Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council orders review of Centerway easement after request for additional access, cites maintenance, stormwater and safety concerns
Summary
A property owner requested limited use of Centerway for parking; councilors raised precedent, stormwater, fire access, utility easements, and maintenance concerns and asked staff and the city attorney to rework the 2006 easement description and require setback, shared maintenance and liability coverage if access is permitted.
Councilors debated whether to permit a property owner to use a 20-foot city-owned strip called Centerway to create an additional parking space.
City planner Catherine explained the original 2006 easement language left the tract's legal description broad and assigned maintenance and liability responsibilities to condominium owners. Councilors and staff noted the easement text uses ambiguous "grantee/grantor" language and that the easement's legal description could be narrowed to cover only the portion originally intended.
Concerns included precedent (allowing additional driveways could open requests from multiple adjacent properties), stormwater runoff from new driveways, emergency vehicle access, and the city's need to retain utility easements. Council asked staff to consult the city attorney, contact affected property owners about potential amendments to the agreement, and return with a redrafted legal description that narrows the easement, requires a maintenance-sharing agreement, sets setbacks from the easement, and clarifies liability insurance responsibilities.
Planner Catherine said a simple fix could be to revise the legal description to cover only the initial length of the easement and not the entire loop that connects back to King Street. Council did not vote to permit new access at the meeting; instead it requested legal edits and stakeholder outreach.
