As part of a long-range plan to support regional environmental goals and increase access to recycling services, King County’s Solid Waste Division will study three sites for its Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station Project in an environmental review process set to begin this fall. The site alternatives that will be studied in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are:
• A 12.9 acre-site comprised of six properties in the 15000 block of Woodinville-Redmond Rd. Northeast in Woodinville.
• The current Houghton Transfer Station property at 11724 NE 60th St. in Kirkland.
• The Houghton Park-and-Ride property at 7024 116th Ave. NE in Kirkland.
The Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station is scheduled to begin operating in 2029 to replace the aging Houghton Transfer Station in Kirkland, which has been in continuous operation since the mid-1960s and can no longer keep up with service demand and population growth. The study will evaluate the potential environmental and community impacts of the project proposal and propose mitigation to avoid or minimize impacts. The environmental review begins with “scoping” this fall, which will provide opportunity for the public to comment on what the project team should study in the EIS, which is scheduled for publication in early 2023. The public will also get to submit formal comments on the alternatives proposed in the EIS, including a “no-action alternative.”
Wherever it is ultimately sited, the new station will be built to the latest environmental design standards and designed to fit into the surrounding community. The facility will be enclosed and equipped with an odor control system as well as compaction equipment to reduce truck traffic and vehicle emissions. Finally, the project will generate an estimated 1,000 jobs during design and construction and offer opportunities for apprenticeships and family-wage jobs in the skilled trades.
The three properties were identified after King County’s technical team consulted with representatives from the cities of Redmond, Sammamish, Woodinville, Kirkland, and unincorporated north King County, as well as community members representing diverse interests and backgrounds on a Siting Advisory Group convened in fall 2021. City representatives helped develop the criteria the project team used to narrow the list of sites to the three study site candidates. The 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan identified the need to replace the Houghton Transfer Station with a new, modern facility to expand services for residents and businesses in northeast King County.