Statement on City's March 27, 2025 Notice of Appeal of the NERTS FEIS

Published on March 28, 2025

Houghton Transfer Station

Media Contact:
David Wolbrecht
Communications Program Manager
dwolbrecht@kirklandwa.gov
(425) 587-3021

Last Friday, March 21, the City received the announcement from King County that it had selected the Houghton Transfer Station Alternative 1B in Kirkland as the new NERTS. Mayor Curtis released a statement expressing the City’s disappointment in the timing of the announcement and noting that staff would be evaluating all options related to the appeal process for the final EIS by the appeal deadline of March 27.

Based on an analysis of the County’s siting process, the City of Kirkland has submitted a Notice of Appeal to the King County Solid Waste Division on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station (NERTS) Project and on the siting decision.

The City does not oppose a decision to site a properly mitigated, state-of-the-art station in Kirkland rather than Woodinville. As indicated in the City’s comment letter(PDF, 540KB) to the draft EIS, if the station was to be sited in Kirkland, the City’s preference is for site 1A, as it is clearly the least environmentally impactful option.

However, the EIS as issued does not clearly commit to full and appropriate mitigation. The City is appealing the Division’s decision to select alternative 1B as its preferred choice and appealing the sufficiency of the FEIS analysis and identified mitigation. The City finds the final EIS insufficient in the analysis that led to the choice of 1B. Specifically, the City’s appeal is based on the following:

  • Inadequate analysis of transportation impacts
  • Inadequate analysis of hazardous waste risks and mitigation resulting from 1B’s additional excavation into the
  • undeveloped portions of the closed landfill site
  • Procedural errors in the issuance of the FEIS and addendum and the siting decision

The City looks forward to King County addressing these insufficiencies in good faith through the appeals process. The process can take up to 90 days, or longer, for a decision on the appeal. Throughout this process, the City will continue to maintain its position: the new transfer station needs to be a state-of-the-art facility built to modern standards with advanced amenities. This includes comprehensive odor and bird controls as well as increased access to comprehensive recycling, reuse, and repair options. The new transfer station will also need new community spaces.

If the County sites NERTS in Kirkland, the City expects the County will redirect the millions of dollars allocated for property acquisition and add that funding to the pre-existing mitigation budget. The City expects the County will use those combined funds to mitigate negative impacts the facility and the construction may have on the nearby surrounding community. The City awaits the County’s confirmation about that plan.

-Kurt Triplett, City Manager

###

Tagged as:
Back to top