The Bellevue City Council agreed to take the dedication of interior streets into municipal ownership at Strahorn subdivision on Monday.
The council also voted to receive and manage open space between the subdivision and Bureau of Land Management land for trails, an access roadway to a water tank and a 15-foot-wide right of way for a path across the subdivision.
Developer Jeff Pfaeffle said he was grateful that the city did not leave the streets under the responsibility of the development, which would have led to the creation of a homeowners association that would have to levy fees to homebuyers for street maintenance and snow removal.
“This will make it more palatable for homeowners,” said Pfaeffle’s attorney, Jim Laski, at the Monday meeting.
The interior streets will be dedicated along with $35,000—enough money to provide a maintenance chip seal application one year after they are built. Mayor Ned Burns said he had been told the streets would last at least 20 years.
City Councilwoman Tammy Davis said she had been under the impression, based on public hearing deliberations last year, that the city would leave the streets under the developer’s ownership to avoid the cost of maintenance.
“Our street budget is not the healthiest,” Davis said. “I thought we were shying away from accepting more dedicated streets.”
The city’s urban renewal agency has about $200,000 that City Councilman Doug Brown said on Monday could be used for redevelopment of city streets.
“I would hope that the secretary of the Bellevue Urban Renewal Agency would call a meeting and get the ball rolling,” Brown said.
In other Bellevue news:
• The City Council approved a $5,505 expense for matching funds to pay for its part of a regional transportation master plan.
• The council authorized a $21,546 increase in expenses for reuse water system improvements for a revised total of $303,746.
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As a taxpayer, this is frustrating.
We have watched as this development has been pushed through with all financial burden placed back onto the City with none of the ongoing infrastructure burden levied against the developer. As Strahorn was going through approval processes, they were told they had to maintain the streets going forward as the burden shouldn't be levied on the rest of the taxpayers. The street department doesn't have enough budget to maintain or repair what we have so why in heaven't name did you guys agree to this. Pfaeffle is laughing all the way to the bank...
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