Kirkland sues, appeals King County’s Houghton transfer station siting and EIS

Kirkland officials said the city has launched parallel legal actions contesting King County’s selection of Alternative 1B at the Houghton site for the Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station.

City attorneys and solid-waste staff told the council they had filed a notice of administrative appeal on March 27 and a complaint in Snohomish County Superior Court on April 21 challenging the siting choice and the adequacy of the final environmental impact statement (EIS).

Why it matters: The city says the county’s choice to expand into more of the old landfill footprint (Alternative 1B) raises different and greater transportation, hazardous‑materials and mitigation questions than the other alternatives. That, Kirkland officials argue, required fuller analysis in the final EIS and better documentation of the siting decision. The outcome could force King County to re-do parts of the EIS or change mitigation commitments; it could also affect whether the facility, as proposed, can be permitted in Kirkland.

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