Change to land use makes way for hospital
June 12, 2009
By Michael Rowe
In a 6-1 vote, Snoqualmie City Council approved a change to the land uses allowed on an undeveloped piece of Snoqualmie Ridge property. The change would permit the relocation of the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital and possibly attract a hotel and other new businesses.
The only hitch in the council’s decision to change the uses allowed for the piece of property known as S-21 was whether or not to allow a drive-thru restaurant on the property. Snoqualmie has typically not favored drive-thru restaurants, but since the S-21 site is next to Interstate 90, the council eventually decided that a drive-thru in that area would be okay.
The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital needed the city’s decision to move forward with its deal on the property, which was contingent on being allowed a change of land use. The Ridge developers would like to bring a hotel and possibly more retail to the site.
Developer Dave Dorothy said that he was discussing selling property for a hotel with a hotel developer. He told the council that allowing a drive-thru could encourage a developer to locate a hotel on the spot. He said that the hotel developer viewed the hospital as an anchor for the site. In developer’s terminology, an anchor is any business that brings customers to the development.
“We don’t want to be hamstrung by having only one or two uses there,” Dorothy said.
Councilman Jeff MacNichols made it clear that he was against allowing a fast food restaurant on the property. However, he also made it clear that he was in favor of the site as a location for the new hospital.
“Once you open the uses up, you can’t close them,” MacNichols said.
Other members of the council thought that a drive-thru restaurant could be designed in an attractive way. They pointed to the Shell gas station and convenience store at the intersection of Douglas and Snoqualmie Parkway.
Councilman Robert Jeans made the point that the S-21 property was not adjacent to the official gateway to the city. He said that people going to Snoqualmie would drive up the hill from the freeway and see the “Welcome to Snoqualmie” and the view of the Valley from the Ridge. He said that a drive-thru at S-21 would serve interstate travelers, and that allowing one on the site wouldn’t have a snowball effect of bringing more of those businesses to town.
MacNichols questioned whether a drive-in restaurant would take business away from other dining establishments in the city. Councilwoman Kathi Prewitt argued that it wouldn’t because a drive-thru would serve a different demographic.
City Attorney Pat Anderson said that it wasn’t a smart idea to drive away a possible retail establishment in a down-turned economy. He also questioned the legality of approving land uses for the site on a case-by-case basis, which was suggested by MacNichols as a way to get over his objections to a drive-thru restaurant. Anderson said that such an approach could be found to be arbitrary and capricious exercises of the city’s power to regulate land use.
Councilwoman Maria Henriksen said that a drive-thru would be compatible with freeway use, and would also be compatible with the hospital and a hotel.
Councilman Kingston Wall said that he agreed with Jeans’ assessment that the true gateway of the city was up the hill from the site.
Councilman Charles Peterson said that it was important to support the hospital, and not hold it up with an argument on other land uses at S-21.
“If we’re going to get a hospital built in the Valley, it’s going to be now,” Peterson said.
MacNichols cast the only vote against the change to the allowed uses for the property.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 248.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
