HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/20/2013 00 Misc Distributed at the MeetingDistributed pt thi
Meeting
August 19, 2013
Yakima City Council
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
At the August 6h City Council meeting, we shared with you a photo of the
retaining wall behind our homes and urged you to adopt regulations that would ensure
that such walls could not be built again in the city of Yakima. Our concern was two-fold:
(1), that the wall was structurally unsound and, (2) the aesthetics of the wall adversely
affected our property value. At the city council meeting we expressed our support for
Option 3, believing it would provide the protection we sought. Subsequent to the
meeting, however, Steve Osguthorpe, community development director, contacted us to
confirm our understanding of Option 3 provisions. Ile stated that the Option 3 language
may not provide the aesthetic protection we hoped for because it would allow any wall
material that was manufacturvd.6ar and customarily used on retaining walls, even if it had
the same visual and structural qualities as the wall behind our homes. Upon further
review, we are concerned he may be correct. We therefore ask the council to review
again the language under option 3 before final adoption by ordinance to determine if it
provides the protection we seek. Whatever material is allowed to be used and however
the wall is allowed to be constructed, it should not be allowed to devalue adjoining
properties. We therefore ask that the Council review again the language wider Option 3
before final adoption by ordinance to determine if it provides the protection we seek.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,,
U4
Steve and Alice Campbell