HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/06/2021 06 Consideration of Letter in Support of Housing Projects to Pacific Power 1
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BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
Item No. 6.
For Meeting of:April 6, 2021
ITEM TITLE: Consideration of letter in support of Housing Projects to Pacific
Power
SUBMITTED BY: Robert Harrison, City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
At the March 9, 2021 study session, Council heard from the Yakima Housing Authority
and Central Washington Home Builders about delays in engineering designs by Pacific Power.
Attached for Council review and approval is a draft letter to Pacific Power regarding these
concerns.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve letters.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date Type
D daft 3/16/2021 e Me o
2
April 6, 2021
Pacific Power
825 NE Multnomah Street
Portland, OR 97232
Pacific Power
500 N. Keys Road
Yakima, WA 98901
Re: Need for more predictable, shorter timelines for development projects
To Whom It May Concern:
The City of Yakima is facing a housing crisis. Rental vacancy levels are less than 1% and
developers are building units to get them on the market quickly. From single family homes to
multi-family apartment complexes, all types, styles and sizes''of housing is needed to address
this crisis. The City Council has been engaging with the Central Washington Home Builders
Association and local developers of housing to address the crisis and discuss affordable
housing opportunities.
The main issue of concern involves the Pacific Power engineering and design team. They
currently are unable to take projects and get developers an engineered design so that the
developers can get to work on their projects. Developers have reported to the City that Pacific
Power does not have enough engineers on staff to handle the amount of work being sent for
design. Engineering plans that should take 90 days to get back to developers are taking almost
12 months. That significant delay is restricting housing units from going online in Yakima,
where they are desperately needed. Further, since all other utilities follow after the Pacific
Power designs are completed, the failure to provide designs back to developers in a timely
manner by Pacific Power is causing substantial delays in construction.
Yakima has a high demand for housing units and developers are ready, willing, and able to
construct these units in Yakima as quickly as possible. There are several developments in the
construction stage, and additional projects being developed for housing units in Yakima. These
housing units are desperately needed. Unfortunately, the delays caused by Pacific Power are
hindering the development and on-site work from being completed.
What is needed from Pacific Power is predictable response times that will expedite housing unit
development. Developers and contractors are depending on you to do your work so that
projects can move forward. The City is depending on you to do your work so that housing units
can go online and people can find the housing they want and need in Yakima.
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We encourage your pro-active resolution to many of these issues. Our residents can no longer
abide the delays.
Sincerely,
Patricia Byers
Mayor
cc. Senator Curtis King
Senator Jim Honeyford
Rep. Gina Mosbrucker
Rep. Chris Corry
Rep. Bruce Chandler
Rep. Jeremie Dufault
Robert Harrison, City Manager