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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 3543CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON RESOLUTION NO. 3543 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATION TO PURCHASE A POTENTIAL FIRE STATION SITE IN KENNYDALE ABOVE APPRAISED VALUE. WHEREAS, for the last twenty-five years there has been a need identified for a strategically placed Fire Station in the Kennydale area; and WHEREAS, the Kennydale area is shown as having a high volume of fire calls per housing unit; and WHEREAS, to the North of the Kennydale, there is an extensive area which is beyond the response time limit set by City Policy both for fire suppression and emergency medical service; and WHEREAS, there is a continuing gap widening between the response time standards and the actual response time due to a number of factors including population growth; and WHEREAS, Fire Stations 11 and 12, which serve Kennydale, have experienced substantial growth with an adverse affect on services for Kennydale; and WHEREAS, the City of Renton's potential annexation area shows that much of the potential annexed property will be situated just East of 1-405 in the Northern part of the City, much of which would be served by a Kennydale Fire Station; and 1 RESOLUTION NO. 3543 WHEREAS, 1-405 creates a significant transportation barrier to East-West travel and except for the occasional underpass or overpass, 1-405 essentially blocks cross town travel; and WHEREAS, the two overpasses in the Northeast quadrant of the City, North 44th Street and North 30tt Street are therefore the logical places around which to situate a new fire station; and WHEREAS, 30th Street is more centrally located; and WHEREAS, it is advisable to situate a fire station in an area that is not entirely residential; and WHEREAS, a review of available parcels in the Kennydale area show a very limited number of prospective nonresidential properties in the area of North 30th Street; and WHEREAS, the parcel in question is strategically located in Kennydale just West of Highway 405 on North 30th Street and is contained in a neighborhood that is at least partially commercial with the access being off of North 30th and in a commercial area; and WHEREAS, the proposed site is by far the best location for the Fire Station of any potential property investigated by the Fire Department; and WHEREAS, other alternatives to a Kennydale Station have been analyzed in the Fire Department Master Plans of 1976 and 1987 with a most appropriate action being the establishment of another fire station in the Kennydale area; and 2 RESOLUTION NO. 3543 WHEREAS, the current owners of the property in question are willing sellers; and WHEREAS, the City has negotiated a contract with the sellers which requires that the property appraised for at least 90% of the contract price of $900,000.00; and WHEREAS, the closing date for this transaction is the 30th day of November; and WHEREAS, the appraisal will not be finalized by the 30th day of November but a preliminary indication is that the appraisal will be less than 90% of $900,000.00; and WHEREAS, the City obtained a builders analysis of the property from James Hanson, former City Building Official, and a person active in property development issues in the Kennydale area with an estimated property value of approximately $820,000.00; and WHEREAS, similarly sized properties, with slightly more advantageous zoning, have been platted into a sufficient number of lots to support a value of the raw land near $800,000.00; and WHEREAS, the City Council is aware that it has the power of eminent domain but notes that the City frequently must pay more than the appraised price to obtain the property short of trial, and if the price cannot be negotiated before trial that the costs of trial including the City's own attorney's fees, appraisal fees and other fees, plus the risk of paying the other side's attorney's fees if the juries verdict is not vdthin 10% of the City's last offer, makes the cost of the property acquisition frequently more than 10% over the City's appraisal; and 3 RESOLUTION NO. 3543 WHEREAS, the rule of thumb of not paying more than 10% of the City's appraisal is an informal City policy which is not law and which may be waived by the City Council upon appropriate findings; and WHEREAS, there are sufficient funds in the Fire Mitigation Fund to make this purchase; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, DO RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: Street, is ideally situated for the location of a new Fire Station in the Kennydale area, will provide more complete service to the Kennydale area and is readily accessible to the transportation systems of the City and the State. While the appraised price may not be within 90% of the contract purchase price, because of the factors detailed in this resolution, the City Council deems it advisable to close this transaction at the contract price and authorizes the Administration to do so. SECTION I. The above findings are true and correct in all respects. SECTION II. The City Council finds that this parcel of land, 1404 North 30' ,th PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this 26th day of November , 2001 APPROVED BY THE MAYOR this 26th day of November , 2001 Jesse Tanner, Mayor 4 RESOLUTION NO. 3543 Approved as to form: Lawrence J. Warren, City-Attorney RES.887:11/26/01 :tmj 5