Arlington School District sale of 168-acre SR 530 parcel draws public concern over water, traffic and permits

Arlington School District trustees heard more than an hour of public comment and a staff update on a proposed sale of a 168-acre parcel along State Route 530 to Miles Sand and Gravel, with residents and nearby city officials warning the mine and related industrial activity could increase truck traffic, worsen flooding and risk contamination of Arlington’s water supply.

The discussion centered on a purchase-and-sale agreement the district reached in 2019 that sets a $3,000,000 sale price and includes several permit-related contingencies. Brian Lewis (staff member) told the board the buyer has paid multiple earnest-money installments (two earlier $75,000 payments and a $100,000 extension payment held as refundable under certain conditions) and that the agreement allows the purchaser either to complete the sale after acquiring required permits or to waive the permit contingencies and close the sale if permits are not in place before the contract deadline. Lewis said the buyer has the conditional-permit process pending in Snohomish County and would next seek a surface-mining/reclamation permit from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources; the current permit-extension period expires on December 2, 2025, and a…