By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald
Fifteen new homes could hit the Enumclaw housing inventory this year or next as part of a planned 72-home development.
The Enumclaw City Council is expected to act Monday on a preliminary plat application submitted on behalf of Suntop Farms Division II. The property in question totals a bit more than 15 acres and is found on the city's east side, just north of Warner Avenue and east of Watson Street.
Owners secured water and sewer service for the 15 parcels last year, when the city transferred some existing utility connections away from the commercial category and made them available for residential hook-ups. The remaining 57 lots in the subdivision will not be addressed until the existing moratorium is lifted.
If the project receives the council's OK Monday night, infrastructure improvements could be completed during the coming construction season, according to City Administrator Mark Bauer. The building of homes, he said, might not be until the following year.
As part of ordinance being considered, the developers agree to:
- submit a “soils report” by a geotechnical engineer to address means for dealing with spring water;
- leave about one-third of an acre for open space;
- submit a traffic impact analysis;
- build an asphalt trail, 10 feet wide, along the Warner Avenue frontage (in lieu of a concrete sidewalk);
- form a homeowners' association that will be responsible for maintaining open spaces, ditch buffers and recreation areas;
- and, for the sake of continuity, use the same street lights that are found in adjacent developments.
Design standards for the development indicate it may be visually interesting.
“A variety of historic architectural styles may be applied,” according to paperwork filed with the city, including craftsman, bungalow, Victorian, farmhouse and colonial. Additionally, porches or stoops shall be included on all homes and, in many cases, garages will be at the rear of the home. A diversity of colors is encouraged to create more interest and it's spelled out that three distinct colors should be used on each home.
The City Council had the Suntop II item on its Jan. 28 agenda for initial consideration. In other action from that meeting, council members:
€ authorized a quit claim deed transmitting property that had earlier been vacated to the Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association. The vacated land consists of Cinkovich Street that runs directly in front of the hospital. The one-block stretch of road will disappear when a new hospital is built directly across Battersby Avenue.
€ extended a lease agreement with the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce for space in the city-owned building on Cole Street. For 2008, the chamber will pay $250 per month, the same rate that has been in place for years. The council justified the subsidized rate by noting the chamber works for the good of the community.
