Council agrees to move forward with NNA Pinegrass property

The Leavenworth City Council has agreed to move forward with the annexation of some property off Ski Hill Drive called NNA Pinegrass, owned by McDevitt Land Company, which is Jordan and Olivia McDevitt.
“This is the first step toward annexation. It’s annexation of a relatively small area in a bigger parcel. The applicant is going through the process of doing a boundary line adjustment to create the lots so we have a clear boundary of the annexation area. It’s not completed quite yet,” said City Development Manager Nathan Pate, at the May 22 city council meeting. “This is 3.3 acres. This is a brand new road being developed called Pinegrass Street. It is currently zoned residential. The petitioner is asking for the first stage of the process.”
Pate said if the council accepts the process for annexation, then stage two would be a public hearing. The first step is not an agreement for annexation, he said.
“The council may not agree this boundary is not acceptable for annexation. If that is acceptable, you move on. The council can also decide to change the zoning. The infrastructure necessary to support this property may be a question. We do talk to the council about making the infrastructure available for development,” Pate said.
Right now, Pinegrass is a half-street. The recommendation from staff is to complete the street, he said. Plus, any water rights would be transferred to the city. Then, new city limits would be established.
Councilman Elmer Larsen asked if the development would mirror those lots on the south side, which are RL6, meaning 6,000 square foot lots.
“They are RL6, 6,000 square foot lots. The Pinegrass subdivision lots varies a little from 6,000 to 7,000, depending on the configuration. I see straight rectangles. A surveyor sees all these lines and none of them match up. Very close to 6,000 square foot lots,” Jordan McDevitt said.
Larsen said he was glad the new lots will match, because it makes it more of a neighborhood. Councilwoman Margaret Neighbors asked why the development doesn’t extend all the way to Ski Hill. Mayor Cheri Kelley Farivar said there was a pump station in the way.
“That is part of the reason. It is a big site. If it were to be developed all at once, it would be difficult. It’s too big for it’s own good in this small a market. It needs to be developed in phases especially by somebody like me, who isn’t a traditional developer with access to gobs of capital,” McDevitt said. “It needs to go in logical steps. Half a street is a good place to start. Build the other half of the street.”
McDevitt said he was fine with the terms of the annexation, noting he was not aware of any water rights on the site.
“This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but getting the other half of that street is a big deal. We have places in town where we have half-streets going back to homes. That can happen. I appreciate the completion of that. It will make a neighborhood,” Larsen said.
The council unanimously approved moving forward with the annexation.
Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.