POINT WELLS
CALENDAR

Point Wells Update Meeting

Tue, Jun 11th 7:30pm
Richmond Beach
Congregational Church
1512 NW 195th Street (basement)

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12-068 and 12-069

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Point Wells

Home Page Monthly Updates

Decisions are being made in the near future that could permanently change our neighborhood. Richmond Beach Community Association encourages you to take an active role in shaping the future of our neighborhood and make plans to attend upcoming meetings.

Please share this information with any Shoreline Residents you know...family, friends and neighbors...as the impacts are City-wide.

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Urgent Point Wells News (5/22/13)

Breaking News! Town of Woodway Wins Right to Annex Point Wells

Late Tuesday afternoon, May 21, 2013, Governor Inslee signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 5417. The intent of the Bill, as passed by the House and Senate in April, was to address a special issue in the Maple Valley area where an unincorporated area is virtually surrounded by a municipality. However, enactment of SB 5417 will now have general application because it allows any municipality that meets the code specifications to not only control the provision of municipal services; it also allows the municipality to annex the incorporated area without the approval of the developer. Note, even though the bill signed by Governor Inslee on Tuesday does not automatically guarantee annexation by the Town of Woodway, this new Act does push the Town of Woodway onto center stage of future deliberations.

Because this just happened and affects the so-called balance of power among municipalities wanting to annex Point Wells, every municipality involved in negotiations with Blue Square Real Estate (BSRE) will need to re-group and reflect on the future strategy implications of the Governor’s actions today.

On Tuesday, June 11, the RBCA Board has scheduled a special meeting to focus exclusively on the topic of Point Wells. We have invited representatives from Save Richmond Beach, Town of Woodway, Blue Square Real Estate and the City of Shoreline to speak on how this new law will affect them in the future.

So mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m., Richmond Beach Congregational Church, 1512 NW 195th, lower level.

Urgent: City Council Special Meeting Tonight (Wednesday, May 22)

Late Tuesday afternoon, the City of Shoreline posted on their website the following:

As required by RCW 42.30, the Open Public Meetings Act, you are hereby notified that the Shoreline City Council will hold a Special Meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

The meeting will begin at 8:30 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 9:00 p.m. It will be held at Shoreline City Hall, Conference Room 301, located at 17500 Midvale Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133.

The purpose of the meeting is to authorize the City Manager to file action to enforce the 2002 Ronald Wastewater District Interlocal Operating Agreement.

There has been an exchange of rather pointed letters within the past week between Julie Underwood, COS City Manager, and the Ronald Wastewater District regarding interpretation of Section 4.5. Apparently the City of Shoreline meeting tonight is to decide whether or not to take legal action against Ronald Wastewater. This is related to the Woodway annexation issue in that Woodway is seeking to acquire the part of Ronald Wastewater’s system that is within the annexation area (Point Wells).

There is a public comment period on the agenda or comments may be emailed to City Council members in advance of the meeting at council@shorelinewa.gov.

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Email to RBCA Point Wells Subcommittee dated 5/8/13

I wanted to make sure that you were aware that this item is on the Council agenda for Monday (5/13) night.

Here is a link to the staff report Comp Plan Docket.

This is for Council to approve the docket for the Planning Commission to study the issues related to Point Wells. Council is not taking any action to change the comprehensive plan - rather just directing the Planning Commission to study the issues and to provide a recommendation to the City Council. We are anticipating that the Council would consider recommendations in September or October. This is dependent on the completion of the Transportation Corridor Study (TCS). We are still working with BSRE and Snohomish County to finalize the dates for the TCS.

You will notice that the docket item removes the change regarding changing the street classification. This is because the street classification issue is a Transportation Master Plan amendment and not a comprehensive plan change. We would anticipate that this change would be considered at the same time Council considers any changes to the Comprehensive Plan in September or October.

Hope that this information is helpful in keeping you informed.

Debbie Tarry
Assistant City Manager
City of Shoreline
Phone: 206-801-2212
E-Mail: DTarry@ShorelineWA.gov

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Read the Latest Monthly Update: May 2013

Point Wells Update

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City's response to residents' emails regarding Point Wells

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The City of Shoreline and BSRE have executed a memorandum of understanding to conduct a Transportation Corridor Study of the Richmond Beach Drive/Road Corridor.

The City will not be issuing an amicus brief as a result of coming to an agreement on the Transportation Corridor Study.

From the City of Shoreline:

From BSRE Point Wells:

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Dates for Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study still being determined

Press Release from the City of Shoreline

February 15, 2013 — The City is still in working with the developer, BSRE Point Wells, LP (BSRE), on establishing dates for the Point Wells Transportation Corridor Study. Tentative dates had been set for late February, but those dates have changed. As soon as the City and BSRE have established dates, the City will immediately distribute information.

The Transportation Corridor Study is one component of BSRE's larger Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process that it needs to do for Snohomish County's permitting process. The City and BSRE are working with Snohomish County to ensure the Transportation Corridor Study will satisfy the EIS transportation study requirements and that any mitigation determined under the Transportation Corridor Study will be accepted by Snohomish County.

The process for the corridor study is anticipated to include a combination of workshops and open houses totaling six (6) meetings and lasting approximately two months. Conducting a transportation corridor study will allow the community, City staff, and BSRE to examine the effects of additional traffic on Richmond Beach Drive, Richmond Beach Road, surrounding side streets and other major intersections continuing on N 185th Street to I-5. This includes looking at the time spent waiting at intersections, ability for residents to safely access their driveways or intersections, and safety concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists.

To keep up to date on the latest Point Wells news and to be contacted about any upcoming meetings, sign up for an ENews account on the City's website. There will be a Point Wells specific box you can check to receive emails specifically about Point Wells. As new information or meeting dates arise, the City will send you information. To sign-up, visit www.ShorelineWA.gov.
(webmaster: Then click "Sign up for eNews", found in the lower right corner of the page.)

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RBCA Point Wells Notification - January 26, 2013

Urgent Point Wells Notification (PDF)

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Exploring the creation of a Metropolitan Parks District at Point Wells

Documents from the March meeting of the Richmond Beach Community Association

From the City of Shoreline:

From Ken Davidson, attorney for and a founder of a citizens' group which formed the Finn Hill Park and Recreation District:

 

Metropolitan park district idea to be explored at March RBCA meeting
Written by RBCA Vice President Tom Petersen
for the March 2012 issue of the Richmond Beach Community News

The idea of creating a Metropolitan Parks District for part of Shoreline, Woodway, and, significantly, Point Wells, will get its first full public discussion at the Tuesday, March 13, RBCA meeting, at 7:30 p.m. in the basement of the Richmond Beach Congregational Church.

City officials from Shoreline and Woodway, plus representatives from Save Richmond Beach and the Finn Hill Park and Recreation District will be on hand to discuss the costs, benefits, and strategic advantages of creating such a cross-boundary authority. At stake would be the new district's authority to regulate the degree of development allowed at Point Wells, through the voters' say on the appropriate use of the land and how much should be devoted to natural restoration, preservation, and recreation. What's being researched is the impact on local taxation and also how intergovernmental agreements might bring state and federal clean-up assistance to the site of the aging asphalt depot at Point Wells, rather than having to trade an urban center for beach detoxification.

Polls show 94% of Richmond Beach residents oppose adding the equivalent of another Richmond Beach on the 64-acre sand spit at the end of Richmond Beach Drive. Many have said they would welcome a much smaller development, but strongly believe that the anticipated traffic and construction impacts be mitigated by road and parks improvements.

The idea of a Parks District had been going around informally among people who recalled the creation of the Finn Hill district in Kirkland in 2000 to save O.O. Denny Park and schemes that were proposed for old Port of Seattle sites and a gravel pit on Maury Island (that were later resolved by other means). The notion got a big boost during the 2011 election campaign when Shoreline Councilman Chris Eggen floated such a plan as a way to give Shoreline some leverage in negotiations with Blue Sky Real Estate, which wants to build 18-story condos at the same latitude as Woodway, with Snohomish County's blessings.

At the moment, the proposed Point Wells development has been stalled by a ruling that its "urban center" designation is in violation of the definitions in the state Growth Management Act. The decision said the plan cannot vest according to the rules in place at the time of the permit application if those rules were defective and illegal. BSRE is appealing.

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Point Wells Urban Center Stopped

By Save Richmond Beach

Judge Dean Lum rules that Blue Square Real Estate's urban center application is not vested and enjoins Snohomish County from processing the development application

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 — Richmond Beach — I am happy to report that today is a good day for the home team. Judge Dean Lum in King County Superior Court granted Save Richmond Beach and the Town of Woodway's request for summary judgment.

Judge Lum ruled that the Blue Square Real Estate development application to build an urban center at Point Wells is not vested and Snohomish County is enjoined from processing the application.

There will be an opportunity for the developer and Snohomish County to appeal so we still have much work to do...but for now we are thankful to all of our supporters for believing in us.

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Decision of the Growth Management Hearings Board

Final Decision and Order (PDF, 81 pages) of April 25, 2011

I. Synopsis:

"The City of Shoreline, Town of Woodway, and Save Richmond Beach, a neighborhood organization, challenged Snohomish County's amendments of its comprehensive plan and development regulations that provide for the redevelopment of Point Wells, an unincorporated urban area.

Comprehensive Plan amendment Ordinance Nos. 09-038 and 09-051 designated Point Wells an Urban Center. The Board concluded the action was clearly erroneous in three respects: the designation was inconsistent with the County's Urban Center comprehensive plan provisions; because the action thwarted GMA compliance by the City of Shoreline, the action lacked consistency with the comprehensive plans of adjacent jurisdictions; and the action was not guided by several GMA Goals.

Development regulation amendments, Ordinance Nos. 09-079 and 09-080, adopted Urban Center provisions specific to Point Wells. The Board dismissed Petitioners' GMA allegations based on abandonment or citation to inapplicable statutory provisions. The Petitioners carried their burden of showing the ordinances were not guided by certain GMA Goals, but because the goal violations were not tied to specific statutory requirements, the Board did not reach a finding of non-compliance.

The City of Shoreline also raised SEPA challenges. The Board remanded the County's FSEIS for Ordinance Nos. 09-038 and 09-051 for analysis of reasonable alternatives. As to the DNS for Ordinance Nos. 09-079 and 09-080, the Board ruled that because the DNS is predicated on an inadequate FSEIS, the DNS is also inadequate. The Board further found certain new information and changes to the proposal required addenda to the DNS.

The Board entered a determination of invalidity for Ordinance Nos. 09-038 and 09-051, and remanded all four Ordinances to the County, setting a one-year compliance schedule based on the unusual complexity of the matter."

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For Further Reading:

From BSRE Point Wells
www.PointWells.com

 

From the City of Shoreline
www.ShorelineWA.gov

 

From Save Richmond Beach
www.SaveRichmondBeach.org

 

From the Media

 

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