Published May 2003

Housing demand,
traffic congestion spur ‘pedestrian village’ proposal

SCBJ Staff

As demand for housing in Snohomish County rises and traffic gridlock worsens, the county is proposing two “pedestrian villages” along I-5: one at 128th Street south of Everett and the other at 164th Street northeast of Lynnwood.

High-density housing would be mixed with stores, offices, parks and bus stops, to encourage people to walk or take the bus rather than drive.

“We want a place where people can live, work and shop,” said Karen Watkins, senior planner for the county planning and development services division.

Others might catch a bus to jobs in Everett or Seattle. Those who drive to work would find much of what they need — a dry cleaner, a corner store, a child-care center — down the street from where they live, which would reduce traffic elsewhere, Watkins said.

There are several other pedestrian-friendly projects in Snohomish County, but this marks the first time that the county itself is actively pushing the idea. Buildings would be as high as six stories, said Mary Lynne Evans, acting planning division manager for Snohomish County.

“The big change for us in Snohomish County is going up instead of out,” she said. “Before, we had these big one-level buildings with a sea of parking.”

The county itself would not develop the land. Instead, it is mapping out what it hopes will happen to the land and letting developers step in with proposals.

One developer, Sundquist Homes, has already applied for permits to build 120 apartments, along with offices, stores and a childcare center, on 15 acres off of 164th Street. The county granted Sundquist an exception to its zoning rules that bar such mixed-use developments.

The county planning commission may vote in May whether to scrap the countywide ban on mixed-use construction. If it does, that would pave the way for a vote on the 128th Street and 164th Street pedestrian villages.

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