Lakewood Hearing Examiner to Render Judgment on Camp Murray Gate Permit

Lakewood's hearing examiner will decide within 10 days whether Camp Murray's plan to relocate its gate in the Tillicum neighborhood can move ahead.

Hearing examiner Jim O'Connor heard arguments from the city and the Tillicum Action Committee’s legal team Friday. O'Connor can agree with the right-of-way permit that was issued by the city to the Washington Military Department on Oct. 10, or he can overturn the controversial decision by amending or denying the permit that was appealed by the Tillicum Action Committee on Oct. 20.

City officials have tried their best to move its gate from Union Avenue farther north on Berkeley Street to Portland Avenue.

Moving the gate to Portland Avenue would add about 900 vehicles a day on that street, said Jon Pascal, a traffic engineer with Transpogroup, a private consulting firm hired by Camp Murray to conduct the traffic study.

Along with detailed analysis of traffic circulation in the study area, Pascal came up with a list of improvements to Portland Avenue and the existing Berkeley/Union intersection. Camp Murray offered to make $1.2 million in road and infrastructure improvements along Portland Avenue.

The Berkeley/Union intersection where the current Camp Murray Gate feeds into is one of the most congested intersections in Lakewood. Despite that, residents are concerned that moving the gate farther into the Tillicum community will turn residential streets more into a major thoroughfare for military people.

The biggest argument the TAC legal group raised Friday was safety issues.

Tillicum resident Robin Banko said Portland Avenue—the street where the gate is being constructed—already has a good amount of traffic that includes pedestrians and school children.

"Adding 900 more would be quite a stress on that area," Banko said.

Another Tillicum resident, Jeff Lucas, said the proposed gate relocation is a well-known place for constant boat and trailer traffic during summer weekends at American Lake nearby.

The TAC hired a private consultant, Ross Tilghman, who testified that relocating the gate makes the use of Portland Avenue to Interstate 5 inevitable.

If the gate relocation project continues on schedule, it will be complete by late summer or early fall of this year.

During testimonials, Dave Bugher, assistant city manager and community development director, said if the mitigations the city required Camp Murray to make are met, they do have a workable traffic solution.

"Moving the gate to the new location is for the benefit of the neighborhood," Bugher said.