Yakima County hears plan to gate North 50th Street in Terrace Heights to curb trespass and crime

Yakima County commissioners on Aug. 12 heard a public presentation about a proposal to temporarily close North 50th Street in the Terrace Heights neighborhood with a gated entry to limit general public access.

County Engineer Matt Petrosevitz told the Board of Yakima County Commissioners that the item is an amendment request to the county's 2025'2036 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to add a 'North 50th Street Gate' project. Petrosevitz said he is not asking for final action at the hearing but is seeking public comment and authorization to move the project onto the TIP so the county can pursue planning and funding.

The change would allow staff to study options for a gate and begin spending on design and planning. Petrosevitz said the county earlier this year received about $1 million in federal funding for a related roundabout project at Ackley Road and West Powerhouse Road and that amending the TIP is a procedural step required to spend grant funds and to add this new project to the program.

Petrosevitz said the specific problem involves a dead-end county pavement on North 50th Street that was installed roughly 20 to 25 years ago and has drawn frequent nonresident traffic, illegal activity and public-safety complaints from neighborhood residents. He said the county's proposed immediate aim is to temporarily close the county right of way to the general public and provide a gated access route for residents.

'All these homes up in Terrace Heights Drive ... this neighborhood's been developed, but North 50th Street was paved by the county back 'this is 20, 25 years ago,'' Petrosevitz said. 'What we're pursuing is temporarily closing North 50th Street to the general public to allow the folks that access their homes access through the gate.'

Commissioner McKinney described the issue as 'a public safety issue' and said neighbors and property owners had repeatedly asked the county for help. 'We have tried emphasis patrols. We have tried putting cameras out there, but our resources for law enforcement are limited,' McKinney said. 'This is the most economical way to address a public safety issue that is occurring in this neighborhood frequently, often, daily.'

Commissioner Lindy and McKinney both said the problem has been raised at prior community meetings and is not new. Lindy asked whether a gate that small would require TIP addition; Petrosevitz replied that the issue has grown in scope and complexity, and putting it on the TIP will allow the county to devote staff time and funds to planning instead of handling it only as routine maintenance.

Petrosevitz outlined several topics the county expects to study if the project proceeds: the gate location (he proposed locating the gate on the north side of Bohoskie Drive but noted some residents want it the other side); maintenance responsibilities for the county road while closed; and a long-term plan for when currently undeveloped parcels in the area are built out and public access might be restored.

Petrosevitz said the proposal is intended to address county right-of-way issues only, not private roads that run through the area. He warned that long-term development would likely require the road to be reopened as a public street.

No members of the public gave testimony during the hearing. Commissioners closed public comment and took no final vote at the Aug. 12 hearing; Petrosevitz told the board he would return later with a request to add the project to the TIP and to present options after staff analysis.

The county will decide in a future agenda whether to add the North 50th Street gate to the TIP and whether to fund or install a temporary gate while staff refines options.

Details to watch: where the gate would be located relative to Bohoskie Drive, whether the county would accept maintenance responsibilities while the gate is closed, what access arrangements would be provided for the homes currently served by North 50th Street, and whether the county will propose conditions to reopen the road when surrounding undeveloped parcels are built.