Council chooses to vacate road after locals petition

The Town Council of Eatonville moved to vacate a portion of Orchard Ave South at the most recent council meeting on Monday, April 8.

The council voted unanimously to vacate the road during the council meeting on March 25.

The 200-foot long section of road runs adjacent to Larsen Avenue and is surrounded by residential lots. The occupants of these lots were responsible for the petition, represented by Park Place Homes LLC and Eatonville Rentals LLC.

After reviewing an appraisal by Garrett Waldner of Washington Appraisal Services Inc., and a report by Larson & Associates, an engineering firm in Tacoma, the council voted. The report recommended “the highest and best use of the subject property is as a vacated street section to be assembled with the adjacent property … Due to the larger size of the assembled parcel, the available utilities, access and the physical characteristics, the highest and best use would be multi-family housing project to the maximum permitted by zoning.”

The report determined that the portion of the vacated road would not be suitable to serve as a park or for other public use. The section does not have any benefit to Eatonville’s road system nor would any portion of land become inaccessible, according to the council. Utilities would not be adversely impacted by the vacation. The town of Eatonville will maintain an easement above and below the road, should there be the construction of new utilities or maintenance of existing ones.

The vacation won’t have any significant impact on the town’s growth or development, the council stated. It was not clarified if the condition of the road itself posed any risk of liability, as in the case of tripping hazards presented by poor sidewalks or otherwise poor road conditions.

The petitioning residents have paid fees to the town but will need to pay the estimated property worth of the section, which was appraised at $20,000. The vacation will not be complete until the amount is paid.