Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs updated Nov. 2006
LIGHT, NOISE AND OTHER SITE IMPACTS
Field Use, Light and Noise (11 comments)
Concern: What is the projected use of the sports fields? What will be the impact of site and field lighting on the neighborhood? How will noise be mitigated?
Response: The School District, the City of Lynnwood and other community groups will use the fields. The level of use is expected to match that at the existing Lynnwood facility. There will be regular evening and weekend use of the fields. Maximum hours of operation, light and noise impacts are governed by County regulations, which require that noise levels drop substantially at 10:00 PM. The School District will schedule all major field events to be held at the District Stadium, next to Edmonds-Woodway High School. There will be no stadium at the new Lynnwood High School and seating at all fields will be limited and uncovered. Field lights will be designed to virtually eliminate any direct spillage beyond the District property. There will be some glow above the fields. Field Lighting will be turned off at 10:00 PM. The new lights at Lynndale Park provide a practical example. City of Lynnwood staff reports that the Lynndale Park neighbors are very satisfied with that installation. The parking lot lights will be controlled by photocell with a timer and manual override. Usual District practice is to light the parking lots from dusk until 10:30 PM, and, turn them on at 5:00 AM until it is light. If there is a dance or other event at the school that runs later, the parking lights will be left on until the event is over. As part of the formal environmental review process, the District has hired an acoustical consultant to prepare technical noise studies of all impacts. Based on that study, the District has developed specific mitigation measures, which have been approved by the County as part of the Conditional Use Permit process.
Wetlands, Habitat and Buffers (4 comments)
Concern: How will existing wetlands be preserved and protected? What will be done to preserve existing wildlife habitat?
Response: The County stipulates the precise boundaries of all wetlands and sensitive areas on the site. A 50-foot buffer for the wetland surrounding the stream and 25-foot buffer for the isolated wetland just north of school building is required. Within that buffer, conditions are to be maintained in their natural state. As part of the formal environmental review process, the District’s environmental consultants did not identify any habitat of protected species outside the buffer. Mmitigation measures have been developed and will be implemented as part of the project.
Concern: What types of tree and shrub buffers will be provided between the school and neighbors? (e.g. Martha Lake Elementary) Will the landscaping design minimize or eliminate the need for pesticides?
Response: There will be landscaped or natural vegetation buffers around the entire site. For sensitive areas along the creek and wetlands, the buffer will be wider. The design team includes professional arborists to help evaluate existing trees and shrubs. The District intends to retain existing vegetation if it is appropriate, and is likely to survive. The landscaping design for the perimeter of the property, including the buffers emphasizes indigenous, low-maintenance plantings. The District will apply its existing Integrated Pest Management policy to the new Lynnwood site. There will be no regular maintenance in the wetland or stream buffer areas. Most of the playfields will be permeable, artificial turf, which does not require irrigation, fertilizer or pesticides. As mentioned above, the maintained buffers will emphasize indigenous, low-maintenance plantings. Any application of pesticides will comply with District policy. Additional native evergreen trees will be planted after the building is constructed to screen views of neighboring houses to the west from the school per an agreement with the Woodland Trails Homeowners' Association.
Location, Property Values, Schedule (4 comments)
Concern: How well will the proposed location serve the intended geographic student population?
Response: The North Road site is roughly midway between the north and south boundaries of the Lynnwood High attendance area. It is near the eastern portion of the attendance area. The District’s transportation department has reviewed this location and finds it very feasible to serve. Given the continuing residential development around the site, it is well placed to serve the area.
Concern: What are the impact and safety concerns with the natural gas pipeline running so close to the school?
Response: The natural gas pipeline runs along the north side of Floral Hills cemetery, south of 184th. It is approximately 800 to 1,000 feet from the nearest edge of the school building. This separation exceeds safety standards by a considerable margin.
Concern: How does adding a high school to a neighborhood impact property values?
Response: The School District has reviewed the research on this subject and found no definitive link between having a high school nearby and value of a particular property. Generally, good schools are seen as having a beneficial effect on property values. A practical example can be found by viewing the neighborhoods around Edmonds-Woodway, Meadowdale, and Mountlake Terrace High Schools.
Concern: Is September 2009 the “earliest” opening date?
Response: September 2009 is the most likely date for opening the school for student use. It does not appear possible to open the building by September 2008.
PARKING, SITE SIGNAL AND INTERSECTIONS, OTHER SITE TRAFFIC
Parking (4 comments)
Concern: What evidence is there that the proposed parking will be adequate? e.g. comparison with conditions at current LHS and other schools. What parking control measures will be implemented on all side streets surrounding new Lynnwood High School?
Response: The District has surveyed parking at all four comprehensive high schools. Results of that survey are shown below:
|
New Lynnwood |
Current Lynnwood |
Edmonds–Woodway |
Mountlake Terrace |
Meadowdale |
Total parking spaces |
450 |
450 |
434 |
537 |
461 |
Student enrollment (a) |
1,600(c) |
1,474 |
1,811 |
1,681 |
1,556 |
Student parking permits |
– |
300 |
300 |
300 |
370 |
Total parked cars (b) |
300–375(c) |
298 |
338 |
355 |
362 |
Spaces provided per student: |
0.28 |
0.31 |
0.24 |
0.32 |
0.30 |
Spaces used per student: |
0.19 - 0.23 |
0.20 |
0.19 |
0.21 |
0.23 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Actual headcount enrollment Nov. 1, 2005 |
|
(b) Counts Wed., Nov. 2, 2005, 9:00-10:30 a.m. |
(c) Estimated planned enrollment, and parking demand based on demand rates observed at other ESD high schools |
Site Signal and Intersections (5 comments)
Concern: How will the design of access to the school site affect traffic on North Road and intersecting streets? e.g. 184th, Bellflower, 183rd. What will be the extent and impact of turn lanes? Will there be a traffic signal at the school entrance and what would its impact be? Why is there only one passenger vehicle entrance?
Response: In consultation with Snohomish County, the District’s design consultants have prepared plans for the improvements the District will make on North Road and 184th, as part of the school construction project. The design features: new vehicular turn lanes on the school side of North Road, a traffic signal, lighted crosswalk, curbs and gutters, bike lane, planting strip, and concrete sidewalks. Opposite the main entry on North Road, a section of sidewalk will be placed in anticipation of a future northbound bus stop. Asphalt shoulders will be provided at other locations east of North Road and on both sides of North Road south of 184th, to help with realignment of the road. On the school side of 184th Street SW a turn lane, sidewalk, planting strip, curbs, and gutters will be provided. In addition, the District is paying $528,000 to Snohomish County and the City of Mill Creek for local traffic improvements.
The District is currently seeking permission from the County to install a traffic signal at the school’s passenger car entrance on North Road.
The school site will have two vehicular entrances, one on North Road for passenger vehicles, and one on 184th for buses, service vehicles, and employees. Separating bus and passenger traffic improves safety. The design makes it possible for passenger cars to use the 184th entrance, if needed, or for school buses to utilize the North Road signal, if needed.
Other Site Traffic Issues (2 comments)
Concern: What type / how much traffic will be caused by construction? How will the school district prevent student from going into neighborhood during school hours and what can neighbors do if this happens?
Response: Construction vehicles will be required to park and load/unload on site. Construction traffic can be controlled with haul route agreements as part of permitting. Additionally, construction traffic is determined to be temporary in nature and would be well below the level of school/bus traffic that has been analyzed in the concurrency traffic study.
Lynnwood High School is a closed campus. Students are not permitted off-campus during school hours, and school administrators are committed to enforcing this rule. Neighbors should call the school office if they have concerns.
AREA TRAFFIC
Traffic Improvement Process (3 comments)
Concern: What is the process for determining major road improvement needs and implementing construction projects? What will be the traffic impact of the new high school and how will they be mitigated? Will there be public transit service on North Road?
Response: Snohomish County develops and updates a road needs list, and schedules projects for twenty, ten and six year planning periods. With the anticipated transportation funding shortages for local projects in the twenty year horizon, projects have been grouped into corridor improvements (CASI), spot improvements on a corridor (ALOSI) and enhancements. As currently programmed, North Road is identified as an ALOSI. Classification of improvements will be re-evaluated on a periodic basis. In addition, the County prepares Inadequate Road Condition (IRC) reports for specific locations to determine if safety improvements are needed. The County has reviewed the traffic impacts of the proposed Lynnwood High School and determined that its impacts are within allowable capacity and performance standards. The School District will be required to widen North Road along the District’s property to an urban standard, including curb, gutter and sidewalk. The District also will pay a traffic impact mitigation fee in the rough range of half a million dollars. This fee is based on the number of vehicle trips the school will generate, and follows the same statutory formula applied to all developments. The County and the School District have initiated discussions with Community Transit about providing public bus service along North Road. Community Transit has indicated that they are interested in exploring the possibility as part of its six-year plan process. Results of this plan will be revealed in spring 2007 by Community Transit.
Improvements to North Road (9 comments)
Concern: Traffic on North Road is already a real problem. What are the plans for widening and straightening North Road, adding turn lanes, sidewalks, and otherwise bringing it up to an urban standard?
Response: The County has submitted funding proposals for improving North Road. These proposals have not rated high enough in competitive comparisons to receive funding for the 6 year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) but have been placed on the County’s latest proposed 10 year improvement list in the Comprehensive Plan update. In response to concerns at the September 28, 2005 meeting about Lynnwood High School, the County is also preparing Inadequate Road Condition reports for portions of North road including the intersections of Bellflower and Gravenstein.
Traffic through Wood Trails (7 comments)
Concern: There is already too much traffic going through the Wood Trails neighborhood. When will there be an alternate E/W route between North Road and Larch? e.g. extending 184th to Larch? How will high school traffic be prevented from going through Wood Trails?
Response: Previously the County has evaluated connecting routes from North Road to Larch, including alignments at 178th or 184th. All alignments were expensive, faced significant challenges of topography and right-of-way, and were strongly opposed by local residents. The design of the new Lynnwood High School would not preclude the extension of 184th.
There is no feasible way to restrict legal traffic movement through Wood Trails. The County and the School District will work with residents to address illegal behavior. Lynnwood High School will continue to have a School Resource Officer (SRO), a law enforcement officer assigned and located at the school.
If you have comments, questions or concerns please call:
Debra Born, Capital Projects Manager, Edmonds School District, (425) 431-7164; bornd@edmonds.wednet.edu
Jim Bloodgood, Traffic Engineer, Snohomish County, (425) 388-6419; jim.bloodgood@co.snohomish.wa.us
Carol Thompson, Supervisor of Coordination & Planning, Community Transit, (425) 348-2334; carol.thompson@commtrans.org
