Cultural Resources Letter.pdf2707 COLBY AVE, STE 900, EVERETT, WA 98201
1.800.615.9900 425.252.7700 fax; 425.339.6018 www.perteet.com
September 21, 2010
Ms. Erin Legge, Project Manager
Seattle District Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch
CENWS-OD-RG
Post Office Box 3755
Seattle, Washington 98124-3755
REFERENCE: Shell Valley Emergency Access, Edmonds, Washington
SUBJECT: Cultural Resources Section 106 Area of Potential Effect (APE) and Request
for No Effect Determination
Dear Ms. Legge:
The City of Edmonds Department of Public Works (Edmonds), proposes to construct the
Shell Valley Emergency Access on a single 1.3 acre municipal property (Snohomish Parcel ID
00373600500104) located in the SW 1/4 S19 T27N R04E W.M., in the Shell Valley
neighborhood, of Edmonds, Washington (see Figure 1).
The project is needed to provide secondary emergency access to the surrounding
neighborhood for emergency vehicles; currently there is only a single road providing access
to the neighborhood. The project will also provide a safe alternative travel route during
times of heavy snow fall, which makes the primary travel route unsafe for most vehicles.
Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the City wishes to
initiate consultation with your office and requests your coordination to receive concurrence
from the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) and pertinent
tribal agencies regarding the proposed project's Area of Potential Effect (APE) and
anticipated impacts with respect to cultural resources.
Improvement plans by the City of Edmonds call for constructing an emergency access
roadway across the eastern margin of the site. This new roadway segment will extend from
Main Street southward approximately 200 feet to join an existing roadway near Hidden
Cove. The new roadway section will comprise a 15 -foot -wide asphalt pavement with gravel
shoulders on each side. Due to the presence of a slope on one side of the road and
Wetland A on the other side, retaining walls are required along parts of the alignment.
Proposed Improvements at Shell Valley
Plans for project staging will be determined by the project contractor prior to the start of
work. No staging areas are anticipated for the project; if needed, staging areas may be
located within the project right-of-way, or at a semi -developed off-site location (a parking
lot/driveway). If the City needs to clear a staging area in a less developed area they will re-
initiate the Section 106 process. The City will prepare a traffic control plan to address
detours and/or lane closures that may be necessary during the construction process.
The City of Edmonds is applying for a Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers for the proposed project. The City will therefore be following the environmental
review process and guidelines established by the Seattle District Regulatory Program. The
environmental documentation will cover potential project effects to the environment as
well as measures required to mitigate potential adverse environmental effects.
Area of Potential Effect (APE) on Cultural Resources
The Area of Potential Effects (APE) is defined as the geographic area or areas, in which an
undertaking may directly or indirectly cause change of character or use of historical
properties (i.e., archaeological sites, traditional cultural properties [TCPs], and buildings,
structures, objects, or districts in the built environment). The definition of the APE is
influenced by the scale and nature of an undertaking (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR]
800.16d). For archaeological resources and TCPs, the City of Edmonds has proposed an
APE that includes the horizontal and vertical extent of ground disturbance.
Based on initial investigation of the project environment and proposed construction
elements, the proposed project would physically disturb the area in which the proposed
access road alignment is located. Construction of the project facilities could also result in
temporary effects to properties adjacent to the areas of disturbance. The project's area of
potential effect (APE) on cultural resources has been illustrated on an aerial photo (Figure
2).
According to a review of DAHP records on September 13, 2010, the APE does not contain,
and is not adjacent to any historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic
Places or the Washington Heritage Register, or any documented archaeological sites. The
geographic area reviewed included Section 19, Township 27 North, Range 4 East W.M. The
nearest known cultural resources in this area are located more than I mile from the project
site.
Perteet staff also checked the Snohomish County Assessor's records for properties over
fifty years old in the project area. One property adjacent to the site has a single-family
residential structure, constructed in 1957. This structure is in moderate condition, but is
not historically significant and does not appear on the City of Edmonds Historic Property
Inventory. No impacts to this structure will occur.
City of Edmonds — Shell Valley Emergency Access September 2010
Cultural Resources 106 Page 2
• There are no sites on the Washington State Heritage Register and/or
National Register of Historic Places within I mile of the project site:
• There are no sites listed on the Washington State Archeological
Inventory that are located within I mile from the project site.
® There is one structure that is adjacent to the project area that is greater
than fifty years old, but is not of local, state or federal significance. No
impacts to this structure will occur.
EM=A
After reviewing the information discussed above, City of Edmonds has determined that the
APE for the proposed Shell Valley Emergency Access project does not contain known
cultural resources. Therefore, the project will have No Effect on historic properties or
archaeological sites. The City would welcome your review and comments regarding these
findings.
In addition, the City would appreciate your assistance in coordinating with the DAHP office
and affected tribal agencies to receive concurrence regarding the project's APE and effects
on cultural resources.
Thank you for your attention to these matters.
Sincerely,
W4,1110 -111Z
Stephanie Hansen, AICD
Senior Community Planner
Attachments: Figure 1: Vicinity Map
Figure 2: Area of Potential Effect
City of Edmonds — Shell Valley Emergency Access September 2010
Cultural Resources 106 Page 3
Figure 1:Vicinity Map
City ofEdmonds — Shell Valley Emergency Access September ZO|O
Figure 2: Area of Potential Effect
City of Edmonds — Shell Valley Emergency Access September 2010
Cultural Resources 106 Page 5