Mattawa Council delays annexation decision

MATTAWA — Mattawa City Council members deferred a decision on annexing 40 acres into the city limits, asking for more information before taking a vote. The decision followed a half-hour discussion at the regular council meeting Thursday.

The applicant, CAD Homes, Moses Lake, has announced plans to build housing on the site, known as the Bodrero property. Council member Fabiola Hernandez said she hesitated to make a decision until she had more information about the impact of the project to the city’s water system. Council member Sylvia Barajas said she was concerned about water, and about the impact to the city in general.

“I’m also concerned with the schools - 100 houses, that’s a lot of families that are going to have children. It’s going to impact the school, it’s going to impact the police department because that’s a new addition that they have to patrol. We’re just barely making it right now. So I would like a little more information about how we’re going to meet all those demands before I think I can make a decision,” Barajas said.

Hernandez said the city has a limited capacity remaining in its water system, and she was concerned that approving the annexation would limit further development.

The annexation proposal was reviewed by SCJ Alliance, the city’s planners, and at a public hearing on Sept. 15. Rachelle Bradley of SCJ Alliance said during Thursday’s meeting that the planning staff recommended approving the annexation proposal with the requirement that city officials and the planning staff negotiate a development agreement.

“All of these things can be addressed in the development agreement, and those impacts and those studies will be addressed at that time,” Bradley said.

Council members expressed valid concerns, she said, and those concerns need to be addressed before construction begins.

“But we’re not at that point yet,” Bradley said, “so we’re hoping that with the approval of annexation with the condition of the development agreement, that all of those concerns can be negotiated with the developer. So that we can figure out what is in the best interest of the city and the best interest of the developer.”

The council agreed to let the annexation proposal for the 40 acres go forward in June. In July council members implemented a moratorium on further annexations until the city’s updated comprehensive plan is completed, scheduled for November 2023.

Bradley said the planning staff recommended going ahead with the Bodrero annexation due in part to Mattawa’s need for housing, which she characterized as “desperate.”

In addition, opportunities for single-family development in Mattawa have been limited, Bradley said.

“Really, in the last five years the city has only been issuing multi-family building permits, not single-family building permits, and that’s something staff considered as well,” Bradley said.

Bradley said the development process would take some time, and that working out the actual requirements for water, traffic and other impacts would be part of that process.

City attorney Kathryn Kenison said the city will be required to provide services to the property once it’s annexed, whenever that property is developed. De-annexing the property, if the current development proposal doesn’t happen, would require a public vote, she said. The city’s existing development regulations limit the city’s ability to influence development, Kenison said.

Council member Tony Acosta said he was concerned about water availability also, and potential strain on the city’s water system. One of the city’s three wells doesn’t work, Acosta said, and if a second well goes down, the one remaining well might not be able to keep up.

Council member Brian Berghout said he was ready to make a decision.

“My concern is we need single-family homes,” Berghout said. “It’s a concern. We have a lot of duplexes, we have the big apartments (at the intersection of State Route 243 and Road 24 SW).”

Council member Alex Heredia said city officials had been talking about infrastructure for about 20 years. The city’s well system seems to be in good shape, he said, and he was less concerned than Acosta.

“People my age - they want to buy a house, and they can’t do it,” Heredia said.

Prior to the discussion Port of Mattawa DirectorLars Leland, spoke in favor of the project. There are people who want to live in Mattawa and qualify for a housing loan, but can’t find anything to buy, he said.

“We’ve been working on this project with CAD Homes and Washington Trust Bank for the last couple of years,” he said. “These are stick homes, and it’s going to add a lot of value to the community.”

The next council meeting will be Oct. 20. Whether or not the annexation proposal will be discussed is still to be determined.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com. For more news from Grant and Adams counties, download the Columbia Basin Herald app - available for iOS and Android.