MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
title
ST3: Downtown Redmond Link Extension Surplus Property Public Hearing and Adoption of a Resolution
a. RESOLUTION NO. 1521: A Resolution Declaring Certain Utility and Non-Utility Assets, Easements, and Fee Property Located Along or Near the Downtown Redmond Link Extension Alignment to be Surplus to the Current and Long-Term Needs of the City and Authorizing the Mayor or His Designee to Vacate and Release Such Surplus Assets, Easements, and Fee Property
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council: 1) hold a public hearing to surplus City-owned property needed for the Downtown Redmond Link Extensions, and 2) Adopt the surplus property resolution shown in Attachment A.
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II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Erika Vandenbrande, Director 425-556-2457
Don Cairns, P.E., Transportation Planning and Engineering Manager 425-556-2834
Jeff Churchill, AICP, Transportation Strategic Advisor 425-556-2492
Planning and Community Development
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
Sound Transit needs to acquire City-owned property to construct and operate the Downtown Redmond Link Extension. At its October 2, 2018, Regular Business Meeting the City Council delegated authority to the Mayor to execute many Sound Transit-related property transactions (see Attachment B). However, surplus property declarations require Council action by resolution.
Staff recommends that the Council hold a public hearing and subsequently adopt a surplus property resolution to facilitate property transactions discussed below between the City and Sound Transit.
Utility Property
Along the 3.4-mile alignment of the light rail extension, there are several minor conflicts between existing utilities and future light rail. Sound Transit will be relocating and replacing various water, wastewater, and stormwater assets to eliminate the conflicts, as well as to provide utility services to its new rail infrastructure. Several utility easements will be relocated so they are in the location of the new utility assets. When Sound Transit relocates the utilities, the existing easements will be surplus to the City’s needs. The affected properties are shown in Attachment A, Exhibit 2. The exact location of impacts to City utility easements may change during final design. In March, the City Council adopted a similar surplus property resolution related to utilities on the Microsoft campus.
State law requires the City Council to hold a public hearing prior to declaring utility properties surplus, and further requires that the resolution declaring the property surplus state, “the fair market value or the rent or consideration to be paid and such other terms and conditions for such disposition as the legislative authority deems to be in the best public interest.”
The attached resolution states that the consideration accepted by the City will be:
1. The City will no longer need to maintain and reserve money for replacement of utility assets and easements that no longer serve the utility, and
2. Sound Transit will relocate and replace utility assets and easements that leave Redmond’s utility systems in an equal or better condition than they would otherwise be.
Non-Utility Properties
Sound Transit intends to acquire one full and one partial non-utility property (see Attachment A, Exhibit 3). The full property take is located in the 6400 block of 156th Ave NE, adjacent to SR 520. The City acquired the property from WSDOT following an SR 520 project. It is undeveloped and City staff have concluded that it is surplus to the City’s needs.
The partial take, of 970 sq. ft., located in the 5500 block of 154th Ave NE, is a narrow strip of land located along the edge of the property adjacent to SR 520. The City acquired the property from King County for park, open space or recreation purposes, and Sound Transit is obligated under the terms of the City’s acquisition to replace the park/open space/recreation land. Sound Transit has agreed to purchase and improve property adjacent to the Redmond Central Connector in Downtown Redmond to satisfy that obligation.
State law authorizes the City to sell property to other governmental entities and requires the City Council to hold a public hearing prior to declaring the property surplus to the City’s needs when the property value exceeds $50,000.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
May 28, 2019: Council Committee of the Whole briefing
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
The recommended resolution will enable Sound Transit to relocate and replace - with new infrastructure - utilities that serve City customers. Adopting the resolution will not impact on City utility or other service delivery.
B. Fiscal Note:
The recommended consideration for surplus utility easements and assets is new utility easements and assets that leave Redmond’s utility systems in equal or better condition. The Administration will negotiate the terms of sale of non-utility City property within the authority described in Attachment B and all applicable laws.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
The City Council could also choose to:
1. Postpone the hearing and provide staff alternative direction, or
2. Hold the hearing and postpone action on the resolution, providing direction to staff.
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
The resolution must be adopted prior to the City conveying property rights to Sound Transit needed to construct light rail. Early construction activities could occur as early as late 2019.
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Surplus Property Resolution
Exhibit 1: Downtown Redmond Link Extension Map
Exhibit 2: Surplus Utility Property Rights
Exhibit 3: Surplus Non-Utility Property Rights
Attachment B: Real Property Transaction Types
Attachment C: Presentation Slides