Approval condition letter
City of Yelm
Community Development Department
105 Yelm Avenue West
Yelm, WA 98597
December 2, 2009
Jeff McInnis, P.E.
Petra Engineering, LLC
2602 North Proctor, Suite 205
Tacoma, WA 98407
Re: Samantha Ridge
Dear Jeff:
The Community Development Department has received your request for an extension of approval of site construction plans for Samantha Ridge. The site construction plans were approved
on June 10, 2008. They expired on June 10, 2009. The City will extend the approval 12 months to June 10, 2010 only when outstanding civil review fees are paid. The past due amount
is $4,320.00. Please note that utility connection and Transportation Facility Charges are subject to change, and due and payable building permit issuance.
The City of Yelm has been proactive in water planning since 1994, when the City made application with the Washington Department of Ecology for new water rights sufficient to serve the
entire City and its Urban Growth Area.
While efforts are underway to secure sufficient water to provide for Yelm’s long term needs, the City has aggressively pursued the acquisition and transfer of existing water rights in
order to provide for continued growth until new water rights are acquired. Yelm has historically been successful at acquiring and transferring sufficient water to meet demands.
The Washington Department of Ecology recently denied a water rights transfer that the City had been working on for 18 months and which had been approved twice by the Thurston County
Conservancy Board. The denial of this water rights transfer means that the City currently has a limited number of water connections available for new development. The City has appealed
Ecology's decision to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.
Unless Ecology’s decision is overturned by the Hearings Board, the City is no longer able to make a finding of concurrency with the municipal water system for any new land
divisions. While the City is currently in a position to provide water and issue permits for the proposed development, this may change in the future if conditions change.
Please note that the State Building Code at Section 19.27.097 RCW requires evidence of water availability at the time of building permit issuance, and the issuance of a building permit
by the City of Yelm serves as the City’s commitment to provide a proposal with potable water.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Tami Merriman
Associate Planner