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Council continues Western Avenue vacation hearing to get answers on access and utilities
Summary
A property owner requested vacating Western Avenue; city staff flagged utility, access and connectivity concerns and council continued the public hearing to a later meeting for additional staff work and mapping.
The Moses Lake City Council continued a public hearing Tuesday on a developer’s request to vacate Western Avenue so staff can evaluate public‑access, utility and emergency‑service implications.
Developer Howard Holmesley asked the city to vacate Western Avenue in full, a right of way dedicated with the Milwaukee Industrial plat in 1952. Planning staff reported the roadway contains city‑owned infrastructure, including about 1,225 feet of 8‑inch cast‑iron water main, four fire hydrants and roughly 700 feet of a 3‑inch pressure effluent sewer that does not extend to Broadway.
Why it matters: Vacation would transfer the strip of public right of way to adjacent property owners and could require utility easements or relocation. Staff and council expressed concern about losing a potential access route onto Broadway, the state highway, and about connectivity for the neighborhoods north of the site.
Core points from staff and testimony: Development review manager Corey Davis told the council that covenants on adjoining lots would require full‑width street construction and utility extensions if the road is improved, and that design funding for Western had been paused at roughly 30% pending the vacation request. ‘‘If it were to be vacated, then all infrastructure would be required to be put into a utility easement for both maintenance and access,’’ Davis said.
Owner Howard Holmesley presented conceptual drawings showing an alternative access alignment for a future development and said the vacate is the first step toward a cohesive build‑out; representatives from AIM Gymnastics and other tenants urged faster action because of current unsafe conditions and heavy daily traffic.
The council directed staff to analyze public‑access alternatives, WSDOT coordination for any Broadway access, utility easement options and costs, and to return with maps and recommendations. Council voted to continue the hearing to a subsequent meeting rather than take immediate action.
Ending: The council did not vacate Western Avenue at the hearing. Staff will prepare mapping and detail options for alternate access and easement arrangements and return for a future council decision.
