LYNNWOOD, Wash., September 16, 2023—Lynnwood City Council will host a Work Session at 6 p.m., Monday, September 18, to discuss revising the Lynnwood Municipal Urban Growth Area (MUGA), an Essential Public Facilities Ordinance, and an update on ParksLove Project. The Lynnwood City Council Work Session will be held in-person and virtually by Zoom or Lynnwood, WA Video Archive (swagit.com).
To view the agenda in its entirety, click here.
Update: Essential Public Facilities & Outpatient Substance Abuse Facilities
A public hearing will be held at City Council on September 25 regarding the draft ordinance. In preparation for the hearing, Community Planning Manager Karl Almgren will present to the council an Essential Public Facilities Ordinance for Council’s consideration and action. The draft ordinance complies with state law, addresses Planning Commission recommendations, and Council discussion.
Supporting Documentation:
Lynnwood Municipal Urban Growth Area – Meadowdale
Planning Manager Karl Almgren will brief the Lynnwood City Council on the revising the Lynnwood Municipal Urban Growth Area (MUGA) to move a portion of Meadowdale into the city of Edmonds MUGA.
On May 1st, City Council was briefed on annexation including the Meadowdale Neighborhood’s intention to become incorporated into the City of Edmonds. On September 5, City of Edmonds adopted a resolution to initiate discussions with Snohomish County and City of Lynnwood regarding possible annexation of a neighborhood in the Lynnwood Municipal Urban Growth Area (MUGA).
The Meadowdale neighborhood is a residential area including 47 homes from 161st Pl SW to the southern boundary of Meadowdale Beach Park and east of 68th Ave W. The neighborhood is addressed as Edmonds and the residents have requested that the City of Edmonds annex their properties. Edmonds is not able to annex the area until the MUGA boundary is revised.
To proceed with this request, Lynnwood City Council could adopt a resolution which would initiate conversations with the City of Edmonds and Snohomish County. Following discussions, an interlocal agreement (ILA) would then need to be negotiated and approved by Lynnwood and Edmonds to complete the steps for the MUGA transfer. This action would require the concurrence of Snohomish County.
Revising the boundary of the MUGA does not annex the property into Edmonds. Additional steps by City of Edmonds would be required at a later date to complete the annexation.
Supporting Documentation:
Briefing: ParksLove (3 of 5) Capital Project List
This briefing by Sarah Olson, Deputy Director, and Monica Thompson, Senior Park Planner, will focus on the preliminary results of the capital project list and priority projects for the ParksLove Park & Trail Capital Plan.
Supporting Documentation:
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
One Response
Considering the recent Work Session on 18 September 2023 (especially Item 6.C. on the Meadowdale unincorporated area), the residents of the currently unincorporated Meadowdale area would like to offer a few clarifications. These are especially in light of the comments made by Council Member Smith in regards to the amenities, access and services currently provided in the area under discussion.
First, the area encompassing the 47 households as depicted in the map presented by Mr. Almgren are all addressed as Edmonds in the 98026 area code. Further, contrary to the statements made by CM Smith and confirmation made by Mr. Almgren, this area is directly accessible from downtown Edmonds without ever entering the city of Lynnwood . It is also equally accessible through Seaview and other areas, as well as from the intersection of 76th and 196th.
Second, and also contrary to statements made by CM Smith, there are no improved parks in the area under consideration. The city of Lynnwood owns the parcels due east of the neighborhood (parcel 00513100003901 and 00513100004400), but the county owns the parcel due north (parcel 00513100002003), which is adjacent to and managed as part of Snohomish County’s Meadowdale Beach Park. There is some kind of stormwater management system installed on the Lynnwood-owned parcels, but there are no park improvements or access points except through private property from the west boundary of both parcels. From SCOPI, it appears as though there may be a road easement (but no existing road infrastructure) extending 160th St SW eastwards between the two parcels enumerated above, but the practicality of extending this road is limited because of both topography (likely to be a critical slope immediately east of where the road currently ends) and the current zoning of these parcels as greenspace. It would be much more practical and feasible (especially considering the need for off-street & ADA parking) to provide access to these Lynnwood-owned greenspace parcels through a trail system originating from 60th Ave W or somewhere further east (i.e. Sundquist Nature Park), as has been discussed at some length in previous planning and budget documents from the city.
Third, there are no city-provided services or amenities in the area under consideration. There are no sidewalks on the east side of 68th for the entire distance of the road down to the intersection with N Meadowdale Rd, including the portion that is currently within Lynnwood city limits. Only the west side, within Edmonds city limits, has sidewalks. South County Fire provides fire and EMS services, and Snohomish County Sheriff provides law and code enforcement. SnoPUD provides power and gas, and Alderwood Water District provides water. Due to topography, all stormwater drains into 68th and is managed by the system therein, which is likely to be owned/operated by Edmonds for much of the area under consideration (though the residents are unable to confirm this through publicly-accessible data). None of the 47 households are connected to a sewer system.
Thus, as it relates to CM Smith’s notion of Lynnwood needing to recoup “big money” from Edmonds because of previous investments and lost access by Lynnwood, there is very little evidence to support this claim. The residents of this area are strongly in favor of pursuing annexation by Edmonds and would appreciate the Lynnwood Council’s good faith in evaluating this proposition objectively, and with accurate data.