Purple Sage Meadows cleared to move forward with development

SOAP LAKE — The formation of the Purple Sage Meadows development district is officially reflected in the Soap Lake city ordinances after final approval by the city council during the Oct. 4 regular meeting.

The next step for the owner and developer of the 38-acre property on the south end of town bordering the west side of Division Street, North Pacific Investments, is to present its development plan for 236 lots for affordable manufactured-home condominiums to the council.

Real Estate Agent and former Soap Lake Mayor Raymond Gravelle represented the developer at the meeting. Prior to the ordinance change being brought to the council, Gravelle commented on NPI’s plans for the development.

“We have broken it out into three phases. We're currently looking for financing for phase one, which will be about $3 million, and we're pretty optimistic. The numbers look really good for that first phase,” Gravelle said. “The city, they've given us, of course, the land use permit, and now the next step is for an official ordinance to be passed.”

City Planner Alex Kovach and City Attorney Julie Norton introduced the ordinance change. Kovach said that the developer had asked the city to hold off on the ordinance, which imposes certain time requirements, before giving the city approval to bring it to the Oct. 4 meeting.

Kovach said that the original land use permit was reviewed by city staff and the city’s consultants, and was recommended by the city’s planning agency for approval.

Norton clarified that this is just the development district.

“This is not the project itself. They still have to come in with the condominium plan, all the site plans,” Norton said. “This just approves the use of this area for that project.”

According to an informational packet on the proposed development submitted by NPI in March for the public hearing on the matter, NPI plans to develop a resident-owned gated community in three phases, with each phase having its own common area and amenities such as gardens, outdoor kitchen areas, walking trails, a clubhouse, pools, pickleball courts and more.

Purchasing a package in the development for one of the 4,800 to 5,500 square foot lots will include a 2-car garage, fenced yard, a low-maintenance and low-irrigation front yard, a front deck or covered porch and a 1,177 square foot home, said the packet. The interiors are custom-designed by the buyers. Resident safety features will include a Medivac helicopter pad, lighted walking trails, fencing and a reinforced 24/7 security gate.

Initial pricing is estimated to be in the $270,000 range, according to the packet. Zoning for the development includes both residential and commercial spaces. The packet also said the condominiums will be operated by a resident-run homeowner’s association.

Despite the ordinance change being a verbatim reflection of the approval from April, there was still some debate and concern among the council members.

Council member Fred Slipper, who was not on the council at the time of approval, said he was concerned about vague covenants in the ordinance change potentially not strong enough to enforce the development’s physical appearance beyond the first few years.

“I think it's unfortunate,” Slipper said. “There was a lot of concern in public meetings about what the appearance of this will be in the future after it's built … it's too bad that we can't lean on them a little bit to make that happen.”

Council member Allen DuPuy, who voted against approving the development district in April, also said he was concerned.

“I've heard we've got phases in this thing, like three phases. I'm concerned about how that's going to work,” DuPuy said. “There are just a few things that I really kind of want to tighten up on for the city. I don't want something to be started and not finished.”

Norton reminded the council that it already approved the district and that the current discussion should be focused on whether the ordinance change reflects the land use approval in April. The council then voted unanimously to approve the ordinance change.

Gravelle commented on the development’s context in Soap Lake’s growth.

“We're seeing that the infrastructure improvements, the new downtown, the water and sewer line replacement, those improvements are starting to pay off now with all of this new construction,” Gravelle said.

This improved infrastructure would hopefully attract bigger developments as the city of Soap Lake grows, Gravelle said, citing Purple Sage Meadows as one of those developments.

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.