MaltbyNow!

February 24, 2010 Maltby Alliance Notes

Earl — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:10:00 GMT

County council rep Dave Somers and two county staff members met with six Maltby residents on February 24, 2010

Role of the Council

Mr. Somers reminded the Maltby residents that the County Council’s role is a legislative role, not an enforcement role. While the budget and policy is set by the Council, it is the Executive branch under the County Executive that enforces the policy.

The council does set the comprehensive land use plan. It is important that Maltby residents get their input into the plan.

As our Council representatitve, Mr. Somers can inquire on our behalf and advocate for us when needed. It is OK, however, to contact County staff directly.

Enforcement

We had a long discussion of the enforcement of current laws. There does not appear to be a consistent method of enforcement. The current system seems to favor developers and the County’s desire not to be sued.

Buffer Clarification

The process for clarification of the existing landscape buffer seems to be proceeding

Waste Management

Waste Management has appeared to have put their plans for the Maltby site on hold for now. Word is that they have dropped the idea of doing yard waste transfer and am now looking to do natural gas fleet fueling. However, little to no action is expected in the near term.

Pacific Landscape

No application submitted, given an extension to 1-April. Have shared plans to build a 5,000 sq. ft. building and remove a small building on the site

Emerald Paving

a.k.a LDK Associates. Permit extension until 31-March. No real compliance movement noted

Hooper Tow Yard

Still trying to get a change of use. County to do a bio review

Ralph’s Cement Pumping

No real movement. Their consultant says they are waiting for input from the County. County planning officer has changed again.

Making (sp?) Property

Fined $87,000 which the court reduced to $2,500 with the stipulation that the wetlands that were graded over be restored. No sign the wetlands are coming back.

Next meeting tentatively scheduled for 23-March @ 5:30 pm

Nov. 23, 2009 Maltby Alliance Notes

Earl — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:17:00 GMT

A County planning staff member met with 7 Maltby area residents to go over the status of several complaint issues.

Emerald Paving

Still in process. The June 30 date has passed but the County was slow in review so permit compliance date now scheduled for 30-Dec. That date is likely to be extended again.

Ralph's Pumping

The fence is probably within the easement of the street and is likely to be moved. The Maltby residents believe it is better that landscaping (trees, etc.) to block the view of the fence would be better than widening the street and adding sidewalks in that area. The target date for permit compliance is also 30-Dec but, as above, that date may be extended again due to County response time.

Hooper Two Yard

The grading permit is closed but the conditional use permit is still open. No change noted.

Pacific Landscaping

Compliance data is also Dec. Noted that we need to look at traffic closely as it has grown from roughly 6 to 40+ vehicles a day.

Sicut (sp? Like correction on this one, corner of 180th & Broadway)

Currently in code compliance but goes in and out. Appears to be constantly adding fill to regrade land.

NOTE: County pointed out that it is very difficult to prove grading issues. Take photographs when you notice it.

Waste Management

Not a permit issue at this time but County noticed people working on the site and wondered why. The traffic issue appears to be the main holdup on WM progress on this site.

General discussion

Maltby residence questioned the deterrent of the current fine system. Nobody seems to be getting fined.

Noted the recent layoffs and County Planning has "musical chairs" going again about which planner is on what project.

Planned to meet in January with Dave Somers.

August 31, 2009 Maltby Alliance Notes

Earl — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:42:00 GMT

Several Maltby residents meet with County representatives

Traffic

County rules are to place load limits where there is structural deficiencies
- Something needs to be fixed
- Not to be used to limit traffic (though other counties may do differently)
Traffic calming measures are more common
- Speed bumps, stop signs, round-abouts, etc.
- Used when traffic volume is 35% more than road design
  - 206th/86th/78th/201st design based on standard formula
    - 10 trips per house per day
      - 700 houses so 7,000 trips
  - Traffic study (counters) are at about 1,200 trips/day
  - Both numbers (10/700) seem unrealistic to Maltby residents
- Traffic calming would NOT be paid for since it doesn’t meet formula
  - 60% of the houses on the route would need to agree to pay for the traffic calming measures
- DECISION: Postpone looking into traffic calming measures
Police enforcement
- Only a short term solution and most people caught on previous patrols are residents speeding
Permit agreements
- When a permit process goes through, the county can request a “haul route agreement” with the permit requestor
- REQUEST: Make the haul route agreements a public document and enforce

Urban Growth Area

Need to start considering what position Maltby residents want to take in regards to the 2015 Growth Management Act Update which will start in 2010.
- Staying unincorporated may keep taxes low but leave all control on local matters to the County
- Incorporating would give local control but create some level of costs to bear
A Maltby resident will post to MaltbyNow any new permits in the works
REQEST: That the county planners keep more of the conversation record in the public file so that it can be reviewed by citizens
That we find a way to enforce the existing code regarding permitter buffers between the Urban and Rural zones

Will meet again in a couple of months

Please add any corrections or additions in the comments

Maltby Alliance Meeting Notes, August 10, 2009

Earl — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:57:00 GMT

On Monday, August 10, 2009 an alliance of Maltby neighbors met at the Maltby Community Club with representatives of Snohomish County code enforcement.

The County code enforcement gave a overview of current permit application process, local permit status and those under code review status. Movement may appear slow as the group is overworked at present and needs to prioritize. Judy Wahl will be a primary contact point for Maltby neighbors though individual code enforcement will be handled by available staff.

A new permit process was established January 1. If there is a permit violation, there is first an attempt for the landowner to voluntary come into compliance. About 85% of all issues are resolved voluntarily. If there is no voluntary compliance, the landowner is issues a Notice of Violation (NOV). At that point, fines start accruing in tiers until the fine cap is reached. If the landowner still does not comply, then the case may be turned over to the County prosecution office.

The County code enforcement can only issue a code violation on items visible to the enforcement office. Typically this will be change of use, grading, or new buildings/trailers (commercial coach) on the premises. The permit application will then trigger, if required, environmental and traffic studies.

Code enforcement, except in rare life safety cases, is only initiated by a complaint.

Once a complaint is made, it is important that citizens become a party of record to any permit application to raise issues like traffic and environmental impact. This can help make sure these are addressed in the permit process.

Local citizens monitor what permits are in process on the County interactive map and permit site. It is updated in near real time as it ties into the same database as the application process. They should become a “party of interest” on permits that they want to be notified on if it goes before the hearing examiner.

The current status of several permit applications is

Pacific Landscape Enterprises

Investigated July 30
  Allowed use of property but needs permitting
  Violation of permit process/not having permits
  Landscape frontage issue

Hooper Tow Yard

Case is under older procedure
Violation of grading, out-building remodeling is still open from a previous complain
Conditional use permit being reviewed

Emerald Trucking

Case has been assigned
Compliance date is September 30
Violations of grading, occupancy

Ralph’s Pumping

Violations for fence, grading, fill tank, drainage
September 1 deadline for all compliance measures

Hilltop Automotive

No complaint at this time
Potential issue with grading

Please feel free to post comments to clarify or correct these notes.

Maltby House Burns

Earl — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:41:13 GMT

The early morning July 17, 2009 fire is reported by King5 and KIRO. Nobody hurt but the owner is displaced. Fire Marshal has not determined the cause but it does not appear like arson at this time.

Cement Pumper Site – Comment by June 29, 2009

Earl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:09:00 GMT

In a recent meeting, County Council member Dave Somers told us that the County was a complaint driven organization. In order for Maltby citizens to get issues addressed, they must send complaints (or praises) to the County. Currently, there is an open permit on the cement pumper truck site for the grading they completed earlier.

This is a great opportunity for Maltby citizens to be heard. If you care about the impact of the cement pumper trucks, their oil, their fuel, their traffic, the look of their installation on Maltby, this is the time to write. Take five minutes and send an E-mail to the County Planner and cc her boss, Dave Somers, and the County Executive.

The County Planner (Roxanne Pilkenton) and her boss (Tom Rowe) email can be accessed through this site.

http://web5.co.snohomish.wa.us/PDS/StaffDir/Default.aspx

(Probably Roxanne.Pilkenton@co.snohomish.wa.us & Tom.Rowe@co.snohomish.wa.us)

Dave Somers is at Dave.Somers@co.snohomish.wa.us

The County Executive (Aaron Reardon) is at county.executive@co.snohomish.wa.us

Maltby has until 29 June to get email in. Do it today!

Below is a copy of the permit data on the County website.

Dave Somers Meets with Maltby Group June 22

Earl — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:50:15 GMT

A group of Maltby neighbors meet with Snohomish County Council member Dave Somers Monday evening, June 22, 2009. The group from Maltby were mostly volunteers from the April 2, 2009 meeting. With Mr. Somers were two members of his staff. The agenda for the meeting was:

Recap concerns raised at the April 2, 2009 meeting
Modify the list of concerns if needed
Recap possible solutions from April 2 and add/modify as needed
Approach to future meetings

The issues identified on April 2 and by the group were:

Cement pumper truck site (razor wire, grading, traffic)
Noise generated by industrial equipment
Cement walls
Large trucks taking shortcuts on residential streets
Speeding traffic
Waste Management site (traffic, plans)
Lack of Sheriff’s presence
Vandalism
Clarity of communications (changes, permits, process)
Tow yard permit request
Brightwater smell mitigation if needed

The group talked about their concerns over these issues. Some of the information shared includes:

Cement pumper truck site is currently in a permitting process to cover what they already did

County biologist review is not favorable at this point

Waste Management telling employees that they are not moving to Maltby (but planning is still going on)
Waste Management has put the Maltby move on hold due to economics (not verified)
Being a party of record to a permitting process only alerts you to when a hearing will be held, not status updates
Next major update to the Urban Growth Area (UGA) will be in 2015, but action is starting now
The County is primarily a COMPLAINT driven organization. If nobody complains, not much is done

County staff are instructed not to site non-compliant activity if nobody complains

Dave Somers’ staff briefly explained three levels of the permitting process

Big changes (like changing the UGA) are legislative
Medium changes that ask for an exception to permitted use go through a hearing examiner (helps to be a part of record on this kind)
Small “Admin” changes are permitted uses that MUST be approved if all the conditions are met. These can be commented on and appealed but there is no requirement for a hearing.

Mr. Somers also shared that as a County Council member, he has no authority of the actions of the County staff. The Council sets policy and direction. Think of it as the legislature to the County Executive. Mr. Somers also noted how the Planning Development Services (PDS) staff has been cut over the years and is, in his opinion, understaffed.

The group then decided that there were five main categories of concern

Aesthetics for industry
Growth planning
Traffic
Law enforcement
Education on permit process

Dave Somers advised that it would be wise to focus community efforts on one issue at a time. The group decided that the cement pumper truck site would be good to focus on first. They are currently in a permit process to get a permit to do the grading that they completed some time ago. Mr. Somers suggested that

Petitions with multiple signatures do NOT get much attention. Signing a name does not show much thought
Form letters also do NOT get much attention. Again, not much thought
An email with three sentences does show thought. The more the better
Emails sent to the county staff planner should be cc’d to the Council Rep and the Executive offices

Dave Somers then offered to meet with the Maltby group again in about a month. The group itself decided to meet again prior to the next meeting with Mr. Somers to talk about how to get the Maltby community more engaged in the “complaint” process that drives County decisions.

Feel free to comment your concerns or corrections to this posting.

Notes from Dave Somers April 2, 2009 Meeting

Earl — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:12:58 GMT

About 50 people joined Dave Somers in a community meeting at the Maltby Community Club on April 2. Mr. Somers opened up the meeting a bit after 6 pm. He brought with him a team of county staff representing

Public works
Planning and development
Parks
Sherriff

The session ran as a question/comment guided by four main topics

Code changes/comprehensive plan issues
Traffic issues
Law enforcement
Park acquisition

Code changes/comprehensive plan issues

Unique situation created in 1995 with a creation of an industrial area
Never really had a plan for Maltby
Have industrial usage butting up against residential/rural
Many comments on existing issues
Suggestion received to set up a standing community/county group to relate issues and work on plans (short and long term) through Mr. Somers office
Current law does not allow moratoriums or other tools to stop uses allowed by law/regulations
Best if we can work with the business to find common solutions
Where a business is in violation of the codes, action will be taken within the existing regulations
Will continue to work the issues but can’t make any big changes until 2015 when the next revision of the growth plan comes due

Traffic issues

Mostly people expressing forcefully their particular traffic concerns
County has documented issues of truck traffic through 206th to 201st
Survey results also showed high concern with truck traffic
County traffic permitting process focuses only on designated arterials (Broadway)
Residential streets are based on studies and community actions
Primary tool on residential streets is “traffic calming” (speed bumps, traffic circles, etc.)
Sixty (60%) of area residents must approve of traffic calming measures

Law enforcement

While vandalism was listed as an agenda item, not a lot of reports from this area in the system
Need citizens to report (call 911) with all law enforcement issues, even small ones
Want citizens to work with the Sherriff’s office to be the “eyes and ears”
There is a cross agency task force focused on car theft

Parks acquisition

County is watching the Rinker/Cemex site as a possible future park site
County purchased “Hole is the Sky” among 10 acres across Hyw 9 from 201st
April 22nd will open 800 acres in Paradise Valley

The meeting closed a bit after 8 pm with promises to follow up on some of the individual issues (Ralph’s cement pumper trucks leading the pack) and on these four main areas.

Please add more observations as comments to this post.

April Meeting with County Councilman Dave Somers

Earl — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:26:00 GMT

Hi Everyone,

I was contacted by Dave Somers on Friday with the first meeting notice. The meeting will be held on April 2, 2009 at 6:00PM at the Maltby Community Center. Please spread the word. I have attached the agenda so that we can focus on the agenda only for this meeting. We will add issues to the agenda for future meetings. Dave is expected to be ready to discuss the following with us and have or suggest resolutions.

Here is the agenda for the first meeting;

Enforce or Change Codes For Industry Locations In Maltby and Residential Street Use By Industry Traffic

(this is about forcing industry, old and new, in the area to make their locations visually, odor and noise pleasing as well as assuring that industry will not use residential streets as a through street - ever!)

Maltby Traffic Flow

(this is about the ability to move traffic to and from SR522 especially when Waste Management begins operations and how to change the flow to fit the plans for the future SR522 overpass now)

Assure That Waste Management Is In Step With County And Residential Desired Traffic and Location Codes

(WM is the newest and probably the largest of the industry in Maltby. We need them to be on board with us.)

What Will The County Do To Stay Close To the CEMEX (formerly Rinker) Site And Assure That a Park Goes Into That Site

(We all know what we went through in the motocross issue and the unbearable consequences to our neighborhood from noise, dust, dirt and exhaust grime. We and the county must remain vigilant about this location.)

Thanks,

Dale Barringer

All Quiet?

Earl — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:05:58 GMT

The news out of Maltby seems rather quiet of late. Does the recession equate to a relaxation of the commercial interests in Maltby? Maybe. In MaltbyNow’s opinion yes it does. Maltby was attractive while land values where going up and business were looking to expand. With the contraction, commercial development will be quiet for awhile.

But we shouldn’t let ourselves get too relaxed. The zoning has not changed. The developers will be back. Now is the time to make sure the county and the state know that Maltby’s Urban Growth Area designation was, and is, inappropriate for a place with no local representation.

Eastside Rail Corridor Deal Delayed

Earl — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:31:39 GMT

Credit market difficulties lead to delay

Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani announced today that the Port will not finalize acquisition of the BNSF Eastside Rail Corridor that goes through Maltby until the first quarter of 2009. The two agencies agreed to the delay because of ongoing difficulties in the nation's municipal bond markets. The Port intends to sell municipal bonds to finance the $107 million acquisition.

“Many local governments across the nation are delaying or postponing projects because they can't sell the bonds to finance them right now,” said Yoshitani. “The Port remains committed to placing the corridor into public ownership. BNSF understands the situation and agreed to this short delay. We look forward to finalizing the deal next year.”

The Port of Seattle announced final plans to acquire the 42-mile corridor in November 2007. Currently, the transaction is before the Surface Transportation Board, which must approve the transaction. King County will contribute $2 million for an easement to develop a trail along the property. Once the deal is final, the Port will host a public process to determine how the corridor will be used for both transportation and recreation in the future.

For more information about the Port's plans, please visit http://www.portseattle.org/business/realestate/eastsiderail.shtml.

CT Bus Expansion Defeated

Earl — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:00:36 GMT

The expansion of Community Transit to the Maltby area appears to be defeated. As of the morning of Nov. 5, the vote totals were

Yes – 3,326 votes (44.52%)
No – 4,146 votes (55.49%)

100% of precincts reporting.

In a related note, Sound Transit prop one appears to be passing. This may impact the Maltby area as the railroad tracks that cross 524 and Yew way have been identified as a possible light rail corridor.

Waste Management Math

Earl — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:51:12 GMT

In the recent community meeting held at the Maltby Community Club, Waste Management spokesperson Susan Robinson stated that Waste Management plans to park about 200 collection trucks at the site they are developing in Maltby when it becomes operational in 2012. She further stated that those collection trucks would stagger their departure time from the Maltby site between the hours of 4 am to 7 am so to impact traffic as little as possible.

So what kind of impact can we expect? Well, simple math tells us that between 4 am and 7 am is 3 hours or 180 minutes. First cut math tells us that on average a collection truck will leave the Maltby site every 50 seconds or so. If we use Waste Management's assumption that 70% of the collection trucks will go South to enter SR 522 via the Broadway/Yew Way/Paradise Lake Road route, that calculates to about 140 trucks over 180 minutes. That roughly comes out about one truck headed South out of the Waste Management site to go down to SR 522 every 1 minute 15 seconds.

And that assumes a even distribution.

Every minute or so for three hours, a large collection truck will leave Waste Management and join with the semi-trailers from the warehouses just up Broadway a pace and with the lawn service pick-up trucks from 206th to cue up at the Yew/SR 524 intersection. At that corner they will merge with the pumper trucks from 86th and from 87th the cement mixers, the long-bed semi-trailers with all sorts of construction materials, and the dump trucks, many with a towed trailer. All those will line up for a left turn onto Paradise Lake Road from Yew Way to get to SR 522.

Oh, and lets not forget the commuters and school buses. And, of course if the November 4th election goes their way, Community Transit.

Let's further assume that about an average of 10 vehicles can get onto SR 522 every light cycle of 5 minutes. That means that for the hours from 4 am to 7 am, Waste Management trucks will constitute about 50% of the vehicles that access SR 522.

That is if they can get there.

Traffic backs up in Maltby right now without the Waste Management trucks. Rush hour seems to start around 5:45 am and go to about 7:30 am in our neighborhood. The backups are typically past the Maltby Cafe on SR 524 and the railroad tracks on Yew.

The best hope for commuters to get out of Maltby in the morning may be to take Highway 9. This has many residents of Ponderosa Acers and Highland Vista areas upset as commuters may cut through those residential neighborhoods along 206th/78th/201st. The left turn onto Highway 9 from there can be faster than taking turns at the LONG red light from SR 524/Maltby Road to Highway 9.

The only other hope is the completion of the Paradise Lake Road/SR 522 interchange that is currently un-funded and on hold. That would streamline access to SR 522 a bit. With the budget deficit the State is currently facing, funding the estimated $58 million for that interchange doesn't appear to be coming soon.

Oh, and lets not forget all the potholes created by those large vehicles on the rural roads. At least commuters will stay awake as we bounce our way through Maltby.

No matter how you do the math, it looks like commuting from Maltby is adding up to be quite a headache.

Waste Management Shares Plans for Maltby Sep/08

Earl — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:55:44 GMT

Penny Mabie of EnviroIssues and Susan Robinson, Director of Public Sector Services for Waste Management Northwest along with seven other Waste Management staff met with about 30 Maltby area residents to talk about Waste Management's Maltby facility. The meeting was held September 17 at the Maltby Community Club on 206th, just west of the old Calvert site that was purchased by Waste Management in 2006.

The format of the session was a brief review by Ms. Robinson of Waste Management's plans for the Maltby site followed by Q&A. Briefly the plans are

No garbage stored, processed, or transferred at Maltby
No processing of any materials at Maltby
No storage of any waste materials at Maltby
Transfer of "greenwaste" (yard waste, scrap food) from collection trucks to long haul trucks, not to be kept overnight at the site
Parking for 200 collection trucks (garbage, recycling, yard waste)
Sixteen slot maintenance depot working on a swing shift
Northwest administrative offices for about 130 staff

Ms. Robinson acknowledged that while nobody wants a garbage company for a neighbor, Waste Management has a good track record of working with the communities that surround their sites. She offered the Woodinville and Houghton (Kirkland) neighborhoods as evidence. She stated that the two biggest concerns heard so far through comments on county permit process, direct feedback, and items posted on MaltbyNow were around the areas of traffic and noise.

Ms. Robinson pointed to steps Waste Management has done to limit noise by enclosing major operations within buildings, staging the working hours of the operations, and the placement of buildings. The working hours would be

Parked trucks exiting the facility primarily from 4 am to 7 am
Trucking backing in to dump "greenwaste" from 10 am to 3 pm
Trucks returning to the facility from 2 pm to 5 pm
Administrative working on flex time mostly between 8 am to 6 pm
Refueling of trucks by tanker from 5 pm to 7 pm
Maintenance work on trucks on "swing shift" (5 pm to 1 am ??) though later discussion suggested all night

Ms. Robinson stated that the primary reasons for choosing the Maltby site were that the majority of Waste Management Northwest's employees resided in Snohomish County, the need for a new facility required by the growth of Waste Management operations, and the belief that the Maltby site provides the least amount of traffic across all Snohomish operations for Waste Management. Ms. Robinson suggested that Waste Management's costs are directly related to fuel and labor. Any thing that shortens the time staff are running trucks, the better for Waste Management.

The timeline for the development has building work beginning in 2010 with occupancy in 2012. See at the end for artist's drawings of the finished site.

Following Ms. Robinson's presentation, Ms. Mabie lead a question and answer session where many Maltby residents challenged Ms. Robinson's claims. Of primary concern was the impact to traffic. Waste Management predicts that about 70% of the 200 trucks will use the Broadway/Yew/Paradise Lake Road route to SR 522. Residents pointed out the existing traffic backups at the Yew/SR 524 intersection and the Yew/Bostian/Paradise Lake Road intersection a block south. Of large concern was the increase in traffic on 206th/78th/201st (connection of Broadway and Highway 9) as Waste Management staff and locals attempt to get around the log jam of trying to get to SR 522.

A Maltby residence stated a desire for a "contract" between Waste Management and the community to keep traffic off 206th/78th/201st. Ms. Robinson stated that Waste Management has not done that before but will work with the community, the county, and the state on traffic. It did not appear that this promise made many of the residents happy. Waste Management has only done a preliminary traffic estimate and will hire an outside engineering firm to complete the required traffic plan. The plan will be reviewed by the county planners and ultimately require approval by the county Director of Planning. It is unclear what the county can require given the existing land use designation of the property.

The other issue, noise, was briefly talked about. There will be some site noise there most of the time depending on maintenance work. Most of the noise will be between the house of 4 am to 7 pm with "backup beeps" mostly between 10 am and 5 pm.

Waste Management was also faulted for not getting notification out to enough of the Maltby neighborhood. Waste Management stated that they will hold another meeting in about a month and also present a proposed traffic map.

Waste Management to Hold Community Meeting Sep 18

Earl — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:01:00 GMT

Waste Management is in the process of setting up a community meeting at the Maltby Community Club, September 18. First rumored by Peter S. in a forum posting at MaltbyNow, Waste Management has confirmed and has put a meeting on the Maltby Community Club calendar starting at 6:00 pm.

The agenda and content of the meeting is still TBA.

September 10 update. Waste Management has sent out a flyer with the agenda. The meeting starts with an open house at 6:30, a staff presentation at 7:00, Q&A at 7:30, and ends at 8:30. Light refreshments will be served.

Rural Lands Planning September Meetings

Earl — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:52:27 GMT

Just in from email (8/26/08)

Rural Lands Planning Project Public Meetings

Please Join Us in September for our Second Series of Rural Lands Meetings

· What is the common vision for our rural lands? Find out what we learned from public comments collected in June and July.

· Is this vision supported by our current policies and regulations? What are the opportunities, and process, for change?

Please join us as we continue this important conversation with citizens and rural residents.

If you participated in the June and July meetings, we hope you’ll be back to talk with us again. If you were unable to attend before, please come and give us your opinion on the future development of rural lands in Snohomish County.

The meetings will be held as follows:

1. Wednesday, September 3, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Maltby Community Club

8711 206th St. SE, Snohomish 98296

2. Wednesday, September 17, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Evergreen State Fairgrounds Longhouse

Hwy 2 and 179^th Avenue SE, Monroe 98272

3. Tuesday, September 23, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Note new date

Pioneer Hall

20722 – 67th Avenue NE, Arlington 98223

4. Thursday, September 25, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Public Meeting Room #1, Robert Drewel Bldg.

Snohomish County Campus, 3000 Rockefeller, Everett 98201

Accommodations for persons with disabilities or language barriers are available upon request for any of the meetings. Please make arrangements in advance by calling Mary Hurner at 425-388-3258.

For more information on the Rural Lands Planning Project, please:

· Check the project website by going to www.snoco.org and typing “Rural Lands Planning Project” in the Search Box.

· Contact us by email at RuralLandsProject@snoco.org

Snohomish County Planning and Development Services

Lori Lollis, Office Supervisor

Snohomish County Planning & Development Services

3000 Rockefeller Avenue, M/S 604

Everett, WA 98201

(425) 388-3311 ext. 2206

CT Bus Expansion to go to Ballot Nov. 4

Earl — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:00:00 GMT

The Herald reports that Community Transit will place a November 4 ballot measure to raise the sales tax 0.9% to extend bus service to Cathcart, Clearview, and Maltby.

Bus Service to Maltby?

Earl — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:17:51 GMT

Snohomish County's Community Transit is holding public meetings to talk about offering bus service to the Maltby area. The first of three area meetings is on Wednesday, July 30 at 4 p.m. at the Park Ridge Community Church Farmers Market
3805 Maltby Road (intersection of 524 & 35th). It is to wrap up by 8 p.m.

The second meeting is at the Clearview Foursquare Church on Thursday, July 31. The address there is 17210 Hwy 9 SE. The meeting is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The one many Maltby residents may be most interested in is on Saturday, August 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream store at 86th and Maltby Road/524. Not a bad excuse to go to an ice cream store.

There is a brief story about the possible bus service in the Everett Herald a couple of weeks ago. An expansion would require a public vote as it increased the business tax in to help pay for the bus service. The increased tax zone is shone in this picture from the article.

How would you want bus service in Maltby? Share your ideas in MaltbyNow's forum area as well.

Maltby Food Bank seeks support from local businesses

Earl — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:22:42 GMT

Plans are in full gear for the Maltby Food Bank’s annual charity auction and dinner this fall. Food Bank volunteers are now collecting donations of goods and services from local businesses and individuals to auction off at the fundraiser.

Local businesses and individuals are urged to donate fun prizes, dream trips, and fantasy gifts in order to obtain high bids from auction attendees. Big-ticket items make the live auction more exciting for the participants, while smaller donations are also welcome for the silent auction.

Donations procured so far include a pass to the front of the line at The Maltby Cafe with a complimentary meal for four served by Evening Magazine’s John Curley; a one day rental of a mini excavator from Darling Sons Int’l; and a one week rental at Villa Belpasso, Pitisliano, Italy, from Maremma Tours.

Another way businesses can support the Maltby Food Bank is by becoming an event sponsor. There are several sponsorship levels suited for any size donation: table sponsor, auction sponsor, program book sponsor, etc. For sponsorship or donation information, contact Bill Schink, capital campaign manager, at 425-398-2412.

The goal of the Maltby Food Bank is to continue improving processes for acquiring and distributing food, personal care items, school supplies, and holiday gifts to families in need, while transitioning into a community service center.

The fourth annual charity auction and dinner will be held on October 19, 2008, at The Golf Club at Echo Falls. The event is sponsored by the Langston Family of Snohomish and will be hosted by John Curley. To donate, sponsor, or buy tickets, contact Bill Schink at 425-398-2412 or Karl Gauglitz at 425-770-1349.

About Maltby Food Bank

The Maltby Food Bank was established in 1993 as a registered non-profit organization serving the southeast corner of Snohomish County, the region known as Maltby. It is 1 of 20 food banks belonging to the Snohomish County Coalition of Food Banks and the only one in an unincorporated area of the County. Since its inception, the Food Bank has existed in three different locations, including the current building for the past nine years. In 2005, the Food Bank was presented with the opportunity to purchase the building for half of the appraised value. The community, corporate sponsors, and the Woodinville Rotary Club donated funds sufficient for a down payment and Frontier Bank provided the mortgage. In January 2007, the mortgage was paid off primarily with a grant from the Medina Foundation and additional donations from the community. Ownership of the building ensures the Maltby community a permanent food bank location and provides the opportunity to transition to a community service center. The Maltby Food Bank serves approximately 100 families per week or 400 people, which includes 40% children and 10% seniors. The Food Bank is comprised of a 100% volunteer staff, with Director Fran Walster and more than 40 other volunteers. For more information, go to www.maltbyfoodbank.org.

Waste Management Permit Comments

Earl — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:20:27 GMT

Written Comments on Permit 08-106048-CP

Topic: Construction of five industrial use buildings on previously approved site.

Comments:

According to Waste Management, they propose to place on the former Calvert Industries site administrative offices, a truck depot/maintenance facility, and a greenwaste reload facility.

The permit request listed a potential impact to existing county roads. I ask you to consider this area very carefully. The Maltby area, with its recent zoning change from Rural Industrial to Urban Industrial, has seen a surge in industrial use. The number of large commercial vehicles using the existing county roads has rapidly increased. Just North on Broadway from the Waste Management site is a new warehouse facility that will continue to increase the number of large commercial vehicles on the road. Just West, Ralph’s cement pumper trucks, numerous dump trucks, and many yard maintenance trucks have arrived.

While Waste Management has not confirmed the number of large commercial vehicles that will be housed at the depot or needed to service the greenwaste reload facility, one can assume it is not trivial. Congestion trying to access State Highway 522 at peak commuter times is already quite intense. The intersection of Yew/W Bostian Rd and 524 is confused and, frankly, dangerous without the added increase expected in the Waste Management request. The State’s plans for building an interchange between 524 and 522 that may aid this situation appear to be on hold.

At a minimum, the County must widen the road in that area to provide turning lanes for all the commercial vehicles that plan to use that short stretch of Broadway. I also ask that the County get clearer plans from Waste Management on the number and type of vehicles they plan to put on the road. It is my opinion that the current county roads are not well designed for the type of traffic that the current zoning allows and must be upgraded for the planned growth to continue.

Regards

Earl

Waste Management Describes Calvert Site Use

Earl — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:43:53 GMT

MaltbyNow has been in contact with Waste Management about the use of the old Calvert Industries site. This is the reply received over the weekend from WM public relations.

Waste Management Northwest Operations and Market Area Facility

Waste Management is currently planning for the development of an 18-acre parcel of land of, previously known as the Calvert Industries site in Maltby. After acquiring the property, Waste Management spent over one million dollars in cleaning the soil of contaminants in preparation for construction. The soil quality now exceeds industrial commercial requirements. Waste Management intends to construct a facility that meets United State Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certified standards , consisting of operations support administrative offices, market area administrative offices, a truck depot/maintenance shop and a greenwaste reload facility. The facility will serve as the main administrative offices for Waste Managements Pacific Northwest Operations, which encompasses Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and British Columbia. The site has been designed to accommodate sidewalks, additional parking for the adjacent softball fields and attractive fencing.

MaltbyNow is following up to find out what "greenwaste reload" and "truck depot" mean.

County Defining "Rural" Through Pubic Forums - July Announcement

Earl — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:12:00 GMT

PUBLIC FORUM: SNOHOMISH COUNTY UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE (UDC) UPDATE PROJECT

Join us for a discussion of the Rural Lands Planning Project

When: Thursday, July 10, 2008

Morning Session: 9 am – 12 noon

Evening Session: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Same agenda for both sessions.

Where: Snohomish County Campus, Administration Building East, Meeting Room 1, 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett

Topic Area: Rural Lands Planning Project

The purpose of the Rural Lands Planning Project is to implement a community vision for the county’s rural areas. The project involves significant public participation and thorough review of current rural policies and map designations adopted in the Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan. The project also includes review of rural development regulations and allowed uses.

More information:

Topic: Rural Lands Planning Project

Through previous UDC Forums on Rural Cluster Subdivisions, the County has heard citizens’ express discontent with the types of developments approved in rural areas today, along with related concerns about water supply, traffic and other impacts on their traditional rural lifestyles.

Because some of these issues are beyond the scope of regulations governing rural cluster subdivisions, the county has initiated the Rural Lands Planning Project as a comprehensive review of all rural policies, regulations and allowed uses.

To date, the County’s rural planning work has involved intensive outreach to citizens; four weekly public meetings were held during the month of June. You can learn more about these meetings by visiting the Rural Planning Project website .

In July, the UDC Forums will feature a special presentation on rural planning and development densities. We will provide background information on current density standards and pose options for participants to “vote on” using hand-held computers that will provide instant tallies of results.

This fall, PDS will be providing County decision-makers with a full report on citizens’ opinions and preferences on rural densities and development patterns. We hope that your views will be included.

***

Unified Development Code Update Project public forums are held the first Thursday of each month (Note: the July forum will be held on the second Thursday). Forums are offered in the morning and evening to ensure as much public participation as possible.

To view the UDC Update Project website: www.snoco.org and search "UDC Update"

To view Snohomish County’s UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE: http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/PDS/Divisions/Code_Development/UDC/SCCTitle30.htm

Adele Barilleaux

Public Involvement Associate

Snohomish County Public Works

425-388-3137

Calvert Site Now Waste Management

Earl — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:30:45 GMT

The old Calvert Industries site appears to be owned now by Waste Management (WM). WM has put in a permit request to "build 5 industrial buildings" on the site. The county lists the impact to county roads as a concern.

You have probably seen the accumulation of WM carts and bins on the site. At this time there is little information about WM plans for the site. This area is currently in the Urban Industrial zone part of Maltby so any approved industrial use on the site would most likely not require public input.

There is a permit request in with the county to build "5 industrial buildings" on the site. The publicly posted site notice, previously on a side street and difficult to see, was requested to be moved onto Broadway so that it is more visible by a Maltby resident. It is still a little difficult to see as it sites on the North corner of the fence surrounded by bushes and other signs. The current permit information on the county web site lists the Scott Whitcutt as the project manager. The permit is open to written comments until July 16.

The permit also states that one of the important things to review is the impact on county roads. This impact of Waste Management vehicles may concern some Maltby residents. Broadway, which would service the WM traffic, is also serving the newly constructed warehouse facility just up the street. WM traffic would likely use SR 524 (Maltby Rd) - Yew Way or SR 522-Bostain Rd to access Broadway which are already under stress at peak commute times.

This is a section of the county Herald planning notice for June 25th.

File Name: Waste Management NW Operations Complex

File Number: 08-106048-CP

Project Description: Construction of five industrial use buildings on previously approved site.

Location: 20433 Broadway Ave., Snohomish, WA

Tax Account Number: 270524-004-002-00

Applicant: Waste Management NW

Date of application/Completeness Date: June 18, 2008

Approvals required: SEPA Threshold Determination, building permit approvals, grading for total site approval and associated constructions permits and approvals.

Concurrency: This project will be evaluated to determine if there is enough capacity on county roads to accommodate the project’s traffic impacts, and a concurrency determination will be made. Notice of the concurrency determination will be provided in the notice of project decision. The notice of decision will be provided to all parties of record for the project.

Comment Period: Submit written comments on or before July 16, 2008.

Project Manager: Scott Whitcutt, 425-388-3311, ext. 2680

Project Manager e-mail: Scott.Whitcutt@co.snohomish.wa.us

MaltbyNow has contacted WM requesting clarification of the intended use.

SR 522/SR 524 Interchange Still On Hold

Earl — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:30:58 GMT

The planned interchange between SR 522 and SR 524 is still on hold awaiting funding from the State. The interchange will reroute traffic in the Maltby area when it is constructed.

State plans for the interchange include rerouting Broadway and aligning it to 87th NE. According to the State Department of Transportation web site, the reroute would go through Maltby Cafe area and most likely through the P.O.P. Electric building.

The diagram from the DOT web site (copied below) proposes that a traffic light be placed at the intersection of the 87th and the rerouted Broadway. Some Maltby residents may welcome the light to deal with the many large vehicles that make a turn at 87th and SR 524 (Maltby Rd).

Westside traffic desiring access to SR 522 must access it from the rerouted Broadway and 86th intersection. W Bostain Road, which currently serves as the Westside traffic entrance will be blocked from SR 522 and SR 524. Traffic currently accessing SR 522 from Northbound W Bostain Road would appear to need to drive further north and backtrack on Broadway.

Eastside traffic current going using Paradise Lake Road will continue on a rerouted Paradise Lake Road. A new light would exist at the intersection of Paradise Lake Road and rerouted Bostain Road.

A June 2008 update on the DOT web site states that the design is currently 90% complete but no funds are left to complete it. It further states that no land has been purchased.

The project engineer is currently Sharif Shaklawun. The web site says the engineer is open to questions or comments.

Malt-1/2 Docket XIII Removal a Mixed Blessing

Earl — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:35:00 GMT

Several Maltby residents recently participated in a public hearing reviewing requests of zoning changes to be included in Docket XIII before the Snohomish County Council in June. While there were statement both for and against the proposed zoning changes for parts of Maltby, the against carried the day. While this may seem as a victory for many Maltby residents, it is bittersweet at best.

Our hearts must go out to those who asked to have their current RUTA zoning designation changed to Urban Industrial in Malt-1. Currently their property has, in many cases, a grass blade separation between them and "urban" Maltby. A ball hit a little to hard can sail past the razor wire and under the cement pumper trucks. Don't even think of letting the children walk down to the ice cream parlor.

Then there are those in Malt-2 who have seen their home values plummet as million dollar vista turn into warehouse eyesores. Many are awaking way to early as the dump trucks that find the "urban" land to be cheap parking start up to their jobs many miles away.

Yes, the mistake which is the Maltby Urban Area didn't expand . . . for now.

However, we must see this as only the beginning. The residents who favored Malt-1 and Malt-2 want out. Some will wait hoping for the change to Urban zoning and the recovery of the value, not of their homes, but of the land. Others will take what little of the value of their homes are left and sell. Note, however, that those buying their home will most likely not be interested in raising families but speculators who have the money and time to wait while allowing the property to deteriorate.

Maltby will change. There is little doubt to that. Those who came here for a rural setting are probably already considering their options. Those who looked for a combination of land and acceptable commuting distance may hand on a bit longer.

The only question remaining is how will it change. Will we, the residents of Maltby, have a say or will we just be bystanders? The time is now.