ARLINGTON, Wash.  Despite lobbying efforts, the city council will not extend water and sewer lines to an area where Smokey Point Community Church wants to build a new church and athletic fields.
The Daily Herald reported that 20-acre project is on the flight path of Arlington Municipal Airport's crosswind runway. While the property is just outside city limits and county zoning laws would allow the project, it is also in Arlington's Urban Growth Area, which means it could someday be annexed by the city.
For the past few years, Arlington has used its water and sewer lines to steer land use in the area to comply with city, not county code. The city has designated that area as a light industrial zone that does not include churches.
The city maintains the zoning was chosen in consultation with state and federal aviation officials, who recommends avoiding large congregations of people at the ends of runways.
"The FAA doesn't like planes falling on churches, parks, houses or other places where people gather," said Cliff Strong, the city's planning director.
But the Rev. Jim Johnson, the church's senior pastor, said the property was perfect for his 1,500-member congregation's building project.
"It seems to fit well and at a price range we're going to be able to afford," Johnson said.
After the meeting, he said his congregation had considered the risks of being in the flight path, but they were minimal.
"There's concern there, obviously. But it's not a very (frequently) used runway," Johnson said.
