The City of Lakewood on Monday granted a permit to allow Camp Murray to move its main gate away from Interstate 5, despite opposition from Tillicum residents who don’t want the busy military-base entrance in their neighborhood.
The city placed conditions on the permit to dissuade drivers from using neighborhood streets as shortcuts, but it wasn’t enough to placate concerned neighbors. David Anderson, president of the Tillicum-Woodbrook Neighborhood Association, vowed to exhaust the appeals process to stop the gate relocation.
Opponents have 14 days to appeal the decision to Lakewood’s hearing examiner.
Anderson said neighbors are angry and disappointed that the city issued the permit despite their extensive campaign against it. More than 500 people signed a petition presented to the City Council last month.
He said the Tillicum Action Committee will meet today to discuss its next steps. The committee, which advises the neighborhood association on transportation issues, hired a law firm to represent it in the appeals process.
The city received 55 letters and emails during a public-comment period that ended last month. The writers were “resoundingly opposed” to the project, according to the 11-page administrative decision released Monday.
“The city is sympathetic to the neighborhood complaints but had to make a reasoned decision as required by law,” said city spokesman Mike Savage.
Camp Murray is the 240-acre headquarters of the state Army and Air Force national guards and its emergency operations center. Military department spokesmen didn’t return phone messages and a reporter’s email seeking comment Monday, the Columbus Day holiday.
Officials at the military department previously said the gate’s current location near Berkeley Street and Union Avenue is unsafe because it’s too close to the busy intersection, an antiquated Interstate 5 interchange and a rail line.
The state has secured millions of dollars to construct a new gate at Portland Avenue and Boundary Street.
Neighbors say the proposal just pushes the problem onto them. A study found an additional 900 vehicles a day would travel down Portland.
Last year, the city declined to issue a permit for the Portland and Boundary location. Continued negotiation and study led to a tentative agreement that requires the state to pay for off-site improvements to enhance safety and route drivers away from local streets, including:
• Construction of up to four raised crosswalks and installation of school zone signs on Portland.
• Addition of a dedicated right turn lane from Portland to Berkeley.
• Installation of signs identifying Union, Berkeley and the stretch of Portland closest to the gate as the designated travel route for Camp Murray drivers.
• Requiring the state to examine ways to reduce vehicle trips to Camp Murray and pay the city $100,000 for unspecified future “traffic-calming” projects.
Christian Hill: 253-274-7390 christian.hill@thenewstribune.com Twitter: @TNTchill
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