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Planning commission recommends partial vacation of Montana Street, preserves utility easements
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Summary
The North Bend Planning Commission recommended approval of a partial vacation of an 80-foot segment of Montana Street (case 627-25-000013-PLNG), citing existing sanitary and storm sewer infrastructure and the need to maintain a 48-foot corridor; recommendation goes to city council for final decision.
The North Bend Planning Commission on Nov. 17 recommended a partial vacation of an 80-foot stretch of Montana Street between Oak and Pine, deferring a full vacation because sanitary sewer and storm drainage mains run through the right-of-way.
Palak Pandey, city planner, told the commission that the applicant, PRM Investments LLC, submitted a petition to vacate the unimproved portion of Montana Street and that 24 of 36 required adjacent-property consents were on file. Pandey said staff’s analysis found full vacation would “block the existing sanitary corridor and eliminate a potential east–west connection,” and recommended retaining a 48-foot corridor while allowing up to 16 feet to be vacated from each side to meet city standards and preserve utility access.
Applicant Brett Mault, who said he owns 2588 Montana Street, asked the commission to approve a full vacation with easements so he could split his lot and create two buildable lots. “If I could get the city street vacated, I could potentially split my lot into two with the size requirements and build two homes,” Mault said, describing roughly 0.2 acres for his parcel and estimating two lots of about 5,000 to 5,500 square feet each if additional right-of-way were added.
Neighbors raised safety and circulation concerns. Ian Washington of 2450 Montana said he opposed a through street because of speeding and children playing in the area: “We do not want Montana to go through… There’s tons of small kids that run through there,” Washington said, noting he has recorded cars doing about 50 mph near his house.
Commissioners and staff discussed required easements, setbacks and who would bear costs. Staff said main-line maintenance of the existing sewer and drainage mains would remain the city’s responsibility, while property owners would be responsible for any new service connections. Staff noted the utilities run near the centerline and a minimum 15-foot easement would likely be required to protect pipes; city policy requires a minimum 48-foot right-of-way for local streets.
After deliberation, a commissioner moved to approve the application as recommended by staff, subject to the conditions in the staff’s post-final order. The motion carried on a voice vote with multiple “ayes” and at least one “no”; the commission’s action is a recommendation that will be forwarded to city council, which has the final decision authority. Staff reminded interested parties that the city council hearing is the final decision and that appeal rights to city council and subsequent procedures apply.
The next procedural step is for staff to prepare the recommendation materials for the city council. Any appeal or request for review must be filed according to the city’s appeal deadlines noted at the hearing.
