Letter from Andy Smith 4 09Andrew & Cynthia Smith ~~ ~~.
15339 105th Ave SE
Yelm, WA 98597 }~~~ 1~~~
Apri! 19, 20x9
Mr. Grant Beck
Director
Community Development Department
105 Yelm Avenue West
Yelm, WA 98597
Dear Mr. Beek;
I am writing in response to your letter dated 14 April to Mr. Dan Lee, Triance Group, Inc. to
which I was provided a courtesy copy. It is with extreme concern and utter dismay that E write
to you today in response to your decision regarding the occupancy of our new home at 10756
Palisades Street SE.
The concern I have centers around your statement that this situation is "...unfortunate that Lt.
Colonel and Mrs. Smith are caught in a difficult position," The decision to nat issue a statement
of occupancy does not just place my wife and I in a "difficult position" it places us in a
catastrophic position. When making the decision of whether we could afford this beautiful,
new, custom home, I did not factor in having to pay the mortgage payment on the new home as
weH as continuing to pay over $1,400 'rn rent because I couldn't live in the new home. Put
simply, my wife and I cannot financially support the situation your decision has put us in. To me;
this represents a catastrophic situation as my livelihood (being a Military Officer) depends on
me maintaining an exemplary financial and community standing, both of which are now in
jeopardy. E=ven Ef you feel no empathy for my financial situation, I would think that the best
interests ofithe City, which you should be concerned about, would cause you. to rethink your
decision. I do not think that Et is good far the city to leave a beautiful home, in a wonderful part
of town, unoccupied. There have already been instances of presumably young kids "tagging"
the common areas of Palisades West with swastikas (on rocks, basketball backboard, Palisades
West sign} which I expect to escalate the longer there is no permanent residence in that
location. An unoccupied home is an invitation to kids and irresponsible young adults to
burglarize and/or vandalize and represents not only a tremendous liability to rne, but also to the
city. By living in and maintaining a presence in that community, my family and I will bring that
area to life and keep it from slipping into the category of an eyesore, or worse yet, a teenage
"hangout" far the City..
My utter dismay with your decision reuolves around the overriding opinion provided by the
Yeim Fire Department, which clearly allays the concerns and fears brought forth in your letter.
While E understand the need for proper city planning, the two parties with the biggest stake in
this transaction is myself and my family, as well as the Yelm Fire Department, The Yelm Fire
Department, in a letter not more than 2 weeks old, have confirmed that there are no issues with
the water availability and pressure in support of the lone house in Palisades West. !fully
acknowledge that any subsequent homes built in that community would necessitate the
requirement for a booster pump, but the fact is that the one house in Palisades West, our
Mr. Grant Beck
April 19, 2009
Page 2
house, does not require it. Your decision, to me, seems based on making a point with the
developer and/ar the builder and does not take into consideration current facts (as stated by
the Yelm City Fire Department) or what is truly in the overall best interests of the city (quality
homes/neighborhoods with quality families).
A few comments about our builder. I have now known Mr. Dan Lee for over one year having
met him in April, 2008. At the time, my wife and l had been renting a home in Yelm for almost
one year and had been actively looking and discussing what kind of home we wanted and where
we would like it to be located. Without question, the homes that Dan builds are far superior in
quality and beauty to anything else being constructed in Yelm and that is what first led us to him
(seeing the quality of the homes in Vintage Greens). Since that time, Dan has contributed his
ideas and in some cases, his awn money, to bring unique detail and craftsmanship to our home.
He has been extraordinarily gracious in his dealings with us and consistently keeps us informed
and involved with the building of our home. Yeim should not only consider itself lucky, but
should be extremely proud of their son, Dan Lee; he is one of the finest people I have met in my
41+ years.
A few comments about my family. In January of 2000, my wife and l along with our three kids,
moved to Yeim and rented a house on Prairie Vista Loop for 2%2 years. At that time, with 10
years in the Army, we knew that we wanted to make Ft. Lewis and Yeim our home after retiring
from the military. In June of 2007, we were fortunate enough to return to Ft. Lewis and knew
immediately that we would settle in Yelm; it is a town that has grown very special to us. We
have three children that are 11t", ~.0`"and 6`"graders in the Yelm School District. Both of my
sons (~.~.`" & 10t"grade) are members of the Yelm High School Band and they both started an the
Yelm JV basketball team this past season. They bath carry a 3.2+ GPA in school and my 11t"
grader is the leading triple jumper in Track while my sophomore is the starting goalie far the
Varsity Soccer Team. My wife and l are not only active members of the Yelm High Schaal Band
boosters but we attend every home and away basketball, track and soccer game. My sixth
grader is a straight "A" student at Mill Pond elementary, plays drums and guitar and competes
.for the Prairie Soccer Club on the "Prairie Storm" U-13 girls team of which I am the Head Coach.
In short, we have completely thrown ourselves into this community and want nothing more
than to move into our dream home and continue living and contributing to the City of Yelm.
If I could ask your support on anything, it would be to reconsider your decision and weigh the
need to stress your point with the Developer against the needs of the City in attracting,
supporting and promoting beautiful homes and supportive families of this community such as
mine. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
~_
Andre & CyntTiia Smith
Yelm Residents