Stanwood psychological well being heart listening to attracts assist, skepticism

EVERETT — Dozens packed a listening to room on Tuesday to touch upon a 32-bed psychological well being facility proposed close to Stanwood.

About 20 folks attended and about 10 gave public touch upon the primary day of the two-day listening to.

The listening to marked one 12 months for the reason that undertaking on the intersection of three hundredth Road NW and eightieth Avenue NW north of Stanwood was introduced.

It has divided the neighborhood. Supporters argued new psychological well being beds are desperately wanted. However many neighbors objected to the proposed location in a rural neighborhood and raised security issues.

Snohomish County Listening to Examiner Peter Camp will determine on granting the undertaking a conditional-use allow. The proposal would assemble two 16-bed buildings for involuntary psychological well being therapy.

Commenters at Tuesday’s listening to raised acquainted factors.

Michele Meaker, government director of Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness Snohomish County, mentioned she supported the brand new facility as a result of the state’s psychological well being system is “woefully underfunded.” Meaker cited statistics claiming Washington has the sixth-highest price of psychological sickness within the nation, with 1 in 5 adults recognized with a psychological well being concern.

“Regardless of that, there are solely about 150 long-term inpatient therapy beds throughout the state,” Meaker advised the viewers. “There must be 150 beds in Snohomish County alone.”

A number of Stanwood residents testified in favor of the undertaking due to private expertise with family members needing inpatient therapy, they mentioned. The proposed facility’s proximity to nature and planners’ security and assist measures for sufferers have been key tenets of their assist over current therapy choices.

Opponents of the undertaking largely mentioned they supported constructing a brand new psychological well being facility in precept, however felt the proposed location would trigger visitors and security issues for the encircling rural space.

Stanwood resident Kathleen Richardson, who beforehand filed a rejected attraction towards the undertaking, mentioned the location as deliberate was “grossly incompatible” with the agricultural character of the encircling space, a lot of which is zoned for agricultural use.

Richardson mentioned the steep improve in visitors movement that may include the ability, projected to make use of round 50 full-time workers, would current questions of safety in an space not used to busy roadways.

The in-patient facility would admit adults for stays of 90 or 180 days. There are simply six beds for these long-term stays in Snohomish County.

The Tulalip Tribes agreed to construct the therapy heart as a part of a revenue-sharing compact with the state. The tribes dedicated in 2020 to spend $35 million to design and construct the middle in alternate for thousands and thousands in tax {dollars} generated at Quil Ceda purchasing heart.

The tribes will hand over the keys to the Washington State Well being Care Authority, which can rent a behavioral well being operator to run the ability.

Neighbors have objected that the situation was chosen with out alternative for public enter. The tribes have proposed to website the middle on land purchased in 2011.

If the allow is authorised, the primary constructing might go up as quickly as 2024.

A neighbor filed an attraction beneath the State Environmental Coverage Act final fall, however the county dismissed the attraction in December.

The listening to will proceed at 6 p.m. Thursday. The general public can take part in-person on the listening to room on the county campus, 3000 Rockefeller Ave. in Everett, or by way of Zoom. The Zoom hyperlink is posted at snohomishcountywa.gov/189/Listening to-Examiner.

Emailed feedback may be despatched to listening to.examiner@snoco.org.

Herald reporter Jacqueline Allison contributed to this story.

Riley Haun: 425-339-3192; riley.haun@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @RHaunID.