There are interesting decisions and meetings coming up involving future development around the already busy interchange of I-5 and Slater Road.
How to Spend Over $20 million
The recent legislative session committed over $20 million to “interchange improvements.” What those improvements will be has yet to be decided. There are a several agencies interested in what the improvements will be including the City of Ferndale, Lummi Nation, Whatcom Council of Governments and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
An Interchange Justification Report (IJR) is in the process of being compiled by engineers hired by the Lummi Nation. IJRs are required whenever work is proposed in and around an interstate roadway and the WSDOT uses it to guide their decision-making. Included in an IJR are estimated traffic impacts from current and potential future developments. The Ferndale City Council recently approved calling upon the city’s traffic consulting firm, Transpo Group, to review the traffic data in the IJR as a means of providing a second opinion.
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The Lummi Nation is hosting an open house on Wednesday, June 8th, from 1pm to 5pm to gather public input regarding different designs their engineers have created (see images above – click to enlarge). According to the organizers, presenting at the open house will be representatives from WSDOT and the traffic engineering firms, Parametrix and Gibson Traffic Consulting, who have been involved in creating the design options. Representatives from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are also expected to be in attendance.
Lummi Nation’s development plans
The Lummi Nation owns much of the land in the southwest quadrant of the I-5 and Slater Road interchange and has begun planning to develop that land. Most notable are the plans for Salish Village, a proposed retail, entertainment and hospitality center.
While in the early stages, the draft site plan indicates space for a hotel, large and small retail shops and a convenience store with gas pumps.
Lummi request for City of Ferndale to vacate Kope Road
An example of the many decisions needing to be made as development of the area proceeds is the request from the Lummi Nation for the City of Ferndale to vacate the segment of Kope Road west of Rural which is located in the northwestern portion of the Salish Village planned development.
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Click for more informationVacating a right-of-way eliminates the public’s interest and places ownership of the road with a private party. Road vacations are typically granted only when demonstrated to be in the public’s interest. The city refused a similar request made in March of last year. The request has been made again after the Bureau of Indian Affairs submitted an opposing opinion on the reasoning behind the city’s initial refusal.
The Ferndale City Council will take up the matter at its next regular meeting Monday, June 6th.