Letter to Jerry re latecomers
City of Yelm
Community Development Department
105 Yelm Avenue West
P.O. Box 479
Yelm, WA 98597
November 8, 2004
Jerry Morrissette, P.E.
JWM&A, Inc.
1700 Cooper Point Road SW #B-2
Olympia, WA 98502-1110
Dear Jerry:
I am sorry I missed you Friday before you left on vacation. The Community Development Department has received your request for a Street Latecomers Agreement for the improvements to Yelm
Avenue West (SR 510) required of Yelm Community Schools as part of the High School remodel project.
After a quick initial review of proposed agreement, the City has concerns with the methodology used to allocate costs amongst the benefitted parcels. Specifically, it does not appear
that the three ‘benefit classes’ which you propose have a close correlation to the actual costs and benefits of the street improvements within each class.
For example, the 100% share includes the construction of full half street frontage improvements including sidewalk, planter strip, curb, gutter, a bike lane, an 11 foot travel lane,
and half of a 12 foot turn lane. The 90% share only includes widening to provide for half a 12 foot turn lane and a 2 foot shoulder. Upon improvement of a parcel within the 90% share
area, the developer would still be responsible for the construction of a bike lane, curb, gutter, a planter strip, and a sidewalk. Clearly, these parcels are not benefiting at a rate
close to 90% of those that will have full frontage improvements.
The Community Development Department will not support the creation of a Latecomers Agreement under the terms you have proposed for reimbursement. Please contact me at your convienance
if you would like to discuss this matter and, hopefully, find a methodology that is fair to all and which the Department can support.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me at 458 7408.
Sincerely,
Grant Beck, Director
Department of Community Development
c. Erling Birkland, Yelm Community Schools