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Council approves purchase agreement for RiverTrail parcel after 12% counteroffer
Summary
The council authorized a purchase-and-sale agreement for a riverfront parcel (PID 7849200455) to extend the River Trail, approving a 12% increase over an initial appraised offer; vote was 6-1.
The Snoqualmie City Council on May 27 authorized the mayor to execute a purchase-and-sale agreement to acquire a riverfront parcel at 7802 Railroad Avenue SE (parcel ID 7849200455) for the River Trail project, approving a seller counteroffer that is 12% above the appraisal.
Councilor Washington introduced Resolution 1717 and said the parcel is identified on the city’s Riverwalk acquisition map as a remaining potential riverfront acquisition. "The property owner... would like to facilitate a voluntary purchase and sell agreement to sell the property to the city," Washington said.
Staff said the original appraisal was low because of the property’s shape and included a roughly $100,000 reduction for deferred maintenance. The city’s community development staff explained the seller counteroffered for a 12% increase over the appraisal; staff said they ran the proposal through Conservation Futures and King County flood control. "It's a 12% increase. We made an initial offer of the appraised value. The applicant counteroffered with the 12% increase, which we're bringing back for consideration," a staff member said.
Councilors asked whether the 12% premium raised state gift-of-public-funds concerns. Councilor Johnson summarized prior committee discussion: "apparently, there is something like this 10% rule that if it's within 10%, then, you can go above by that amount without, it being a gift of public funds... They said that 12% rounds down to 10% effectively. That's my understanding." Council members expressed caution about establishing a pattern of paying above appraised value but noted the acquisition is funded from outside sources (conservation/flood control funds), and the council weighed the parcel’s strategic value for the River Trail.
After discussion the council authorized the purchase agreement by a 6-1 vote. The meeting record did not clearly attribute the single no vote to a named council member in the transcript excerpt provided to the record.
Staff and council noted the city will not necessarily adopt the same premium for future acquisitions; the decision reflected an appraisal the staff described as low due to parcel condition and shape. The council directed the administration to proceed with executing Resolution 1717 so the city can continue assembling properties for the nonmotorized trail along the Snoqualmie River.
