A decision by the Snohomish County Council next week could clear the way for much taller buildings near Lynnwood.

On May 5 the Council is expected to approve new design standards for urban centers that would allow buildings up to 18-stories high in parts of unincorporated Snohomish County – including 44th Avenue SW on the Mountlake Terrace/Lynnwood border, Highway 99 and 156th Street SW, and I-5 and 164th Street SW.

According to the Everett Herald, the County Council has also outlined a process to give neighboring cities input on urban centers they could one day annex, although the cities would not have veto power.