Weyerhaeuser Company has applied to the Washington Department of Ecology to acquire water rights on its former Snoqualmie mill site.

The company is preparing for future development of the property, an 800-acre site formerly used for timberland, lumber and plywood manufacturing.

Weyerhaueser expects to begin working closely with the city of Snoqualmie and King County in a joint planning process for the development of the property, while going through the water rights process.

It is too early to determine whether the new development will include new homes, the company said in a statement.

The joint planning process with the city and King County will determine whether land use will be residential. The water rights and planning process will include public participation, and will probably take around two to four years to complete.

Weyerhaeuser expects to receive a preliminary permit to perform well testing in support of the technical analysis during 2008.