This city has lots of shops and lots of soul

By JOHN IWASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A steady stream of cars whizzes by on 196th Street Southwest, heading to and from sprawling Alderwood Mall and the endless strip malls that line Lynnwood's thoroughfares.

But the four science students at Alderwood Middle School, whose campus is near the newest block of megastores, don't seem to notice.

After they conduct water samples from a nearby wetland and check the trees and shrubs they planted on a berm last fall, the seventh-graders muse about life in Lynnwood.

"It's quiet," 12-year-old Brandon Wiese says.

"Peaceful," agrees Paulo Lorenzana, 13.

"There's fresh air," adds Margo Coleman, a 13-year-old Los Angeles transplant.

Dawnya Anderson, 13, delivers the definitive description: "It's not Seattle."

That may seem obvious in a city synonymous with heavy traffic and ubiquitous malls, a suburb that often finds itself the butt of jokes for its perceived lack of culture and downtown core. "Lynnwood is an 'Almost Live!' subject," laments Alderwood science teacher Ruth Martin, referring to KING-TV's comedy show.

But for many of the 33,070 residents in Snohomish County's third-largest city, being distinct from Seattle is a good thing. Who needs to battle the Emerald City's gridlock when you can buy practically anything you could possibly want here?

Shops and traffic aside, Lynnwood is poised to undergo several changes designed to elevate civic pride, shape a more positive community identity and boost the local economy.

City supporters hope that south Snohomish County voters approve a $44.9 million bond request May 19 to build a regional performing arts and convention center just west of Interstate 5 and south of 196th Street.

Besides bringing in artistic and business events, the center could lead to the construction of high-class hotels nearby, creating a core that signifies a modern downtown, says Mike Echelbarger, whose family is a longtime developer in the south county.

The city also has proposed moving several scattered historical buildings and vehicles, including a refurbished Interurban Trolley car and remaining structures from an early 20th-century poultry demonstration farm, into a new park that would celebrate Lynnwood's heritage.

Civic boosters organized the first Lynnwood Trolley Day last August, a summer festival that this year will feature a new community band.

"People said Lynnwood didn't have any soul. Well, I've certainly found it. People are coming out of the woodwork, dying to do something," says Becky Janecke, a festival organizer and unabashed city supporter.

Continued:

• Where's the city's heart? It depends on whom you ask