Moscow council wants development to be affordable

The Moscow Affordable Housing Trust could purchase about three acres from BBC LLC, which has 232 acres, off West Palouse River Drive to build affordable homes.

The Moscow City Council last week expressed a desire to promote affordable housing in the proposed residential development southwest of town.

Bill Belknap, deputy city supervisor of community planning and design, told the Moscow City Council Public Works/Finance Committee on Monday that city staff encouraged the Moscow developer to engage with the housing trust, a nonprofit organization, to develop a proposal that addresses the council’s desire for affordable housing as part of the development.

“I’ve been in contact with (Moscow Affordable Housing Trust Executive Director) Nils (Peterson), and I think we’ve come to an agreement on what we think would really work well with the Moscow housing trust and for ourselves,” said Rich Beebe, of BBC.

The council last week also directed city staff to prepare a memorandum of agreement, which it did, between the city and BBC that includes public infrastructure improvements near the proposed development.

BBC, whose 232 acres is south of the city’s 44-acre property — proposed for ballfields — on West Palouse River Drive, asked the city last month for its financial participation in extending Conestoga Drive and constructing a bridge on the proposed extended street that would cross the South Fork of the Palouse River. Belknap has said the construction would benefit the city and the developer.

The cost to construct the roadway, bridge and utilities is estimated at $2.37 million. The city would pay for no more than $1.08 million of the cost under the proposed agreement.

Because the proposed residential development and proposed development of the city’s playfields would bring increased vehicular traffic on West Palouse River Drive, BBC would make improvements to the street from Conestoga Drive to South Main Street.

Those improvements would include widening the street and adding curbing and sidewalk to the south side of the street.

The City Council will consider approving the memorandum of agreement at Monday’s council meeting.

In other business, the Public Works/Finance Committee:

- Recommended acceptance of the base bid and additional alternative from M & L Construction, Inc. for $270,653 to dig underground communications utilities on Third Street between Jackson and Lieuallen streets. The item will be placed on the City Council’s consent agenda.

- Recommended acceptance of the low bid from Germer Construction, Inc. for a $342,825 sanitary replacement project. The bid for the project includes the replacement of sanitary and storm pipe in an alley between Main and Washington streets and Sixth and Seventh streets. The item will be placed on the City Council’s consent agenda.

- Recommended acceptance of the base bid of $188,821 from Motley-Motley, Inc. to install four pickleball courts at Ghormley Park. The item will be placed on the City Council’s consent agenda.

- Recommended rejecting the lone $371,223 bid the city received to pave the alley between Almon and Asbury streets from Third to Sixth streets. The project also would include replacing existing sanitary sewer main prior to paving and expanding the storm water collection and conveyance system serving the alley. The project budget is $293,000. The item will be placed on the City Council’s consent agenda.

The Moscow City Council Administrative Committee also met Monday.

The committee:

- Recommended increasing the mayor’s salary from $2,028.50 per month to $2,119.78 per month and each city councilor’s salary from $703.28 per month to $734.93 per month. The salary adjustments would take effect Jan. 1. City code states salary adjustments for the mayor and council shall be made every two years from the date of the previous adjustment in accordance and in proportion with adjustments in the Consumer Price Index. The item will be placed on the City Council’s regular agenda.

- Recommended acceptance of the written decision to remand to the Moscow Board of Adjustment the proposed conditional use permit to construct an 80-foot tall wireless communication facility at Church of the Nazarene. The remand includes instructions from the City Council to reduce the diameter and overall massing of the proposed facility, which would accommodate three carriers and resemble a church tower, to make it less intrusive to the neighborhood and surrounding uses. The item will be placed on the City Council’s consent agenda.

Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.