Controversial project in northeast Lacey gets thumbs up from hearings examiner
Lacey’s hearings examiner who listened to more than four hours of public testimony during a hearing last month is recommending approval of a conditional use permit for a controversial project called Meridian Market & Gas, the city announced Wednesday.
The project, which would bring a convenience store and gas pumps to a residential neighborhood, has been pitched by Federal Way-based Northwest Investors LLC for a corner lot at 8808 Campus Glen Drive NE, opposite a city park.
The proposal became controversial almost immediately after it was proposed and hundreds of residents in the area have submitted comments to the city opposing it. There also have been protests at the proposed development site.
However, the examiner notes that “community displeasure alone ... cannot be the basis of a permit denial.”
“Rather, the Hearings Examiner must review the proposal for compliance with municipal code requirements, the comprehensive plan, and other governing regulations,” the examiner’s decision reads.
On those points, the proposal meets city requirements, according to the examiner.
“The proposed development would be consistent with several comprehensive plan goals and policies by providing neighborhood shopping and services within the neighborhood commercial land use designation and zone, while incorporating pedestrian-friendly features and utilizing design elements to ensure the use is compatible with surrounding uses,” the examiner writes, adding “gas stations are allowed in the NC zone with a conditional use permit.”
The property in question was zoned low-density residential when it was annexed by Lacey in 1992. In 2003, the city changed the site’s land use and zoning to neighborhood commercial.
Still, the examiner’s decision is not likely to pacify project opponents, and the project will come before Lacey City Council June 2.
The examiner noted the number of comments received in his decision.
“The city received over 400 public comments on the proposal ... as well as a petition urging denial of the permit with 550 signatories,” he writes. “The overwhelming majority of comments expressed opposition to the project and raised concerns about the proposed development’s impacts on traffic, pedestrian safety, air pollution, noise pollution, light pollution, crime, property values, and neighborhood compatibility.”
The Olympian reached out to one of those residents about the hearings examiner’s decision.
“We’re very disappointed,” said resident Cheryl Ricevuto. “We feel we, the community, made a good case for why the conditional use permit should not be granted. Hundreds of written comments and dozens of speakers at the hearing made a strong case for no gas station. No need for one, no one wants one, it’s the wrong business for that spot. The grocery, if it lives up to the application hype, would be a good addition to the neighborhood. The gas station, not.
“We understand that the City Council typically follows the recommendations of the land use folks in these decisions, but we hope they, too, take time to read the comments and make the decision that’s best for the community, not the developer.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
