North Sound Round Up, Part Two

Mukilteo's mayor got a raise, but the pay is still less than the mayors of other nearby cities of similar size, and by my estimation, he is also paid less than the salary of a good administrative assistant. Now, I don't purport to be an expert, but I am thinking the job of mayor is more complex, by far, than what your average administrative assistant would be expected to handle.

Part of the issue with bringing the pay scale for the position of Mukilteo's mayor in line with what a mayor of a city this size would be expected to earn, is the question of whether or not the job should be a full time one or not.

According to Mayor Joe Marine, the job is effectively a full time one whether it's paid as such or not. Others in the community feel that the mayor's job should remain a part time position. When Marine was elected, the position was understood to be a part-time one so some people feel that when Marine chose to run for the office, he should have been prepared to do what he was elected to do based on the pay scale as offered.

I think there is probably some merit to that argument, but on the other hand, I think this is part of a larger problem that the city of Mukilteo seems to have with adapting to change. It seems to me that what once worked for Mukilteo as a small town, can't be expected to work as the city continues to grow. The last 20 or so years has transformed what was once a sleepy little town into now a fairly large suburb. And I would expect that the growth will continue with the healthy economy that we enjoy. So, pretending that we are still a town too small to need infrastructure, to need planning, and to need full time employees to help manage the growth that we are experiencing, seems rather short sighted to me.

Now that I've thrown my hat into the ring on THAT little argument...

Across Puget Sound from Mukilteo, the Clinton ferry terminal on Whidbey Island has been renamed for late Washington Senator Jack Metcalf. I had the good fortune in my life to be acquainted with Mr. Metcalf growing up on Whidbey Island. He was a good man--had a farm not far from our home in Langley and I have fond memories of going to his farm to buy fresh, unpasteurized milk. I also experienced electric fencing for the first time on his farm! He was described by the Seattle Times as "having a reputation for independence and quirkiness." Sounds like a Whidbey Islander to me!

Finally, a real estate tidbit from the Zillow Blog. Today's post called, "Selling or Buying, Better Check that Calendar!" talks about the best time to list or buy a home. No, they are not talking about which month of the year is the hottest buyer's or seller's market. The topic is what day of the week, is the best time to list or make an offer.

Best time to list? Thursday morning. List any earlier in the week and your listing is stale by the weekend. Wait any longer, and you could miss some of the buyers that are searching for homes to tour that weekend. Thursday also gets you on the hotsheet for the buyer's agents that are planning tours for their clients.

Best time to buy? The first Tuesday morning of any month. Why? Because sellers will have just paid their mortgage on the first of the month (ouch!) and by Tuesday they will have given up on receiving any other offers based on the previous weekend's showings.

I think these are interesting thoughts, but there are a couple of other things that clients need to consider. For instance, when listing your home in my area, a Thursday listing will eliminate the possibility of getting your home seen on our Broker's Open, since those occur on Thursday. And in my office, our office tour is Wednesday, so a Thursday listing would mean that clients wouldn't be able to be on tour until the following week.

Mukilteo on Money Magazine's Top 100 Places to Live!

Mukilteo is number 69 on the Money Magazine "Top 100 Places to Live," one of only four Washington communities to be featured. Other Washington towns to make the top 100 are Silverdale on the Kitsap peninsula in 99th, Camas in the Portland/Vancouver area at number 63, and Sammamish on the Eastside, which came in at number 11.

So how does Mukilteo stack up against the rest of the Top 100?

Median family income is a little lower, with the average family earning $83,569 compared to $90,316 for other communities in the Top 100. Job growth in the area is higher at 15.83% versus 13.41% for the rest of the Top 100. Real estate is more expensive here, with the average home in Mukilteo being priced at $401,510 compared to an average of $359,352 for the rest of the Top 100. On the other hand, property taxes are lower, as is auto insurance. And while sales tax here is higher than other towns in the Top 100, there are no income taxes in Washington state, so our overall rate of taxation is well below the average for the Top 100.

As for schools, approximately 100% of students in Mukilteo attend public schools, compared to 91% for other towns in the Top 100. Test scores for reading are .7% lower than other towns in the Top 100, but math scores are 17% higher. This makes sense given our proximity to Boeing and other high-tech employers.

Mukilteo is also one of the more diverse communities in the Top 100. The average racial diversity index for the Top 100 is 59.2%, while Mukilteo scored 81.3%, with higher numbers indicating higher levels of racial diversity.

Click here to see how Mukilteo stacked up in all other areas considered by the Top 100.

Northsound News Bits

Here are a few of the stories that are of interest in North King/South Snohomish counties today.

1. The Weather! The temperature yesterday was in the upper 90s, prompting many north end residents to suddenly become sick and have to leave work. Most parts of the country see temperatures in the 90s pretty consistently during the summer, but here in the Northwest its not that common. In fact, it's so uncommon that it tends to precipitate a lot of sudden illnesses. Illnesses that can only be cured by going to the beach, or taking out the boat.

2. Kenmore Redevelopment: According to to the Seattle Times, the city of Kenmore has signed an agreement with Kenmore Partners LLC to redevelop a large, city-owned parcel of downtown into a new city center with pedestrian-friendly shopping, in accordance with Kenmore's downtown master plan. Kenmore Village by the Lake will include housing, retail, and a central gathering space. The 9.6-acre site, at 68th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 181st Street, is now home to a temporary City Hall, a park-and-ride lot and a shopping center that dates to the 1960s and is currently home to Ostrom's Drug. The public comment period will begin in the fall.

Kenmore is one of the areas where I work, and I think this is great news given that one of the things that is less desirable about Kenmore is lack of this kind of infrastructure. It's actually a neighborhood that has a lot to offer in terms of its location and the kinds of homes that are available, but home values have been somewhat lower here than other nearby communities because of the lack of a central core. The completion of this project should increase home values in the area.

3. Arlington Fly-In is In Progress: The 39th Annual Arlington Fly-In began yesterday at the Arlington Airport and runs through Sunday. The Fly-In is one of the leading air shows in the country for experimental and "sport" aviation.

Mukilteo / Everett News Roundup

Here is some of the latest news for the Mukilteo / Everett area:

July 5th marks the opening day for the Jetty Island Ferry. If you have never visited Jetty Island, you are in for a treat as it is a great family day trip and arguably Snohomish county's best beach. The ferry only runs to the island from now until Labor Day, so don't miss your chance to enjoy the sandy beaches, warm water, and natural beauty of this great beach. You can also observe the local kite surfers, who flock to this beach and park for its predictable westerly afternoon breezes.

The Mukilteo Art Walk is seeking artists to display their works at the next Art Walk on July 25th.

Snohomish County in 2040

The Puget Sound Regional Council has released Snohomish County growth projections for the year 2040. The City of Mukilteo is expected to nearly double in size as compared to 2000 census numbers, as is downtown Everett. North Edmonds, on the other hand, is projected to be one of the slowest growing areas in the county.

To see how your Snohomish County neighborhood is expected to change, click here:

HeraldNet: Your Neighborhood in 2040

Mukilteo Multimodal Terminal Stalled

According to the Mukilteo Beacon, The planned Mukilteo Multimodal Transit Station, which was supposed to combine the Mukilteo Ferry terminal with a bus and train station for Sound Transit routes, has run aground. A "significant funding gap" exists, which means that the project is being delayed for an indeterminate amount of time, pending environmental and feasibility studies that could push completion to as late as 2011 or 2013.

Aside from funding, issues also exist with the site currently being proposed, which is prone to liquefaction during an earthquake.

This is unfortunate for Mukilteo's waterfront businesses, residents of the Old Town area, and for Whidbey Island ferry riders, as the current ferry terminal / bus station is unable to handle current and projected traffic levels. On Friday afternoons, it can be extremely difficult to get from South Mukilteo to Old Town and the waterfront due to the amount of ferry traffic using the Speedway from Olympic View Middle School to the turn at Mukilteo Boulevard.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I am a girl who believes in public transit. But I would say that currently, public transit really underserves the City of Mukilteo. To use the Sound Transit train means driving either to Everett or Edmonds stations, and then having very few ride times to choose from. Buses serve the area more often, but still provide limited options in terms of routes. And ferry traffic is a nightmare for residents on both sides of the water.

Everett Riverfront Development

As a lifelong resident of North Puget Sound I have long had a healthy dose of skepticism about any real estate development deals of city plans that are announced, but it does seem that the City of Everett is building a good reputation for itself on the planning and execution of the city's revival of the downtown area. It's a completely different place than I remember when I was growing up, and I think there is a lot to be proud of with the way the city has changed in the last few years.

Here is the latest grand plan for redevelopment of the Snohomish River waterfront, to complement the redevelopment on the Port Gardner side.

Seattle Mayor Pulls Support From Monorail Project

Transportation issues aren't really my forte, but there is something about the whole monorail project that has never made sense to me. I don't have an issue with the cost, because it seems like any large-scale transportation project of this nature, whether it's monorail or light rail or roadway improvements or whatever, is going to cost a lot of money and take a long time to pay off. The problem I have had with it is that the proposed monorail project would not really do very much to alleviate what I perceive to be the major traffic problem facing the Seattle metropolitan area.

Combine that with the fact that we have a light rail system also going in. Now to me, as a person living in the 'burbs, it makes more sense to have one mode of transport capable of alleviating our traffic problem not just in the city, but out in the 'burbs as well. And, as a person who has at one time or another done just about every commute you can think of (Eastside to Seattle, Queen Anne and Capitol hill into the city, Capitol Hill to Eastside, Bothell to Kirkland, Fremont to Kirkland, Mukilteo to Kirkland and even Whidbey Island to Seattle!) I don't think the in-city commute is the most pressing transportation problem. The more pressing problem is the people sitting in stop and go traffic from Seattle or Bellevue to points as far north as Marysville and Arlington, as far east as North Bend, and as far south as Pierce County.

People who do those commutes don't do them just because they like their cars, they do them because decent affordable housing is hard to find in Seattle. A family looking for a 3 bedroom house with a yard and in a good school district that only has $300K to spend is going to have a hard time finding that in the city. So they feel they are forced to make the longer commutes. Snohomish county is now one of the 5 fastest growing counties in the nation and Pierce is right up there as well. So you end up with more and more people making these long treks every day. Bus service out to these areas exists but it can literally take hours both ways, only runs at limited times, and just isn't a very viable option for most people.

So, we have these huge traffic jams on I-5 and I-405. It's even a problem for businesses like Boeing that have to use the roadways to move products around. So, it isn't just a quality of life issue for the people who've "chosen" to live in these areas, it's a jobs issue as well.

So just to throw my hat into the ring on this, I'm in favor of the light rail system, and would rather see us spend 11 billion to make that a viable option (for instance, more service on the north-south lines so that it actually becomes convenient to use, and getting the east-west lines built), than continue putting that money into a transportation system that only benefits a small number of neighborhoods.