SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1750

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Transportation, April 2, 2001

Title:  An act relating to street vacations.

Brief Description:  Authorizing cities and towns to require full compensation from abutting property owners for street vacations.

Sponsors:  By Representatives Fisher, Mitchell, Simpson, Schindler, Wood, Hurst and Ogden.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Transportation:  3/27/01, 4/2/01 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Finkbeiner, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kastama, McAuliffe, McDonald, Oke, Prentice, T. Sheldon, Shin and Swecker.

Staff: Jennifer Ziegler (786-7316)

Background:  Owners of property that abuts a street or alley may petition the legislative authority of a city or town to have the street or alley vacated and acquire that portion of the vacated street or alley that abuts their property. The abutting property owner may be required to pay the city or town up to one-half of the appraised value of the vacated area.

Summary of Amended Bill:  If abutting property owners acquire a portion of a vacated street or alley that has been a dedicated public right-of-way for more than 25 years, the city may require the owners to pay up to the full appraised value of the area vacated.  One-half of the revenue received by the city or town must be spent on public open space or transportation capital projects.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  A city or town may only receive the full appraised value of the property if the property has been a dedicated public right-of-way for 25 years or more.  One-half of the revenue received by the city or town must be spent on public open space or transportation capital projects.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This legislation helps cities to purchase open space.  In many cases the land was never in private ownership.  Land eligible for vacation was often platted to serve as streets, but the streets were never built.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Randy Lewis, City of Tacoma; Ashley Probart, AWC.