MARYSVILLE — The crowd was sparse at Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall’s coffee klatch March 24, but he was happy to speak to an audience of half a dozen at the HomeStreet Bank on State Avenue anyway.

Kendall touted the recent annexation of central Marysville as a means of ensuring greater continuity within its urban growth developments, citing the fact that Snohomish County building permits and neighborhood planning used to be less than ideally coordinated with the city, resulting in a number of roads becoming cul-de-sacs rather than through streets.

When asked what the city’s plans are for North Marysville, Kendall explained that plans for a hotel and shopping center at 120th Street, and commercial and light industrial development between 136th and 164th streets, are currently on hold but still expected to proceed eventually. He added that 90 percent of the design work for an overpass at 156th Street has been completed, and while the city is still looking into funding, Kendall anticipated that such an overpass would relieve traffic congestion at 172nd Street by connecting to Twin Lakes Road.

“This development could give us a base of 20,000-25,000 jobs,” Kendall said. “Our goal is to get people living, shopping, playing and working here. Every job we bring here takes two trips off the freeway for our residents.”

Kendall elaborated that the landowners are in favor of the development, and their properties are being subjected to “friendly condemnation,” under which the IRS allows them a longer period to reinvest their funds.

Kendall also mentioned that his ideal concept for First and Second streets would include multi-use, multi-story, multi-family buildings, complete with walking paths and perhaps even a waterfront restaurant overlooking the mountains. He likewise suggested that, since any future City Hall building would need grass on its roof to qualify as environmentally green, he’d like to see a putting green placed there.