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Residents ask for direct notice and Garry oak protections as Lakewood approves Mount Tacoma Drive design contract
Summary
Council approved a $59,676 contract with Atlas Technical Consultants for the Mount Tacoma Drive roadway project while a public commenter asked the city to notify affected homeowners immediately and to protect Garry Oaks and use permeable paving and low night lighting.
The Lakewood City Council on April 7 approved a $59,676 agreement with Atlas Technical Consultants for work related to the Mount Tacoma Drive roadway project as part of the meeting’s consent agenda, and drew public comment urging immediate direct notice to property owners and protections for mature Garry Oaks.
The contract was included in the consent agenda as Motion 2025‑18; the consent agenda was moved by Council member Pearson, seconded by Council member Bokey, and adopted by voice vote. The Atlas Technical Consultants contract authorizes services related to the Mount Tacoma Drive roadway project, which council staff have listed for design activities in 2025 with construction anticipated in 2026.
"Residents should not feel that they have to follow the city's every move in order to know what horrible thing is about to happen next," said Christina Manetti, speaking for the Garry Oak Coalition during public comment. Manetti, who identified herself as a Lakewood resident and a representative of the Gary Oak Coalition, asked the city to "immediately inform everyone who lives along that stretch of Mount Tacoma Drive personally" so homeowners do not wake up to construction or illuminated streetlights outside their windows. She said the project could place hard surfaces within oak drip lines and harm oak roots; she cited the city code’s approach to Garry Oak protections and asked the city to avoid impermeable surfaces near the trees, use permeable paving or gravel where possible, and select motion‑sensor lighting to limit nighttime disturbance.
Manetti also asked the council to notify every resident and property owner on Mount Tacoma Drive "honestly and fully about everything that this project will involve, and specifically how it will impact them." Her comments referenced an earlier instance in which a resident discovered large Garry Oaks had been removed on a right‑of‑way, and she urged the city to avoid repeating that outcome.
City staff did not provide additional detail or a new timeline for homeowner notification at the April 7 meeting beyond the items in the published agenda packet. The Mount Tacoma Drive project appears in the Transportation Improvement Program materials and the Atlas contract will support project design and related tasks in the months ahead; staff previously said WSDOT oversight would be required for federal or state funding tied to specific project phases.
The council adopted the consent agenda items including the Atlas Technical Consultants contract; project design and any resulting construction will follow the city’s public‑engagement and permitting procedures and any applicable state or federal review.
