MARYSVILLE – For developers of the proposed five-story, 92-unit Hotel America next to I-5, it’s all about location, location, location.
But for neighbors who live on 36th – along with anyone else who uses the already busy 88th Street NE – it’s all about traffic, traffic, traffic.
At City Hall July 20, planning manager Chris Holland of the city said the meeting was to educate the public about the proposal. He emphasized that a project just to the south that includes a Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and medical facility already has been approved and soon will break ground.
More in the audience seemed upset about that project than the hotel one, saying the public wasn’t involved enough.
Attendees said they have read horror stories about traffic problems caused by Chick-fil-A. City officials said that restaurant is being required to put in a right-turn-only lane to improve traffic flow. Officials also said the hotel could be required to mitigate traffic, too, once an analysis is done. But it won’t bring in the traffic that the restaurant does, they said.
Construction is expected to start next spring, with an opening planned for May of 2019.
“That gives us a lot of time to get everything right,” said Gil Hulsmann of Abbey Road Group development services.
He said they want to hear concerns of neighbors to see if potential problems could be mitigated. “When we come to the city we already want to have addressed concerns you might have,” he said.
He noted the group changed the name because of the Tulalip copyrighted name, and it was scaled down from 114 rooms and 76,370 square feet to 64,535.
Asked why it has to be 55-feet high, he said it’s because “we can’t spread out” due to the number of required parking spaces. A building that tall would mean a significant loss of privacy, someone said.
One resident expressed concern that there is only one way in and out of their development of 200 houses. But Holland said talks are continuing with the Tulalip Tribes to see if that can be fixed.
One person asked Holland if residents can do anything to stop the project. Since the plan is already a permitted use it would be hard, but there always is an appeal process, Holland said.
When one neighborhood resident said the city already messed up 116th, Holland countered that there are many plans in the future to improve 88th. Those include making 88th three lanes to the east, turning lanes at State and 88th, and an interchange similar to what’s at 41st and I-5 in Everett. “That will mean drastic improvements,” city traffic engineer Jesse Hannahs said.
