Southwest Snohomish County
Council to decide if downtown stays short or grows up

By Diane Brooks
Times Snohomish County Bureau

HARLEY SOLTES / THE SEATTLE TIMES A downtown building-height limit of 33 feet, developers say, would allow two stories of condos atop street-level commercial spaces. However, many residents want to preserve the predominance of one- and two-story buildings, and taller buildings wouldn't be allowed in the heart of downtown, above.

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Well, it's something, at least.

Everyone seems to agree that the heart of downtown Edmonds, a roughly one-square-block area around the fountain circle, should be saved for posterity. No three-story buildings. High ceilings. Retail on the ground floor.

But the long-term character of the rest of downtown lies in the hands of the Edmonds City Council, which early next year is expected to vote on a much-debated proposal to allow slightly taller buildings just beyond the fountain at Main Street and Fifth Avenue.

If maximum building heights were increased from 30 to 33 feet, developers say, they could build two stories of lucrative condos atop street-level commercial spaces. A recent consultant report concluded that's the only financially feasible way redevelopment can occur downtown.

Under proposed rules being completed by the city's Planning Board, new storefronts would have minimum ceiling heights of 12 feet, a requirement aimed at preserving the downtown's historic flavor.

Developers in recent years have crammed two stories of condos over new retail spaces by sinking the ground floor below street level or by creating storefronts with unnaturally low ceilings. Many of those spaces remain empty years after construction.

The City Council reportedly is split on the proposal, which is contained within a comprehensive planning document required by the state Growth Management Act. The city's Downtown/Waterfront Plan, adopted in 1995, must be updated every 10 years.

Council President Michael Plunkett sides with the 1,000-plus residents who have signed petitions opposing a building-height change.

"The premise that we need it for economic development is, I believe, false," Plunkett said. "We have one of the most vibrant downtowns in the Puget Sound area."

Edmonds has other opportunities for boosting its tax base, Plunkett added, including the Highway 99 commercial corridor and million-dollar view condos under construction on the former Unocal site.
 
"And to finish it off, the people in Edmonds don't want" increased building heights downtown, he said with a laugh.

Councilwoman Mauri Moore, however, isn't sure the petition signers were fully educated about the issues.

"People may not understand we are talking about 3 extra feet," Moore said. "Topographical studies show no views will be blocked; people who live in the bowl will still be able to see the water."

Moore supports the height increase to protect the city's long-term economic health. The city would gain additional property taxes, retailers would make more sales to the growing numbers of downtown residents, and the denser housing would help satisfy the state's growth-management goals, she said.

"If we want [downtown] to look exactly like it is today, we could have it bronzed," she said. "The question is, would the city be able to survive under those conditions?"

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com