Tumwater staff present possible Robeson Road vacation near Yorkshire development; committee agrees to pursue resolution and hearing

Transportation engineering staff briefed the Public Works Committee on May 22 on a petition to vacate a strip of unopened right of way known as Robeson Road, adjacent to the Yorkshire mixed‑use development west of I‑5 between Israel Road and Tumwater Boulevard. The committee did not take final action but asked staff to prepare a resolution to set a public hearing for council consideration.

Jared Cruz of the City’s Transportation Engineering Department said the petition was signed by adjacent property owners in compliance with Tumwater Municipal Code and that the right of way is an undeveloped fragment from historical plats. "The city currently has no plans to utilize the right of way," Cruz said, describing the strip as roughly 30–40 feet wide, undeveloped and vegetated in places.

Cruz explained the process: the council first adopts a resolution to set a hearing date, the city publishes a public comment period, the hearing is held, and only after that is final action taken. Committee members asked about connections to planned roadwork and whether vacating the right of way would interfere with an eventual connection for Tayee Drive to Tumwater Boulevard. Cruz responded that the Tayee Drive alignment shown on the approved binding site plan would not be negatively affected and that the connection plan is expected to be maintained.

Staff said if the vacation proceeds, the strip would be returned to adjacent property owners under the city’s vacation rules (typically split between adjacent owners where applicable). Council members discussed timing and staff capacity; staff said Brandon Hicks and Jared Cruz will coordinate the process and that the work will require weekly hours during the upcoming permit/resolution drafting period but can be scheduled to avoid peak workload conflicts. City Administrator Lisa confirmed the department can manage the workload and that statutory timelines apply once the resolution is passed.

The committee expressed general support and directed staff to draft the resolution and schedule a hearing; no formal vote to vacate the right of way was taken at the meeting.

Background: staff noted the Yorkshire project is a proposed mixed‑use development of apartments, commercial space and storage; the vacated Robeson Road lies at the toe of a slope near Tumwater Boulevard and is not currently slated for development by the city.