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Point Wells
Upcoming Meeting:
The Snohomish County Design Review Board (DRB) will hold a public meeting on March 15 at 6:00 PM. The DRB is an advisory body that takes public input and makes recommendations on design issues of projects proposed under Snohomish County’s Urban Center zoning. The DRB does not make final decisions on development proposals.
Meeting Location:
3000 Rockefeller Ave,
1st Floor Hearing Room,
Administration Building East,
Everett, WA 98201
Recent Steps:
- February 22, 2018. Snohomish County sent postcard notice of the March 15, 2018, Design Review Board Meeting.
- January 24, 2018. The Snohomish County Planning Director sent a letter to BSRE's representatives denying their request for an extension to the project expiration date. The project will therefore need to go to hearing far enough in advance of the June 30, 2018, expiration date for the Hearing Examiner to render a decision on the project. The hearing has not yet been scheduled.
- January 19, 2018. Snohomish County responded with a clarification regarding future communications between representatives of BSRE and county staff.
- January 19, 2018. BSRE sent a letter to Snohomish County saying that resubmittal materials would be available by April 30, 2018. This letter also made reference to a conversation regarding protocols for future communication.
- January 19, 2018. Snohomish County responded to BSRE's assertions about the January 8, 2018, resubmittal deadline. This same letter stated that the request for an extension of the June 30, 2018, project expiration would be addressed separately [and at a later date].
- January 12, 2018, BSRE submitted a letter to Snohomish County. Among other things, this letter requests an extension of the June 30, 2018, application expiration date and makes several assertions regarding the meaning of the January 8, 2018, resubmittal deadline.
- January 9, 2018. Snohomish County sent a letter dated 1/9/18 to the applicant's representative advising them that Planning and Development Services (PDS) will "complete final review and processing of the application materials it has recieved." Since Blue Square Real Estate (BSRE), did not provide corrected plans by January 8, 2018, as requested by PDS, the January 9 letter means that PDS will process the April 17, 2017, version of the plans through to a decision by the Hearing Examiner before the June 30, 2018, expiration of the project applications. The January 9 letter notes that "if PDS concludes that the Applications as submitted substantially conflict with the applicable plans, ordinances, regulations or laws, this process may result in a recommendation of denial [to the Hearing Examiner] without further preparation of an EIS".
- December 29, 2017. On behalf of the applicant, BSRE, Karr Tuttle Campbell submitted a letter to Snohomish County informing the County that BSRE is preparing revisions to their plans but that those revisions will not be submitted to the County by the January 8, 2018, date by which Snohomish County has requested those revisions.
- On October 6, 2017, Snohomish County completed its review of revisions to the project that the applicant submitted on April 17, 2017. Snohomish County is asking BSRE to submit corrections and missing information by January 8, 2018. The information requested by Snohomish County is necessary for the project to move forward to a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). It would be premature to put on date on when to expect publication of the DEIS because Snohomish County will need to receive and review the required information first.
- The Review Completion Letter dated October 6, 2017 was accompanied by a second letter addressing project deadlines and two sets of plan markups. The first set of markups is on the Urban Center Site Plan. The second set of markups is on the Short Plat application that would create lots for phasing. The 10/6/17 short plat markups supersede an earlier draft and a draft memo on relating to the short plat application was incorporated into the overall review completion letter.
- The review of the April 17, 2017, version of the Point Wells proposal includes several technical review memos:
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Overview
Point Wells is a lowland extending into Puget Sound with a proposal by Blue Square Real Estate to redevelop the current industrial uses into 3,081 condominiums plus amenities such as restaurants and public beach access. It is at the extreme southwest corner of Snohomish County, with access to the site from Richmond Beach Drive. Redevelopment would take place in four phases. Each phase would have a single underground parking garage with multiple buildings on top. The image below is from the project application and gives a sense of the overall layout. The total property area is approximately 61 acres, of which 16 acres are tidelands that will remain largely undisturbed and 45 acres are proposed for the redevelopment.
Snohomish County is working with a team of consultants on an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, for the redevelopment project. This EIS will evaluate things like traffic impacts, landslide risks, noise, and fiscal impacts from the project on local governments. There will be a Draft EIS (DEIS) published first. Snohomish County will invite the public and various agencies to comment on the DEIS during a formal 45-day comment period after publication. If you would like notification of publication, please send an email to [email protected] and request to be a “party-of-record” for Point Wells.
Past Milestones
- April 17, 2017: Blue Square Real Estate responded to Snohomish County's review by submitting revised plans. These revised plans retain the basic overall concept in the original submittal, but add a second access road through the Town of Woodway and make some adjustments internal to the site in response to County comments. The April 2017 resubmittal includes 11 new documents that are now on our Point Wells Documents page that also has many of the original and intermediate documents. Procedurally, the resubmittal includes revisions to the Urban Center Site Plan application and the Short Plat application, as well as a new request for a variance related to parking.
- November 15, 2016: Snohomish County sent the applicant a letter requiring changes before further work can proceed on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project.
- April 12, 2013: Snohomish County completed the first review comments, including requests for changes.
- January 7, 2013: Washington State Appeals reversed the ruling that the Point Wells urban center development application was not vested to the Snohomish County codes and ordinances in effect at the time that BSRE (applicant) made application for urban center permits. The judge dismissed the November 2011 injunction barring Snohomish County from processing the urban center application.
- March 4, 2011: Blue Square Real Estate submits three permit applications. Permit 11-101457 LU is a Land Use permit for the proposed urban center site plan. Related to this are 11-101461 SM (a Shoreline Management permit for work in the area regulated under the Snohomish County Shoreline Management Program) and 11-101464 RC (a permit for retaining walls in the slope on the east side of the railroad tracks). Approval for these permits depend on completion of an Environmental Impact Statement.
- February 14, 2011: Blue Square Real Estate submits two applications. Permit 11-101007 SP is a Short Plat application that would revise parcels lines on the site to reflect the proposed phasing. The second permit, 11-101008 LDA, is a Land Disturbing Activity permit that would address grading and other site work to prepare for construction. Approval for both permits depend on completion of an Environmental Impact Statement.
Upcoming Meeting:
The Snohomish County Design Review Board (DRB) will hold a public meeting on March 15 at 6:00 PM. The DRB is an advisory body that takes public input and makes recommendations on design issues of projects proposed under Snohomish County’s Urban Center zoning. The DRB does not make final decisions on development proposals.
Meeting Location:
3000 Rockefeller Ave,
1st Floor Hearing Room,
Administration Building East,
Everett, WA 98201
Recent Steps:
- February 22, 2018. Snohomish County sent postcard notice of the March 15, 2018, Design Review Board Meeting.
- January 24, 2018. The Snohomish County Planning Director sent a letter to BSRE's representatives denying their request for an extension to the project expiration date. The project will therefore need to go to hearing far enough in advance of the June 30, 2018, expiration date for the Hearing Examiner to render a decision on the project. The hearing has not yet been scheduled.
- January 19, 2018. Snohomish County responded with a clarification regarding future communications between representatives of BSRE and county staff.
- January 19, 2018. BSRE sent a letter to Snohomish County saying that resubmittal materials would be available by April 30, 2018. This letter also made reference to a conversation regarding protocols for future communication.
- January 19, 2018. Snohomish County responded to BSRE's assertions about the January 8, 2018, resubmittal deadline. This same letter stated that the request for an extension of the June 30, 2018, project expiration would be addressed separately [and at a later date].
- January 12, 2018, BSRE submitted a letter to Snohomish County. Among other things, this letter requests an extension of the June 30, 2018, application expiration date and makes several assertions regarding the meaning of the January 8, 2018, resubmittal deadline.
- January 9, 2018. Snohomish County sent a letter dated 1/9/18 to the applicant's representative advising them that Planning and Development Services (PDS) will "complete final review and processing of the application materials it has recieved." Since Blue Square Real Estate (BSRE), did not provide corrected plans by January 8, 2018, as requested by PDS, the January 9 letter means that PDS will process the April 17, 2017, version of the plans through to a decision by the Hearing Examiner before the June 30, 2018, expiration of the project applications. The January 9 letter notes that "if PDS concludes that the Applications as submitted substantially conflict with the applicable plans, ordinances, regulations or laws, this process may result in a recommendation of denial [to the Hearing Examiner] without further preparation of an EIS".
- December 29, 2017. On behalf of the applicant, BSRE, Karr Tuttle Campbell submitted a letter to Snohomish County informing the County that BSRE is preparing revisions to their plans but that those revisions will not be submitted to the County by the January 8, 2018, date by which Snohomish County has requested those revisions.
- On October 6, 2017, Snohomish County completed its review of revisions to the project that the applicant submitted on April 17, 2017. Snohomish County is asking BSRE to submit corrections and missing information by January 8, 2018. The information requested by Snohomish County is necessary for the project to move forward to a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). It would be premature to put on date on when to expect publication of the DEIS because Snohomish County will need to receive and review the required information first.
- The Review Completion Letter dated October 6, 2017 was accompanied by a second letter addressing project deadlines and two sets of plan markups. The first set of markups is on the Urban Center Site Plan. The second set of markups is on the Short Plat application that would create lots for phasing. The 10/6/17 short plat markups supersede an earlier draft and a draft memo on relating to the short plat application was incorporated into the overall review completion letter.
- The review of the April 17, 2017, version of the Point Wells proposal includes several technical review memos: