Lake Stevens accepts donation of nearly 10-acre parcel adjacent to future municipal campus

The Lake Stevens City Council voted Sept. 9 to accept a donation of roughly 9.9 acres of land south of the city’s planned municipal campus. The parcel, which staff said is zoned R‑6, was offered to the city by a local holding company. City planning manager Christy Schmidt told the council the site is “approximately 9.9 acres,” is appraised for residential use at just over $1.1 million, and contains wetlands and other critical areas along the western portion of the property. She said about “2 plus acres” of upland appear developable for future uses. The resolution authorizing acceptance of the donation (Resolution No. 2025‑05) passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition. Council members did not record a roll-call tally in the public minutes for the motion. Council members asked staff to confirm a couple of administrative details: whether donated property becomes tax‑exempt (staff said yes, it becomes public property and is no longer taxable) and who determines the parcel’s value (staff said the Snohomish County assessor sets the valuation as part of its annual process). Schmidt said the city would update zoning and the comprehensive plan maps to reflect any eventual change to public‑use or open‑space designations if the city proceeds to use the land for public purposes. She described the change as a staff recommendation to council when that process is initiated. The council and staff identified the parcel’s proximity to an elementary school and the historic Grange building and noted the site sits along the west side of 20th Street. The staff report in the council packet showed the property highlighted in yellow on the displayed map. The donor was identified in the staff report with inconsistent spellings in the meeting: staff referred to “Natural Mine Land Holdings,” and later the council referenced “Natural 9 Holdings.” The resolution recorded at the meeting referenced the donor name used by the council. The city indicated staff would finalize the donor name and recordkeeping as part of the parcel transfer. Council members asked no further policy-level direction at the vote; acceptance of the gift was the formal action taken that evening.