Yelm hearing examiner holds record open on 39‑lot Palisades subdivision over access and safe‑route questions

Hearing Examiner Mark Scheifmeier on Feb. 26 held the public record open on a proposed 9.7‑acre subdivision in Yelm that would create 39 detached single‑family lots (City file LD2024.0072), citing unresolved questions over the city’s access standard, pedestrian safe‑route requirements and several site‑specific infrastructure matters.

The examiner asked the city attorney to produce a written determination and legal brief showing how the proposal satisfies Yelm Municipal Code 18.52.080 (the city’s vehicle‑access requirement) and invited the applicant to submit its own legal response. He set a deadline of Friday, March 7, 5:00 p.m., for those materials; he said he will not render a final decision until he has reviewed any written submissions on that narrow legal issue.

Why it matters: The access rule at issue requires subdivisions of 25 or more units to provide more than one vehicular access from an arterial or collector street. The hearing record showed the proposed streets would connect to existing Palisades Street SE — a local access residential street — and not directly to a city‑designated arterial or collector, creating a legal barrier to approval unless the city’s director has lawfully granted an exception or the applicant obtains a variance.

City staff told the examiner the city recommends approval with conditions. Staff’s report and the applicant’s traffic impact analysis (TIA) recommended an intersection improvement at…