Value to city cited

BRIDGEPORT – The Bridgeport City Council took a step backward so it could move forward with a property vacation application for Atomic Way at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 20.

Following an extended discussion over an application by Bridgeport resident Scott Wright, who owns property adjacent to the small Atomic Way parcel, council members voted to reject Wright’s petition and revisit the process with a new application. The action was taken at the recommendation of city legal counsel Julie Norton who advised council members that the current application as submitted was not in conformance with the state RCW statue governing the vacating of city property.

Norton told the council that what was missing from the current application was proof by dollar value or other means that the city would benefit more from the vacation of Atomic Way than the recipient of the property would. Norton said that requirement was necessary to be in alignment with state law, to avoid any appearance of favoritism, and satisfy any future audit of the property transfer.

Atomic Way, a small unbuildable parcel that connects to the north side of Columbia Boulevard near 22nd Street provides a short dead-end access to the river. Over the decades as city officials have wrestled with what to do with the property the site has become overgrown with brush, a liability for vehicles using Columbia, and a hangout for drug and alcohol use.

“We’re certainly going to gain if we get rid of that mess down there,” said council member Phil Lee. “Right now, it’s a hazard; people walk in there and hurt themselves, who’s going to be liable? If it catches fire and burns up homes, who’s liable? The city, because it’s our property.”

As one adjacent property owner, Wright has been negotiating with the city to acquire the parcel by whatever means most workable, a purchase, exchange, or vacation. The Douglas County PUD, the other adjacent property owner advised the city that it has no interest in acquiring all or part of Atomic Way.

Lee and fellow council member Anthony Perkins serve on the street committee that researched Atomic Way for options the city could pursue to resolve it. At previous council meetings members addressed the best way for the city to make Atomic Way a productive piece of property and concluded that striking an agreement with Wright was in the best interests of both parties. Along the way, city contract planner Kurt Danison also advised the city about resolving of any right-of-way issues that might apply as part of the decision-making process. The application that Wright subsequently filed requesting vacation appeared to be the next proper step.

Norton’s caution that the application as presented is missing a key consideration to avoid any conflict of interest issues persuaded council members to scrap the current document and begin with a new one incorporating the additional detail.

Perkins expressed understandable frustration that such a simple process as dispensing with a small piece of burdensome property was such an involved process.
“The best thing for our town is to move forward,” Perkins said of the vacation process.
“There has to be a tangible benefit of sorts to the city,” reiterated Norton who reminded the council that she has handled multiple street vacations for the City of Bridgeport and explained what those required.

In the end the majority of council members denied the petition on file, agreed to authorize Norton to prepare a new resolution that can be taken up at the March meeting to continue the vacation process.