Mattawa council wrestles with planning regulations

MATTAWA — Mattawa City Council members will discuss reviewing the city’s parking regulations Nov 21. It’s the continuation of a discussion started about regulation and the regulatory process after a property owner requested a variance to parking regulations.

The request was denied and Hardeep Singh, managing partner of Unity Partners, attended the Nov. 7 council meeting to get details regarding the denial. The company has proposed building a 10,000-square-foot building at the intersection of State Route 243 and Road 24 Southwest, next to the roundabout.  The project would include a convenience store and space for two other businesses.  

The Mattawa zoning code mandates a parking space for every 100 square feet of space in a convenience store. Under that regulation, Unity Partners would be required to provide 100 parking spaces. Unity Partners had requested to cut that requirement to 33 parking spaces.  

Singh asked if there was a mechanism to modify the decision. City attorney Kathryn Kenison said it would be difficult and talking to the council was the wrong venue. Singh applied for a variance, which was through the city’s hearings examiner. 

“(That) is a process that does not involve the council,” Kenison said. “So, if I’m understanding the request — if there is one — of the council, is to expedite your review of the development code, specifically reviewing your parking regulations ahead of what you had originally planned with the development regulation update following the last comp plan update. Otherwise, there’s no relief the council can give.” 

Rachelle Bradley of SCJ Alliance, the city’s contracted planning firm, said the review of the code involved is scheduled to begin in June 2025. City officials would have to implement it by June 2027. 

“You would have to take a broad look at your situation, your updated zoning, your land use map, and then you’re going to be looking at your development regulations and making sure that they implement all of those policies that you’ve adopted in your comp plan,” Kenison told the council. 

Bradley said those reviews would be necessary to update Mattawa’s development regulations, which would cost money.  

“Funding is a significant issue for the city to be able to do the study that would be required. There’s a lot of analysis and studies that would need to go into this,” Bradley said. 

The applicant could pay for the work, although there are regulations governing when a request can be made. Alternately, city officials could ask to start the process, Bradley said.  

“And if that is the route the council wants to go, we recommend waiting until that 2025-27 update because there will be grant funding available,” Bradley said.  

That would help offset some of the potentially considerable costs, she said. 

“One of those studies alone typically costs about $20,000,” Bradley said. “And it may be more than that, depending on how much data needs to be collected.”  

Singh said it didn’t sound like anything would happen soon. 

“So, we’ve got no hope, basically?” Singh said. 

“Well, there’s always hope,” said Council Member Tony Acosta. “There’s just a process that we have to follow.”  

Singh said it sounded like the process would take about three years.  

Council Member Brian Berghout said he thought that was a long time. 

“I don’t think it’s prudent to put things off for two years,” Berghout said.  

Acosta said there is a process, and he thought the council should follow it. If the city starts a review process now Mattawa would have to pay for it, he said.  

“I think we are potentially missing out on an opportunity for tax revenue, which we need,” Berghout said. 

The planning and appeal processes, he said, are in his opinion too slow.  

“We’re planning this out almost like an interstate highway project,” he said. “I think it’s an excessive amount of planning and paperwork.” 

Council member Alex Heredia said this specific project would benefit people who live south of the highway. In addition, Mattawa has a young population, Heredia said, and allowing some business development now will provide opportunities for young people to stay or come back to Mattawa. Keeping its young people is a challenge Mattawa has faced consistently, he said. 

“They’re going to take their dreams, their aspirations somewhere else,” Heredia said.  

Council members Fabiola Hernandez and Sun Hwang said the applicant, in this case Unity Partners, should be willing to adapt the project, rather than asking the city to do all the adapting. 

Hwang added that aside from a couple of businesses, parking is a persistent problem in Mattawa. Hernandez said the intersection where the building would be located is very busy, and city officials needed to take that into account. 

Council members decided to continue the discussion, and asked Bradley to provide information on possible costs of doing studies, as well as information about parking in general.