Developers asked for cost of turn lane

City seeks reimbursement for improvement

MOSES LAKE - The City of Moses Lake is seeking reimbursement from property owners for construction of a right-hand turn lane at the intersection of Grape Drive and state Route 17.

Council unanimously approved to begin the reimbursement process during a Tuesday night meeting.

The cost of the project was $198,607, according to city documents. Developers of Home Depot contributed $110,000 of the bill. Developers are often required to pay for road improvements near their property due to traffic impacts.

Property owners of two other nearby parcels are to pay the remainder of the bill, $88,607.

Two parcels located between Central Drive and SR17, referred to as parcels two and three of the Parkplace Plaza Major Plat Lot 1, will be sent a request for payment from city staff.

The owners of the property are required to pay upon development, according to city documents.

Councilmember Dick Deane asked if the property owners knew they would be required to pay the reimbursements before the project was constructed.

Municipal Services Director Gary Harer said they were not given prior notification.

"But they do benefit greatly because of that (project)," Deane said.

Harer said the property owners will be given sufficient notice to appeal the request for reimbursement and two readings of the ordinance are required in order to be passed.

The two pieces of property were expected to be developed at the same time as Home Depot was built, Community Development Director Gilbert Alvarado said.

"Had those other projects come in they would still be facing the same (cost). I understand what you're saying about 'after the fact' but at some point this would have come up," he said.

Councilmember Jim Liebrecht said the city is conducting business inappropriately. He said he does not mind the reimbursement part of the issue because it was a requirement but he was disappointed the property owners were not notified ahead of time.

"This is the way we have done it in the past. The project was just recently completed," Harer said. "This project started about a year and a half ago I believe, and actually our new process is to contact the people before the project is started so they do have a choice although the cost is the cost. That (area) was all supposed to be developed at one time. If that would have happened then, (the property owners) would be responsible for 100 percent of (the turn lane project)."