Developers planning to build a 360-unit apartment complex with more than 700 parking spaces in the rural Snohomish County town of Maltby heard direct hostility and pointed questions from neighbors who adamantly oppose the project and still hope to stop it.
The Wolff Company, which has been granted county clearance to build the complex, invited neighbors to an open forum Wednesday night with free wine and beer, to introduce themselves, and answer questions and concerns.
"Where don't have all the answers," said developer Greg Van Patten, "We're here tonight to listen."
From the outset, the project developers heard full-throated opposition from neighbors in a room packed with people who questioned and even heckled the developers. Virtually every complaint cited intense traffic congestion on Paradise Lake Road, where the complex is slated to be built.
"Spend some time and think about what you're going to do to all of us," said one neighbor.
Wolff's plans for the complex include 15 three-story buildings spread over 17 acres, where an abandoned farmhouse now stands.
"Congestion in this place is going to go way out of control." David Eggleson, whose property is directly behind the site.
"Right now you can easily sit in traffic at the Paradise Lake Road for over an hour," said Heather Young, who cited WSDOT's plans to rebuild the currently failing intersection with State Route 522, when funding is available -- in the year 2025.
"I get hit, almost once a week trying to back out of my driveway, said a neighbor who stood atop a table to shout to developers across the room. "And this is really going to add another 700 vehicles to that?"
People fighting the project have created online petitions and Facebook pages, hoping to stop the construction from happening, because they say the schools are already overcrowded. They add that there's no local police department to serve hundreds more people. The area is served by Snohomish County Sheriff deputies, spread to cover a vast surrounding area, including Maltby.
"We all aspire to build great projects we'd be proud to call home," said Wolff's Van Patten. "We hear their concerns and we want to hear their ideas, and we want to be good neighbors," he said.
Opponents say they will address the County Council in their next scheduled meeting, December 20.