NorthPoint quickly sought the guidance of Soundview Consultants, a Trinity Consultants team. NorthPoint had previously worked with Soundview on other regional projects and trusted the company to efficiently balance industrial development with environmental restoration. Soundview dove right in, spending significant time in field assessing the site’s environmental features, including wetlands, streams, associated buffers, and protected species. The team’s initial reconnaissance provided NorthPoint with critical information about the scope of the project and the potential costs, allowing the company’s leaders to move forward with confidence as they pursued the various land acquisitions.

Soundview’s clear communication and persistent, respectful approach to stakeholder engagement allowed the team to keep the permitting process on track, even as they navigated complex regulatory processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soundview facilitated open communication with the Tulalip and Stillaguamish tribes and attended a tribal-hosted meeting between NorthPoint and Tulalip tribal council leaders, who spoke about the importance of salmon to their community and ultimately granted their support for the project. Soundview also coordinated with the FAA, bringing in its own FAA-certified drone pilot to assist in the design of the restricted area near the Arlington Airport. Even before permits were in hand, Soundview’s team began the formal wetland and stream delineation work. The team devised a plan to relocate Edgecomb Creek and designed a 300-foot-wide mitigation corridor, complete with meandering stream channels, dendritic side channels, and new habitat for fish and wildlife. Soundview uncovered maps from the 1890s, revealing the property’s original alluvial fan and stream and wetland complex. These insights were pivotal in informing the restoration design and aligning it with historical conditions to help gain regulatory buy-in.