At its business meeting Feb. 26, the Lynnwood City Council approved a development adding 36 units of affordable housing to a preexisting senior apartment complex. 

Previously, seniors shared their concerns about possible displacement and quantity of parking spots to be available as a result of the new units. During public comment Monday, one more renter reiterated parking concerns. 

The complex is owned by the Northwest Housing Preservation Group, which –, in addition to another compromise it made regarding income limits – worked with the City of Lynnwood’s Business and Development Department to create a series of conditions aimed at  addressing residents’ concerns.

To proceed with construction, developers must:

• Provide at least 70 parking stalls during construction to be located on-site or within the immediate vicinity of the property
• Provide detailed plans for construction phasing and tenant relocation.
• Hold a meeting with tenants explaining the relocation sequence and timing.
• Monitor parking availability and provide an annual report of parking demand to development and business services. This report will be submitted to the council and city administration every January and provide the average unit vacancy and the number of vehicles permanently parked on the site. 

Currently, 70 vehicles are registered for 122 units. After construction, 106 stalls will be available for 158 units.

It was determined that some level of displacement will be unavoidable as the building’s plumbing requires significant work, but owners assured the council that they will make efforts to minimize the level and duration of relocation. Construction is expected to last about one year. The council’s vote to approve was unanimous. 

In other business, during council comments, Council President George Hurst lamented that legislation  designed to cap rent increases at 5-7% per year failed to pass committee in the 2024 state legislative session. 

He said while this year’s legislative bills were generally focused on apartment renters, owners of manufactured homes were also seeing exponential increases in lot prices and “economic evictions.” Tenants of Royalwood Estates Mobile Home Park, he said, had recently seen a steep rent increase. 

According to Hurst, the property was purchased in 2023 by an investment company called Collective Communities, whose only presence in Washington was a mailbox in Vancouver, Wash. strip mall. He added that Collective Communities has “a history of raising rents at a great rate,” and  stated that renters at Royalwood Estates are seeing a 32% rent increase from two years ago. Martha Lake Park was also purchased by Collective Communities and renters there are experiencing a 28% rent increase. Another park saw a 16% increase last year and renters will be facing a 30% increase this year. Hurst said that although the council could not change rent, it needed to consider steps it can take  locally to assist renters and manufactured-home owners who are facing significant financial stress.

Later, the council authorized the purchase of 4.48 acres of land adjacent to another city parcel referred to as Lund’s Gulch Open Space. Owners offered the land to the city at a discounted rate of $750,000, a discount of $440,000. Stipulations of a Snohomish County Conservation Futures grant require that the space be used primarily for conservation and environmental preservation, but staff said that the area will be accessible to the public through the use of nature trails. 

Councilmember Patrick Decker previously expressed doubts about the purchase as he was concerned that the public would not use the space since it couldn’t be developed into a park. He proposed an amendment to the motion that would clarify the space could also be used for recreation as described by staff in the previous discussion. Lynnwood Parks and Recreation staff said they had no concerns that the amendment would interfere with grant funding. The amendment and motion to authorize purchase both passed unanimously.

Also unanimously approved was the reallocation of funds that went unused after the Lynnwood Police Department received $15,000 in 2023 for the purchase of gift cards to be distributed in a gun buyback program. Unused gift cards totaling about $7,300 could not be returned without significant loss due to fees. Police asked that the cards be distributed to property owners for the purpose of graffiti cleanup on their property. The cards can be requested by contacting the Lynnwood Police Department. 

One final motion approved by the council raised the pay range for the assistant court administrator position from a range of $46.72- 60.16 per hour to $56.54-72.79 per hour. The position has been vacant for over a year, and the pay increase aims to fill the vacancy by making the salary more equitable and competitive.

Other items at the Monday meeting included:

• A statement by Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell on a shooting that occurred Feb. 25. 

“I’m beyond grateful that nobody was seriously injured in this incident, including the juvenile pedestrians.This incident could have ended far more violently and for that, I am grateful. The level of brazenness and brutality is deeply concerning, eroding the feeling of safety for our members of our community as well as our officers. While more police officers may sound like the easy solution, it is not the complete answer. We cannot have an officer stationed at every corner, on every road, near every building. We do need more officers– specifically more specialty officers for our specialty units. There is a light at the end of the tunnel; We currently have five new hires working their way through the academy and they should be on patrol by midsummer. We are actively working to fill our remaining vacancies. In the meantime we have an incredibly dedicated and professional group of men and women in our Lynnwood Police Department that will continue to work this case.” 

• Postponing discussions of a possible external audit so that the city attorney has more time to research the subject.
• Holding a private executive session pertaining to a quarterly claims update as presented by city clerks.

— By Jasmine Contreras-Lewis