A former orchard on the hill west of downtown Twisp is proposed as the site of a 53-unit housing development.
Twisp Planning Commission to review proposal
A Twisp Planning Commission public hearing on a proposed 53-unit planned development on what’s familiarly known as “schoolhouse hill” has been postponed again, this time until Sept. 14.
The original hearing on the proposed Orchard Hills Planned Development was scheduled for July 13. According to a public notice in the Methow Valley News, that original hearing was rescheduled to Aug. 10 because the town received appeals of the planning department’s determination of State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) non-significance, and because of “numerous requests that the hearing be held in person” as opposed to online.
After receiving comments objecting to the non-significance finding, that finding was withdrawn and “a list of items that the applicant must address in order for the Town to issue a mitigated determination of non-significance” was provided.
The SEPA process is a Washington state requirement intended to ensure that state and local agencies consider the possible environmental consequences of a proposal before acting on it. A finding of non-significance means no major environmental issues are present, in the opinion of the reviewing body.
The Aug. 10 hearing was intended to be held in the new civic building, which was expected to be occupied by Aug. 1. However, the town’s move-in to the new building has since been delayed to Sept. 30 and it won’t be available for public meetings.
Town Clerk Randy Kilmer said last week that the scheduled Aug. 10 hearing has again been postponed “to allow the applicant to submit revised SEPA and application materials” which will then be subject to review by staff before the Planning Commission considers preliminary approval.
Preliminary approval by the Planning Commission may include additional requirements for the developer to meet before final approval is considered by the Town Council.
Kilmer said that the Sept. 14 Planning Commission hearing is expected to be at a location where the public can attend in person. That site was yet not determined as of this week.
Affordable housing goal
The Orchard Hills development, submitted to the town in May, is proposed by Palm Investments North LLC of Winthrop, of which local contractor Jerry Palm is listed at president. The development is on the site of an old, abandoned orchard, some of whose trees are still scattered around the property. It is on the bench to the west of downtown Twisp, which is also the site of the former Allen Elementary School.
Palm Investments owns the property, and intends to build out the development with what the application describes as “single-family low-density” housing. The development will require the town to provide new mains for water and sewer service, according to the application.
The 17-acre development site sits above May Street and will have access from Harrison Street. It would be developed in three phases over six years with a total of 53 homes on lots ranging from 3,700 square feet to 10,500 square feet, with the majority between 6,000 and 8,000 square feet. As part of the developers’ affordable housing goal, the application requests approval to allow homes as small as 700 square feet. The developer would dedicate 7.5 acres to open space, according to the application.
The application also includes a request for a deviation from town standards to allow narrower streets. In 2016, the town allowed the developer of the nearby Old School House subdivision to build a street that is narrower than required by town ordinance. The Town Council granted a similar variance for the nearby Isabella Ridge subdivision in 2015.
According to the application, work on the project was to begin this summer.
Developers Jerry and Julie Palm cited the critical need for affordable housing in the Methow Valley in the Orchard Hills application.
“We believe that part of the solution is increasing the supply of developable land within our incorporated towns,” the application says. “Twisp is a logical location for additional housing because of the availability of existing infrastructure, the proximity to employment and social services, and the availability of transportation options.”
“We believe that the Town of Twisp will benefit from the increased supply of modestly-sized single-family residential lots,” the application continues. “The compact neighborhood will be an attractive alternative for those who desire living in a close community with natural amenities nearby.”
To see the complete application, visit https://www.townoftwisp.com/index.php/departments/planning.
Other proposals
Twisp is also contemplating other development proposals that would add more housing:
- The town is processing a request by Hank and Judy Konrad, owners of Hank’s Harvest Foods, to annex two properties along Highway 20 into the town’s limits to develop with affordable housing.
Together with an existing, adjacent lot the Konrads own that is already within town limits, the two parcels would amount to about 10 acres that could be developed. The Konrad parcels proposed for annexation are located on the north side of Highway 20, just east of the highway’s junction with Twisp Airport Road.
- The Planning Commission has given preliminary approval to a proposed 10-unit townhouse development on Highway 20 adjacent to the Blackbirds complex, subject to conditions that could affect the project’s design and size. Final approval by the Town of Twisp will be dependent on the developers meeting requirements adopted by the Planning Commission.
Those include conducting a cultural resources assessment, reaching accommodation with the Methow Valley Irrigation District (MVID) over encroachment on the district’s irrigation pipe easement, and addressing the excessive housing density on the site as currently proposed.
