The above preliminary Cook’s Pointe plan was shown to members of the Marysville Public Service Committee last week. The graphic pictured is a preliminary plan that gives those interested an idea of what might go into the area. The yellow toward the northern edge denotes possible residential areas, while orange and blue represent areas where office buildings would be allowed. The pink represents retail properties. The green in the southeast section would be reserved for open space.
(Image submitted)
Marysville last few years have been partially defined by rapid development, and that’s set to continue in the north of the city next year.
Officials gave the city’s public service committee an update last week on the project to put a roadway across Cook’s Pointe – the area between routes 31 and 4.
The project is slated to wrap up by the end of next year, though there has been no design work done. According to City Engineer Jeremy Hoyt, the city will likely bid the sewer and road separately. The sewer will go along the route of an existing stream between Routes 31 and 4.
“We already kind of know the alignment, but that’s not to say it won’t shift five or ten feet,” he said.
Andrako said it’s not uncommon for a sanitary sewer to be built separately from a roadway. Once the sewer work is finished, the city will bid out the roadwork, which will go along the sewer line.
Officials also said there are plans to do work north of the project to ensure proper drainage in the area of Triple Crown Way.
Once the road is in place, the development could look like a more commercial version of the Innovation Park being put in place on Industrial Parkway. Once infrastructure is there, the city hopes developers will come in the area between the two state routes.
Hoyt said the owner of Cook’s Pointe will likely end up plotting the right of way, with the city having access to easements for utilities and maintenance of those ditches.
“If we could secure a storm water easement, we can come in here and maintain that ditch,” said City Public Service Director Mike Andrako. “That’s really the biggest solution.”
Hoyt said the project will also help alleviate traffic on routes 31 and 4, and cut down the amount of time it will take the fire department to get to Route 31 by about 2.6 minutes.
The work is at least being partially funded by a tax increment revenue district (TIF). When a TIF is established, the value of that property is set as the base value. As the property develops and increases in worth, all the additional property tax collected above that base value goes to the City of Marysville to foster further development.
According to the fact sheet, the overall cost of the road extension will be about $4.2 million.
Related to the project, Alan Seymour asked if the city has considered lowering the speed limit on the Route 4 over U.S. 33 overpass leading out of town from 50 to 35 miles per hour.
Hoyt said the current speed limit was a result of a traffic study done when Scotts Farms was being developed.
Andrako said another reason was because the stretch of Route 4 leading out of town is, relatively speaking, rural. Once the area becomes more developed, it will feel more urban, which would be a better time to lower the speed.
Committee member Tracy Richardson agreed, asking the city to keep an eye on it, but also noting that people want to get home at the end of the day, and so appreciate the higher speed limit.
Hoyt said he’d do more research on the possibilities of different speed limits in that area.