Published August 2003

Snohomish plans for Bickford Ave. development

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

In Snohomish, the process of mapping out the future of the Bickford Avenue corridor has begun.

With input from property owners, developers and the public, city officials aim to craft a plan that minimizes development hassles while protecting critical river and wetland habitats on the 142 acres in northwest Snohomish, City Manager Larry Bauman said.

For years, inadequate infrastructure, including lack of a sewer line, stalled development of the area just outside the city limits. But in November, voters approved a measure to annex the land into Snohomish. Obtaining funding to extend the sewer became one of the City Council’s primary objectives, as did developing a master plan for the area.

Already, the city and its Economic Development Council have enlisted the services of consultants to analyze the environmental, planning and marketing issues facing the corridor, which currently is zoned for business park uses.

Those working on the project include environmental consultant Steward & Associates of Snohomish, real estate consultant Bill Witting and a development consultant, the Beckwith Consulting Group.

Property owners, including Mike Bickford of Bickford Motors and John Shilaty of Northwest Sand & Gravel, also have entered into the mix in brainstorming sessions to create market and development alternatives for the corridor, Bauman said.

“So far, we don’t have 100 percent participation, but the major property owners are very enthusiastic,” Bauman said. “We probably have represented 50 percent of the land mass and probably close to 70 percent of the most developable properties.”

In late July, environmental interest groups, surrounding property owners and other interested parties were invited to offer input at a public workshop. The information gathered there will be incorporated into a preliminary plan, which will be presented to the City Council in mid-September, Bauman said.

“What we’re trying to create is a pre-approved plan to give the developers confidence that they’re coming into an environment where, if they fit within that plan, they’re going to get a streamlined permit process,” Bauman said. “We’ll already have taken care of the environmental issues, basic transportation plan issues, citizen concerns and all the internal (planning) concerns.”

The city also is working to get a sewer line installed, an $8 million process that is under way in the form of property acquisition and design with a loan from the state Public Works Board, Bauman said.

“We have an application in that’s going to be ranked in August for construction financing that will provide the initial monies that we need to complete the project,” he said. Known as the Cemetery Creek sewer trunk line project, it will consist of extending a sewer line from the wastewater treatment plant at the Snohomish River up through Bickford Avenue — a process that likely will take a couple of years to complete.

“Once that’s done, I think we’ll have a clear path for encouraging the development,” he said.

That development will be important for Snohomish’s future as the city looks for ways to fund services for a growing population, City Councilwoman Liz Loomis said.

“We need to look long term in the way we raise revenues by attracting businesses and jobs to our community, and that’s why this project is so important for our town,” she said.

“Hopefully, by the time we’re ready to go with this, we’ll have a strong economy rebounding and property owners wanting to develop — and developers wanting to get involved,” Bauman added.

“We’ll be well positioned when it starts going on the upswing,” Loomis said.

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