at these meetings, but we won’t always have new information to share. Nevertheless, it is important to Council that we provide as many opportunities as possible for residents to ask questions, provide opinions, and come to understand the pros and cons associated with an annexation. We also expect to host residents at a couple of open houses in April, where we expect to be able to provide additional information.

Finally, I want to emphasize two points. First, starting this process does not mean that an annexation will take place. Second, starting this process under the interlocal agreement method of annexation does not mean that an annexation will take place against the property owner’s wishes. We have had and will continue to have conversations with the property owner throughout this process.

If you are unable to attend a meeting but would like to provide a question or comment, please do not hesitate to email me at mayor@townofwoodway.com.


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Town of Woodway: Coffee with the Mayor on Saturday

Friday, August 26, 2022

Woodway Mayor 
Mike Quinn
Coffee with the Mayor of Woodway, Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 9-10:30am at Woodway Town Hall.

As a reminder, August's Coffee with the Mayor will be held this coming Saturday. Join us at Town Hall as Mayor Mike hosts a monthly opportunity for coffee and conversation. 

This will be an informal time for residents to ask the Mayor questions and talk about Town issues. The next coffee hour will be on September 10, also from 9 to 10:30am. The schedule for the rest of the year will be available soon. Hope to see you there!



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Woodway burglary suspects identified and arrested

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Alan-a-Dale Place in Edmonds

Edmonds, WA - Edmonds police arrested two suspects early Tuesday evening after a multi-week residential burglary investigation. 

The arrests occurred just after 7:30pm at a home in the 10500 block of Alan-a-Dale Place in Edmonds after officers surveilling the area observed a suspect vehicle arrive at the residence. 

Two males, a thirty-seven-year-old male from Edmonds and a forty-three-year-old from Arlington, were taken into custody without incident. 

Still, officers encountered multiple other subjects and an aggressive dog at the home. Officers from numerous neighboring law enforcement agencies responded to assist with securing the scene as Edmonds detectives had received a search warrant for the location. 

Compounding matters, an unrelated suspect determined to be violating a domestic violence protection order refused to come out of the home for nearly an hour before peacefully surrendering. 

Investigators were eventually able to conduct their search and remained at the house until after midnight. Stolen property, a vehicle, and other additional evidence were recovered.

The original investigation began on July 4 of this year when the victims reported their Woodway residence had been burglarized. Edmonds Police provide contract police services for the town of Woodway and responded to the scene for the investigation. 

The suspects had victimized the residents by stealing cash, jewelry, and other property worth nearly a half-million dollars. Officers and detectives actively worked the case and developed information that led to Tuesday's arrests and search warrant.
 
Both burglary suspects were booked into the Snohomish County jail for a variety of charges. 

The third male was booked for a felony court order violation. The victim in the order violation is one of the burglary suspects. 

EPD detectives will continue to investigate the incident and work with the victims in an effort to recover their stolen property. Anyone with information on this case can send tips can be sent to policetips@edmondswa.gov

--Edmonds Police Department



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Beat Brackett 5k Run/Walk routed through Woodway Monday

Monday, July 4, 2022

On July 4, 2022 the set-up for the Beat Brackett 5k Run/Walk begins at 6:00am. Volunteers will be stationed at several points along the running route to help guide traffic and runners. 

The race begins at 8:00am at City Park in Edmonds with 400-600 runners expected. 

All participants are anticipated to finish by 11:00am. Volunteers will pack-up and be picked up around 11:00am.

Runners are made aware that this is not a closed route – they must share the road with vehicles. 

Most runners are familiar with this type of situation as it is common for organized races to use routes not closed to traffic. Many runners will be wearing white race shirts for easy visibility.



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After community feedback on communications Woodway to begin Coffee with the Mayor sessions

Monday, June 20, 2022

Mike Quinn, Mayor of Woodway
The Town of Woodway recently held a two-hour question and answer session, open to all residents. One of the topics was Communications.

Mayor Mike Quinn reports that "We were asked whether we could expand our two-way communication methods, including implementation of a website-based question and answer forum."

"While this sounds like an easy thing to do, we do not have the staff resources to implement this type of method of communication. 
"Moreover, we also consulted with our  Town Attorney to see if there are any municipalities in the state that have such a Q/A forum on their website – to the best of his knowledge, there were none. He further cautioned us against this type of public forum. 
"Accordingly, if there is an issue that we think is of broad community concern, we address it in all of our current communication mediums – including the website, the Woodway Whisper, my monthly e-Newsletter and at Council meetings (which anyone can participate in now, online or by phone, from the comfort of their homes)."  

He announced that, beginning next month, he will start a monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” meeting. Woodway residents can join him to discuss any issue about which they are curious, have ideas, or have concerns.

The first meeting will be in person at Woodway Town Hall on July 9, 2022 at 9am.



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Biotech company executive and Woodway resident resigns amid domestic violence allegations

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Dr. Clay Siegall, co founder of SeaGen
Reprinted from MyEdmondsNews.com

The co-founder and CEO of the Seagen biotechnology company, a Woodway resident, has resigned his job as police continue a domestic violence investigation into what happened at his home.

An Edmonds police report stated that Dr. Clay Siegall’s wife phoned 911 before dawn on April 23, telling a dispatcher that her husband was hurting her and had pushed her to the floor. In that report, Siegall’s wife also told 911 that she was afraid for her life, but then said, “please leave and go away… he’ll go crazy, he’s a public figure.”

The Edmonds Police Department contracts with the nearby Town of Woodway to provide police services.

When Edmonds officers arrived at the front door of the couple’s home, the police report indicates they found Mrs. Siegall naked and saw marks and bruises on her forehead and knees. Another man and his wife were there too, and that man told police he had seen Siegall assault Mrs. Siegall. Officers reported that Siegall and his wife appeared intoxicated.

The report says Siegall told police he had not touched his wife. But they found probable cause to arrest him on a count of fourth-degree domestic violence, a misdemeanor. He was taken to Snohomish County Jail and booked.

A week and a half after the alleged assault, Seagen placed Siegall on a leave of absence. On May 15, Siegall resigned from the company. A Seagen news release quotes Seagen Board member Dr. Nancy Simonian as saying the company “is treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness.”

From the news release:

“The company is aware of an alleged incident of domestic violence that occurred recently at Dr. Siegall’s home. Dr. Siegall has denied these allegations and has informed the company that he is engaged in a divorce. The Board of Directors has formed a committee of independent directors and is conducting a thorough investigation with the assistance of an independent law firm.”

On May 2, Siegall was served with a temporary protection order, which prevents him from contacting his wife or coming near their 11,000-square-foot Woodway mansion. The document quotes Siegall’s wife as saying that it was not the first time he physically assaulted her. The couple had separated in early 2021 but had reconciled, according to the protection order.

In 1998, Clay Siegall was co-founder of what was then called Seattle Genetics. The federal government approved its first cancer drug in 2011. Three thousand employees work in the Seattle area, in Canada and Switzerland. Seagen is worth an estimated $22 billion.

On May 15, the company alerted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had negotiated a severance package that would give Siegall one-and-a-half times his annual salary as well as a target annual bonus and would accelerate his options to buy stock. The document says Siegall earned nearly $19 million last year in total compensation, with his base salary just over $16million. The Associated Press reported that made Siegall “the highest paid CEO” in the state. He agreed to ‘hold off’ taking his severance until early 2023, and a company news release says Siegall is cooperating with their internal investigation.

— By Bob Throndsen



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Shoreline Walks: Woodway Forest Walk Saturday May 7, 2022

Monday, May 2, 2022

Photo courtesy Town of Woodway
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, beginning at 10:00am, there will be an organized walk on the trails in two separate Woodway forest preserves

The walk will begin in Richmond Beach to view some artwork created by local artists, then proceed across the town line into Woodway and their beautiful forests.

The walk is approximately 2.8 miles and will take about 1.5 hours. The trails are a bit bumpy so this walk is rated Moderate.

Meet in the rear parking lot of the Richmond Beach Congregational Church, 15th Ave NW and NW 195th St, Shoreline WA 98177

Walk Leader: Dan



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Point Wells: Court gives BSRE yet another chance to fix and resubmit its applications to develop Point Wells as an Urban Center

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Point Wells photo by Steven H. Robinson

By Tom McCormick

Point Wells, located at the northern end of Richmond Beach Drive, is home to a contaminated marine fuel and asphalt oil storage and distribution facility. 

In 2009-2010, at the urging of the oil company that owned Point Wells, Snohomish County designated the site as an Urban Center, re-zoned it, and enacted an updated Urban Center Development Code—the County’s code.

Prior to 2010, Paramount of Washington, LLC, owned all of Point Wells, including the land and the oil tanks, pipelines, equipment, etc. A related company, Paramount Petroleum Corporation, used the site to run its marine fuel and asphalt oil storage and distribution business. Together, these entities are referred to as "Paramount".

In 2010, Paramount sold the land at Point Wells to BSRE Point Wells, LP (BSRE) for $19.5 million, but not the oil tanks, pipelines, equipment, etc. As part of the purchase agreement, BSRE gave Paramount a 10-year license to continue using the site to operate its marine fuel and asphalt oil storage and distribution business (operations were discontinued in June 2020). Also in 2010, BSRE and Paramount entered into a development agreement, whereby BSRE agreed to seek Snohomish County's approval of a proposed urban center at Point Wells.
Architectural drawings from Perkins+Wells

In 2011, BSRE submitted development applications to Snohomish County for a massive urban center with more than 3,000 residential units, in towers as tall as 180 feet, and more than 100,000 square feet of commercial space.

Both the City of Shoreline and the Town of Woodway opposed the County’s 2009-2010 designation of Point Wells as an urban center, concerned that their infrastructures could not possibly handle a massive urban center there. They, along with Save Richmond Beach, filed a petition with the Growth Management Hearings Board asking it to invalidate the County’s action. 

The Board did invalidate the County’s urban center designation in April 2011, but by then BSRE had submitted its development applications to the County, thereby acquiring vested status to proceed. The City, the Town, and Save Richmond Beach filed a lawsuit in 2011 asking for a ruling that BSRE was not vested. But in 2014, the Washington Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision confirmed BSRE’s vested status.

In recent years, the City, the Town, and local residents have continued their opposition to BSRE's proposed urban center, all having submitted materials and testimony to the county and its Hearing Examiner in support of denying BSRE's applications.

2018 hearing 

Because BSRE failed to make numerous corrections required by the County, the County in 2018 denied BSRE’s applications. It based its denial on a provision in the County’s code that allows for denial of a proposal without preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) when the proposal is in “substantial conflict with adopted plans, ordinances, regulations or laws.”

In the 2018 denial, the County’s Hearing Examiner identified seven substantial conflicts:
  1. 21 buildings exceeded the County’s 90-foot maximum building height, and did not qualify for a 90-foot height bonus available for projects with nearby access to high capacity transit (HCT);
  2. multiple buildings in the proposed urban plaza did not comply with the County’s setback requirements because they were not stepped down in height according to each building's distance from the adjacent low-density residential zones;
  3. plans for a secondary access road substantially conflicted with the County’s landslide hazard rules;
  4. the proposed urban plaza buildings were impermissibly located in a landslide hazard area;
  5. the geotechnical report failed to confirm the site's suitability for the proposed development—virtually the entire site is susceptible to high liquefaction;
  6. several buildings are impermissibly located within the marine buffer, less than 150 feet from the ordinary high water mark; and
  7. the proposal to mitigate impacts to critical areas by innovative development design substantially conflicted with County requirements.

2019 court ruling
 
BSRE appealed the Hearing Examiner’s 2018 denial of its applications by filing a Land Use Petition with the King County Superior Court. Rather than rule on whether the above seven substantial conflicts were valid reasons for the County to deny BSRE’s applications, the court’s Judge John McHale ruled on procedural grounds that BSRE should be given a "one-time reactivation opportunity." BSRE was given six months to fix and resubmit its applications to address the seven substantial code conflicts.

Point Wells from Google Earth

2019-2021 resubmittal and hearing

BSRE resubmitted its applications in late 2019. A second hearing was held in November 2020. BSRE fixed two of the seven substantial conflicts — it relocated several buildings so that none were within 150 feet of the ordinary high water mark, and it revised its proposal to mitigate impacts to critical areas by its innovative development design. BSRE failed to fix to the County’s satisfaction the other five substantial conflicts (items 1 through 5 above). As a result, on January 29, 2021, the County’s Hearing Examiner for a second time denied BSRE’s applications. BSRE again appealed, filing a second Land Use Petition with the King County Superior Court.

2022 court ruling

On February 22, 2022, the court’s Judge Josephine Wiggs-Martin issued her decision, kicking the can down the road yet again. Rather than ruling on whether BSRE’s applications substantially conflicted with the County's code, the judge gave BSRE additional time to try to fix the five remaining substantial conflicts.

"The Court finds that there was a lack of good faith [by the County] in the processing and review of the application upon reactivation and thus, a lack of compliance with Judge McHale’s Order on Remand. Reactivation is meaningless if a full and fair process and review does not occur. A fair and meaningful process and review on reactivation must occur.

A meaningful reactivation also means that the same things are not resubmitted with minor tweaks. The Court agrees with the County that “hope is not a plan.” The identified issues need to be addressed; the review process is not going to go on ad infinitum."

New Timeline
  • BSRE gets six months, until August 22, 2022, to submit its "initial revisions" to the applications. Parties must engage in a back-and-forth during this time ("BSRE shall have the opportunity to meet at least once with the County and correspond with the County during this period to discuss any questions or comments BSRE may have.”).
  • The County gets four months, until December 26, 2022, to provide a "comment letter" to BSRE based on the revisions submitted. Parties must engage in a back-and-forth during this time.
  • BSRE gets two months from the date of receipt of the County’s comment letter to revise its plans and make its final submission. Parties must engage in a back-and-forth during this time. The whole process must be complete by February 27, 2023.
  • After BSRE’s final submission, it is expected that the County will review BSRE’s applications one last time. If any substantial conflicts with the County's code remain, one would expect that the County would again deny BSRE’s applications without the preparation of an EIS. If all conflicts are resolved, one would expect that the County would continue to process BSRE’s applications, and resume the previously suspended preparation of an EIS.

Commentary

It seems that Judge Wiggs-Martin’s 2022 ruling puts BSRE in the same dilemma it was in after Judge McHale issued his ruling in 2019. BSRE gets additional time to fix and resubmit its applications to address the five remaining substantial code conflicts, but without the help of a court ruling that BSRE says it needs on two critical path issues: the maximum building height (BSRE contends it is 180 feet, not 90 feet), and the applicability of the required residential setback (BSRE contends the setback rules do not apply).

Consider, for example, the dilemma presented by the maximum building height. When BSRE resubmits its applications in six months, will it unconditionally reduce the height of all buildings to 90 feet thereby acquiescing to the County’s interpretation that the maximum building height is 90 feet, and that a 90-foot bonus height is unavailable due to the lack of HCT access, or, will BSRE resubmit with buildings as tall as 180 feet, thereby all but guaranteeing that the County will again deny BSRE's applications due to a substantial conflict with the County’s maximum building height provision?

I would not be surprised if BSRE, the County, or the intervenor City of Shoreline, asks Judge Wiggs-Martin to reconsider her ruling, to rule specifically on the two critical path issues (maximum building height, and required residential setback). 

Will history repeat itself? 

After Judge McHale issued his 2019 ruling, the City of Shoreline asked Judge McHale to reconsider his ruling. The City asked him to rule on the merits of the maximum building height issue. Without explanation, Judge McHale declined to do so. Separately, BSRE appealed Judge McHale’s 2019 reactivation ruling to the Court of Appeals, asking the court to rule on the merits of the two critical path issues (maximum building height, and required residential setback). The court declined to do so, saying that the appeal was not yet ripe for review.

We will soon know whether Judge Wiggs-Martin will be asked to reconsider her decision (motions for reconsideration must be filed by March 4, 2022). The question then becomes will she grant the motion, and agree to rule on whether the Hearing Examiner was correct or incorrect in concluding that the maximum building height under the County’s code is 90 feet due to the lack of HCT access, and second, whether the Hearing Examiner was correct or incorrect in concluding that the code’s residential setback provisions do indeed apply to Point Wells.

Judge Wiggs-Martin's remand to give BSRE time to fix its applications, without the benefit of a ruling on the merits of the two critical path issues, returns the parties to where they were after Judge McHale’s 2019 ruling -- which also gave BSRE time to fix its applications. 

We know how that turned out. BSRE did not acquiesce to the county’s interpretation of the two critical path issues. In late 2019, BSRE resubmitted its applications with numerous buildings remaining taller than 90 feet, and with several buildings violating the residential setback requirements.

2-25-22 revision of final paragraph


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Olympic View Water District gains approval to remove 96 trees along Deer Creek in Woodway

Saturday, February 12, 2022

The green portion on the map labeled "Deer Park Reserve"
is the Watershed where 96 trees will be removed
Graphic courtesy Town of Woodway 
According to Woodway Mayor Mike Quinn, Olympic Water and Sewer District recently approached the Town with concerns about the condition of a substantial number of trees on their property in the Deer Creek Watershed.

"After several site visits, we have confirmed that 96 trees of various sizes present a hazard to Olympic View’s building and infrastructure." 

There also are trees along N Deer Drive that need to be removed. These trees mainly consist of alders that are at or past their life expectancy – most with a severe lean or broken tops.

Olympic View submitted a tree permit application, which was approved in accordance with the Woodway Municipal Code. They will now begin removing the trees.



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Woodway plowing primary routes

Monday, December 27, 2021

Photo courtesy Town of Woodway
Woodway focused Monday on plowing primary routes, such as Woodway Park Road, Timberlane, Wachusett, North Deer and Algonquin. 

Depending on the weather, they plan to move to secondary routes.

If you have any questions or see a significant problem area, call 206-542-0183.  In the event of an emergency, call 911.

Republic Services did not pick up on Monday. Contact Republic Services at 425-778-0188 if you have any questions.
 


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Tom Whitson retires from Woodway council after 18 years

Friday, December 3, 2021

Councilmember Tom Whitson
Town of Woodway
Councilmember Tom Whitson will be thanked for his service and congratulated on his retirement from the Woodway Town Council meeting on Monday, December 6, 2021 at 6pm. The meeting is virtual.

Whitson is retiring after 18 years of service to the residents of Woodway. He served on the Planning Commission from 2004-2009 and has served on the Council since 2009.

Click here to join the meeting. Connection information is also available in the calendar on the Town's website.



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Suspected burglar in Woodway was probably a squatter

Monday, November 1, 2021

Woodway Park Road runs north-south between Willow Creek and Deer Creek

The Town of Woodway had a burglary last week on Woodway Park Road. The suspect is still at large, however, it appears to be one person who was attempting to reside on the premises, and not an organized attempt at taking items from the home. They are working with Edmonds Police to identify the suspect. If you see any suspicious persons or vehicles, do not hesitate to call 911.

As the holidays approach, thefts increase as thieves look for opportunities to take packages after they have been delivered. 

Thanks to modern technology, it is very affordable to help protect your property by installing doorbell cameras or security cameras around your property. The new cameras can be set to activate your phone or computer and show you live footage when someone is on your property. You can then call the police if you don’t recognize the person and give them information that will aid them in catching a suspect and prosecuting the case.

Woodway Police Chief Correa tells resident to feel free to contact him at police@townofwoodway.com if they have any questions or concerns.


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Update on explosive device found in Town of Woodway

Saturday, October 2, 2021

Mayor Mike Quinn of the Town of Woodway had previously warned residents that a small explosive device had been found in the playground near Town Hall by their Public Works staff.

Our police chief has just informed me that the device was confirmed to be a firework. Our officers were able to obtain surveillance video, which indicated that the event involved individuals acting irresponsibly in the park after hours, likely without the intention of harming children or the public.
The investigation continues. Residents are reminder to call 911 if they see or hear anything suspicious.



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