Frequently Asked Questions
As part of our commitment to the Cle Elum community, we have frequent conversations with local neighbors, shop owners, outdoor enthusiasts, and other area stakeholders about the future of City Heights. Here’s a list of some of the most common inquiries we receive from the community, and our responses. We welcome your individual queries about the project through our contact form:
Project Overview
1. What is City Heights going to include?
The City Heights development will be phased over the years according to market demand. The first phase includes 68 residential lots on 33 acres. When complete, City Heights will include up to 962 residential units including diverse and creative neighborhoods with home products ranging from apartments, townhomes, cottages, duplexes, and detached single-family homes, large and small. The development will also include at least 3 new public-access parks, an onsite public trail network, and an Outfitter Building open to the public that will serve as the hub to Red Rock Park. A modest amount of neighborhood commercial to serve the residents will be built, but will not compete with the downtown core, which is so vital to our mutual success.
2. When will it be built?
The project will be phased according to market demand which ranges from now until 2036.
3. Will my taxes go up?
As property value goes up, taxes go up. Our new project won’t inherently increase your taxes; your taxes do not need to pay for the project improvements. The taxes generated from the homes in the project are designed to adequately cover the costs of the new roads, police, fire, etc.
4. How much will the homes cost?
At today’s market prices, from the $600s to the $900s.
5. Will there be any affordable housing in the development?
Yes, the Development Agreement has an affordable housing provision.
Community Engagement + Public Input
6. What approval process did City Heights go through to get their project approved?
Throughout 2009, 2010, and 2011, the project went through a litany of public processes with public notice, mailings, newspaper notices, etc. Public hearings, where the public was able to comment, included:
Inclusion of the property into the UGA
Pre-annexation agreement and terms
Development agreement proposal
Annexation process
Land use and ordinance changes
Zoning changes
See the city website for a handful of those notices. The property was first identified by the city and the owner, as a likely growth path for the city’s needed growth, to meet the state-mandated projections. This meant first being added to the UGA. Then an annexation agreement was processed, concurrent with a development agreement. Prior to this was the extensive EIS environmental report, which included:
Traffic
Schools
Archeological
Coal mines
Engineering
Environmental hazards
Fiscal impacts
Geotech
Grading
Infrastructure
Road standards
Topography
Traffic
Visual impacts
Water
Wastewater
Wildlife
And more
After the environmental review, public comment, and our responses, it went to negotiation with the city council and planning commission for the development agreement and annexation. The final draft Development Agreement (DA) was presented in a public hearing, and there was time for public comment. Then it went to the council for a vote.
7. Why wasn’t there a public hearing along with their application for Phase I?
The public process was all completed previously in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The project went through a litany of public processes with public notices, mailings, newspaper notices, etc. Public hearings, where the public was able to comment, included:
Inclusion of the property into the Urban Growth Area
Pre-annexation agreement and terms
Development agreement proposal
Annexation process
Land use and ordinance changes
Zoning changes
The Development Agreement (DA) sets out the ‘conditions allowed’, and then each plat simply has to comply with the conditions of the DA, which were already discussed and modified, as a result of public comment. The plats, including Phase I, are only reviewed for ‘compliance’ i.e., do they comply with the DA. If they do, no review is necessary. If a plat, or an application, deviates from the DA, then it would go through a different process and the city may elect to allow public comment. In essence, there is nothing at this point that any public comment could affect, as it was all contained in the DA.
8. Why haven’t you been open to any public comment for this new development you’re planning?
We’ve been extremely receptive to input from the public, actually. The City Heights project went through an extensive public process and environmental review years ago, obtaining approval in 2011. The approval incorporated public hearings and open houses, input from the public, police, fire, school, public utility providers, City service providers, Planning Commission, City Council, Mayor, Tribes, and other stakeholders. We continue to speak with the public on a daily basis, including our Town Hall meetings and events, such as our recent Coal Trax Bike & Skills Park Grand Reopening.
9. What exactly WERE these Town Hall meetings all about?
We planned informal, one-on-one meetings with Cle Elum's friends and neighbors to listen to what the community had to say about our City Heights development plan and to answer any questions people might have. Now, we continue to find ways to connect with the Cle Elum community, and we’re always open to input from local stakeholders. In fact, this project went through an extensive public approval process before it was approved back in 2011. We can set up a phone call or one-on-one meeting if anyone wants to speak with the City Heights developer directly- Contact Us.
10. WHAT IS THE OUTDOOR ADVISORY GROUP AND WHY DOES IT EXIST?
The City Heights Outdoor Recreation Advisory Group is comprised of local enthusiasts in the hiking, mountain biking and outdoor recreation community. This volunteer, community-based group has helped the City Heights development team to plan and execute the new outdoor amenities in the community, including updated trails at Coal Trax and the surrounding area. If you’re interested in joining, please send us a message through our contact form located here.
11. If you are going to develop this property, why not get concerns of property owners and make your project not impact owners in a negative way?
We’re always available to listen to local residents and other stakeholders in the community. The public comment portion of our development process was completed in 2010. That was after many public hearings and open houses where we gathered input from the public, police, fire, school, public utility providers, City service providers, Planning Commission, City Council, Mayor, Tribes, and other stakeholders. The project is now moving into engineering, which, under the agreement, is an administrative approval process, providing the layout meets the Development Agreement conditions.
Economic + Environmental Benefits
12. What benefits will the project provide?
Economic benefits to local businesses
Mitigation fees, over $10mm in fees to the City
Much needed, new home product to support the inevitable growth. Supply and demand are out of balance; this is causing immense pressure upward on prices. With new supply, home prices will eventually balance out
A variety of priced homes including affordable housing
Connections between the town, and the Teanaway public forest
Bike and hike from town to 50,000 acres of wilderness
Economic impacts, more jobs, bringing income to Cle Elum
Schools need more kids, to fund the schools (based on enrollment)
13. What will the traffic impacts be?
You can review the traffic analysis report on the City’s website. There are mitigations required to meet service levels, and it is studied before development, during, and after, and the project needs to pay its pro rata share of the increased traffic. This includes prescriptions in the Development Agreement for roundabouts, signals, widened streets, etc.
So far, with our study in 2020, traffic is far less than was forecasted in the 2010 report, and that is good news
14. What impact will the development have on the environment?
We have built and will continue to build trails and open spaces to increase access to the environment. All impacts to the environment were accounted for in the EIS, and mitigations negotiated in the EIS and the DA and you can review them all at the City website or ask them questions about it.
15. What kind of environmental review process did City Heights undergo?
The City Heights project went through an extensive environmental review obtaining approval in 2011 for a planned mixed-use development envisioned to be built out in phases in response to market demand. For more information, you can refer to the Final EIS on file with the City which includes a detailed description of the process, analysis, mitigating measures, and conditions of project approval: City Heights Environmental Impact Statement. Public comment was completed in 2010. The city mistakenly sent it out for comment again when we filed our application for Phase I, but the Hearings Examiner corrected that error. The project is now moving into engineering, which, under the agreement, is an administrative approval process, providing the layout meets the Development Agreement conditions.
Outdoor Amenities
16. What amenities will the public have access to?
At least 3 public-access parks
New and improved trails
An onsite public-access trail network for biking and hiking
Public open space
Bridge to connect pedestrians to Red Rock Park
Outfitter Building, which will serve as a hub for Red Rock Park
Includes climbing wall, bocce ball, horseshoe, place to rent and store bikes, public parking, food and drink, an outdoor events area, picnic shelters, and more
The improved Coal Trax Bike & Skills Park
17. Can you tell me more about these outdoor recreation improvements being planned?
In essence, starting with Coal Trax Bike & Skills Park and moving up the ridge, we’re creating an outdoor wonderland at City Heights. Some 30% of the total site (about 125 total acres) will be managed as long-term, permanent forested recreational space. One of the best outcomes of our City Heights project will be that we’re creating a public-access connection, for bikers and hikers, between Cle Elum and the Teanaway. We’re completing that regional loop by improving and expanding Cle Elum’s local trail network and giving bikers a way to ride straight to Ronald, Roslyn and other destinations without ever having to get in the car. It’s a real game-changer, and it’s all starting right here in our site work at Coal Trax.
18. Will the Outfitter Building only be for City Heights residents?
The Outfitter Building will be privately owned and maintained but fully open to the public.
19. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT Construction ACTIVITIES AT THE COAL TRAX MOUNTAIN BIKE & Skills PARK?
As you can see, we’ve recently reopened Coal Trax Bike & Skills Park. We invite the community and riders of all ages and skill levels to enjoy the new jumps and pump track. We are eager to continue improvements at Coal Trax, which is part of our park plan including the dedication of the park area to the public in the future.
20. Does this mean that construction has officially started on City Heights?
Yes, Phase 1 has broken ground as the City of Cle Elum issued our formal construction permits. We are extending off-site utilities, including a new high-capacity sewer line along 6th Avenue and Reed St.
Infrastructure Improvements
21. Will any planned reroute of Summit View Rd. cause problems with access by fire, police and other first responders?
As part of our Development Agreement, there are mitigation fees that will be paid to support fire, police, schools, infrastructure, etc. Any routing of Summit View, not to mention access to our development, will accommodate First Responder access in and out of the property.
22. What improvements will the developer make to our infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, schools, police, fire, etc.) to keep up with the growth?
Everything is prescribed in the Development Agreement, which you can find on the City’s website, and it includes:
Necessary water improvements
If needed, additional water wells
Improvements to the sewer system may include improving I&I and other solutions to increase capacity
Potential contribution to future wastewater plant expansions needed for city growth
There is a mitigation schedule of fees, including fees on a per ERU basis, for each home, plus some lump sum payments totaling over $10mm
23. What will mitigation payments on behalf of City Heights include?
City Heights will provide $1,795,000 in Lump Sum Payments, assuming the Project proceeds to full build-out. We will also be paying nearly $10,000 in mitigation per residential unit in addition to the $1,795,000 bulk fee mitigations and all in-kind mitigations (such as transfer of water rights, improvement of wastewater system if needed, provision of parks and trails, and open space, etc.). Lastly, there are mitigation fees paid for fire, police, schools, infrastructure, etc.
Mining Activities
24. What did your consultant determine in their site studies for the historical significance of any mining or other artifacts?
Our consultant performed a couple of studies. On the first one, they did not find any remnants of any mines. In the 1980s, the prior landowner, Plum Creek, worked with the federal government and obtained grants to decommission, close and remediate many mining features. As a result, most if not all significant mining features have been removed from the site. In a more recent study, the consultants did find the Washroom artifacts (foundation), however, so it’s clear that there was some mining activity at the site in the past. They also found a mound of dirt that is very close to a location shown as having been reclaimed in the 1980s activities. This may be the place where the vent shaft or mining shaft was once located.
25. So, what was the result of that site study?
The study was more of a cultural assessment than a true historical-artifact assessment. It was inconclusive, quite frankly, because it’s impossible to accurately locate and map what was once the entrance to the mine. The report has been sent to the State of Washington for their ultimate determination on what happens next.
26. So, how exactly will you memorialize the historic artifacts of the No. 7 mine that’s been a part of this community for more than a century?
City Heights worked collaboratively with industry-leading historical consultants, the State of Washington’s Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), and local Cle Elum stakeholders on ways to best commemorate the area’s coal-mining history and on-site remnants. We met with members of the No. 7 Hill Historical Preservation Committee and local 6th St. neighbors to tour remnants of the No. 7 mine and to share ideas on memorializing the city’s rich historical past.
To that end, City Heights contributed to the City of Cle Elum, as part of the Phase One Settlement Agreement, a .4-acre tract where the Washroom artifact (foundation) is located. This will enable the City and local neighbors to work together to preserve that historical area of Cle Elum. We very much look forward to continuing our collaboration with these groups and other key stakeholders on these efforts.
