The Stanwood Town Council and personnel have paused plans to establish a civic campus on the hill and are getting a nearer search at new web-sites for the Town Hall and law enforcement department.
In a particular Stanwood City Council workshop Thursday, the council listened to new info and zeroed in on possibilities, such as two new web-sites — existing properties in town with renovation alternatives.
To better investigation solutions, the city in February hired Mackenzie — a agency that provides quite a few expert services in the field of architecture, engineering and land use planning. Stanwood first hired in Mackenzie in June 2019 to program a civic campus close to Church Creek Park and Stanwood High Faculty.
In February, the mayor and some council customers have been not sure of this path. They requested the agency to delve into options before continuing with a expensive new complicated on the hill.
They sketched out some details and looked at probable value tags for every solution:
- Choice A1: Assemble the civic center with City Corridor, council chamber and law enforcement station on the hill as prepared. Cost: $15.4 million.
- Alternative B1: Create a law enforcement station on the hill, with a neighborhood and a council chamber. Town Hall would be in other places with its individual expense. Price tag: $10.1 million.
- Solutions A2 and B2: The metropolis could acquire .75-1 acres to broaden Church Creek Park. Value: $1.3 million-$3 million.
- Possibility C: Renovate the existing Town Hall with toilet, breakroom and kitchen area updates. Expense: $672,000.
- Option D: Hold existing Metropolis Hall and make a council chamber building next door in the floodplain. Council removed this prepare as as well expensive.
- New Choice E: Two new locations to consider: The previous Umpqua Financial institution building at 9810 Highway 532, around the Hamilton tower or the athletic club at 9612 270th St. NW east of Skagit Regional Clinic. Expense: $3 million-$10 million.
One more look at the hill
Developing a new facility is the most highly-priced preference. Some cost savings are attained in Alternative A with law enforcement, Metropolis Corridor and council sharing prevalent areas, corridors and parking. Both equally A and B choices share parking with Church Creek Park, Mackenzie job supervisor Rachel Hedlof said.
“I’m nevertheless a powerful believer in design A,” reported Councilmember Rob Johnson, who formerly worked for FEMA and reported shifting the facilities “out of the floodplain and liquefaction zone is crucial.”
Councilmember Dianne White also attested to the liquefaction issues in the downtown place. Yrs back, vibrations from setting up infrastructure less than 271st Road caused liquefaction problems to adjacent sidewalks and qualities without having an earthquake, she explained.
Alternative B has a more compact footprint with just a law enforcement station, council chambers and local community rooms.
The two A and B are at the exact same web page on the hill on 72nd Avenue around Freeway 532.
Councilmember Sid Roberts didn’t like the spot for the reason that of website traffic difficulties and the price to taxpayers.
Councilmember Timothy Pearce agreed that site visitors is an problem. He explained though the high school has not entirely opened, faculty site visitors already backs up to turn east onto the freeway.
The town will before long evaluate an current visitors analyze that was accomplished recently for that site.
To save City Corridor
Choice C, the aged art deco Metropolis Corridor setting up is in the floodplain. Raising the historical setting up higher than the floodplain could price up to $1.3 million, an selection deemed as well risky and costly. To repair it devoid of triggering floodplain requirements, renovation fees need to be retained down below $227,900, or fifty percent of its present-day marketplace value.
Strategies connect with for $246,000 in design — marginally a lot more than what FEMA enables for each 12 months with out necessitating floodplain advancements — and $426,000 in “soft” expenses like furnishings, which don’t set off FEMA necessities. The city can use furnishings to make the room movement, Community Development Director Patricia Really like reported.
Pearce mentioned he needs to maintain City Corridor where by it is. The metropolis has invested dollars in it, and it’s in superior condition, he claimed. Like other cities that have managed their historical structures, he’d like to maintain it in use.
Other council customers confirmed curiosity in preserving it as a parks and recreation building or local community center, which is what Councilmember Steve Shepro reported it was originally.
Councilmember Judy Williams mentioned Stanwood desires a significant place for community conferences.
New to the mix
For Choice E, Like and City Administer Jennifer Ferguson looked at two present buildings with renovation choices.
They toured the 30,000 sq.-foot building that once housed an athletic club, actual physical remedy workplace and other businesses. It was developed in 2005 to satisfy floodplain specifications. At this time valued at $5.3 million, the making requirements renovations to develop into a municipal campus.
Ferguson mentioned the major setting up at present has leased tenants. With these kinds of a large building, there is place to house various departments, moreover home for the police department, council chambers and even the library. The building also has an elevator, pool, locker rooms and secure underground parking, she claimed.
Shepro proposed the metropolis could lease unused place to carry in money.
A lot of council customers were being fascinated in getting out additional about this web page.
“The city needs a existence downtown,” Councilmember Darren Robb reported.
The city has been investing and defending the floodplain component of city with the flood berm and drainage and setting up the downtown revitalization assignments. Robb stated city amenities should remain someplace downtown mainly because of all the perform to strengthen downtown.
Like and Ferguson haven’t but toured the lesser financial institution creating however, but Really like stated it has place for enlargement.
Stanwood Police Main Rob Martin reported that transferring the law enforcement from one former financial institution constructing to a different previous lender building is not a trouble. However targeted traffic at the highway locale could be a problem.
“Our following measures would be a further dive into what these renovations would need to have to be,” Ferguson claimed.
City staff will pursue council questions and passions then appear back again to the next council meeting with more facts as council proceeds to narrow the solutions.