We continue to advocate for bus queue jumps and a lighter design for the Sound Transit bus rapid transit (BRT) project in our community, but there's a new concern that would further degrade the environment and quality of life that we value in Lake Forest Park!
Washington Senate Bill 5466 would override Lake Forest Park (LFP) zoning control and allow multi-family apartments up to nine stories tall in most of Lake Forest Park around our new bus rapid transit corridor!
Astonishingly, It would waive parking requirements for developers with the assumption that all new apartment residents would use the new BRT instead of driving their own vehicles! This would continue the dark corridor of tall buildings where you will never see the sun as you drive down the roadway!
LFP is a small city (less than 14,000 residents) that will be forever changed if this legislation passes and the concrete corridor of BRT is coupled with high-rise building throughout our community.
For a small city such as LFP, increased density and growth should be proportionate to our smaller geographic and demographic footprint. The magnitude of transit-oriented density in SB5466 that makes sense for larger cities such as Seattle or Shoreline or Lynnwood will be overwhelming, disproportionate, and environmentally devastating for Lake Forest Park.
Our community is already heavily impacted by two major state highways. It is threaded with deep ravines and fish bearing streams, making protection of the tree canopy critical. Applying the density provisions of SSB 5466 in LFP will actually undermine regional climate resilience and watershed environmental goals.
LFP supports proportionate and "reasonable" increased density along transit corridors. Our current zoning already allows 5 story buildings and increased density at our Town Center, and 7 story buildings and increased density at the south end of SR 522. Current zoning will provide housing density that more than exceeds LFP's growth targets under the Puget Sound Regional Council's Vision 2050. The Washington Senate Bill 5466 does NOT account for infrastructure needs such as water, sewer, police and fire. Other small cities in Washington will be similarly affected.
This bill has passed the Senate and is currently pending a vote in the House. We are asking for either an amendment to exempt small cities like ours from the bill or an amendment to exempt bus rapid transit since it is lower density transportation than light rail.
Please write to our House representatives to tell them what you think about this bill. For citizens of Lake Forest Park, use the legislative comment system for our state reps (you don’t need to write to all three since there is a checkbox in the comment form to have your message sent to all three.)
Rep. Davina Duerr
Rep. Shelley Kloba
Sen. Derek Sanford
For those in other Washington small cities, find reps for your legislative district, select one and choose email:
Washington State Legislature https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
For additional information and suggested letter text please see the CORE website where you will find information on this issue as well as all associated documentation.