Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Yakima staff map surplus parcels; council asks for more research into marketability, zoning and affordable‑housing options
Summary
City attorney Sarah Watkins outlined a shortlist of city‑owned parcels that may be marketable and explained legal and funding restrictions including RCO grant limits and a local code allowing surplus property disposition for affordable housing. Council asked staff to research selected parcels and constraints; no sale decisions were made.
City Attorney Sarah Watkins briefed the Yakima City Council on May 13 about about 300 city‑owned parcels and highlighted a subset that staff view as potentially marketable, but constrained by acquisition terms, utilities, access and grant restrictions.
Watkins said staff identified parcels with minimal improvements that might be surplused and sold, but several have deed or grant restrictions that affect whether proceeds can be used citywide. "Some of these parcels do have restrictions due to how we acquired them as well as some might need additional site work before becoming marketable," she told the council.
Watkins walked council through examples shown on a map and noted site‑specific constraints: a roughly one‑third‑acre parcel near the Bravo Company Boulevard roundabout has water and sewer but may need a narrow strip vacated to improve access; a cluster of roughly six parcels at South Fair Avenue and East Chestnut is awkward because access would be limited to Chestnut under state DOT rules;…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
