Edmonds design board recommends approval for new Boys and Girls Club building with conditions

The Edmonds Architectural Design Board on April 24 recommended that the hearing examiner approve design review for a new 16,500‑square‑foot Boys and Girls Club building at Civic Field, subject to conditions on streetside landscaping, pedestrian amenities, facade articulation and bicycle parking.

Board members and city staff said the replacement facility would expand the club’s existing space, preserve public access to the park and require separate land‑use permits — a conditional use permit for the building height and a variance to reduce a 25‑foot street setback to roughly 6 feet. "It is zoned public use. That zone is primarily intended for regional public facilities and continued use by the public," Mike, city planning staff, told the board during the presentation.

The board’s recommendation matters because the hearing examiner will decide the related height and setback variances. The building proposal would replace the existing field house, add a full‑size gym and two stories of program space to reach about 16,500 square feet. "We made the decision to tear it down and start over," said Bill Sikalas, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Snohomish County, describing the organization’s choice to build a larger facility…