Joe’s Place Farm has sowed a tentative agreement with the city of Vancouver to sell a stretch of land the city needs to widen the intersection at Northeast 18th Street and Northeast 112th Avenue.
Farm owner Joe Beaudoin and the city were involved in a lengthy back-and-forth over how much the land, totalling about 0.8 acre, was worth.
The city council in December gave staff the nod to use condemnation on Beaudoin’s and two other properties, if necessary, to get the property it needs for the project, scheduled to start this summer.
Beaudoin said the tentative agreement is a relief.
“We compromised,” he said. “We might have had to go to court.”
Chris Malone, a Vancouver city traffic engineer, wouldn’t say exactly how much the city offered to pay because the deal has not been signed, but did say the city’s final offer was “well above” its original offer.
The city’s original offer of $43,400 for the land is less than a quarter of what they have now settled on, Beaudoin said.
Vancouver has yet to come to agreement with two other property owners, the Nuttman family and the owners of Mountain View Place Apartments on 112th.
Malone said he’s optimistic that the city and the Nuttman family, whose house and land would be claimed for the project, will come to an agreement.
The city offered the family $155,000, which it has said was not enough at the time. Malone said the two sides are coming closer to a compromise.
However, the city and the owners of Mountain View Apartments may wind up in court, Malone said.
“It’s unfortunate,” he said. “We’re really hoping we can work out a deal, but it’s not working out that way.”
Vancouver lawyer Mark Erikson, who represents the apartment owners, did not return a call for comment.
However, he said in December that “negotiations are failing,” and called the city’s offer “token.”
Erikson declined at the time to say how much the city offered for the 1,800 square feet of land it needs, which includes a driveway that would need to be demolished and regraded after the city builds onto the right of way.
It took several rounds to get Beaudoin and the city to common ground.
Among the farmer’s chief concerns was the 235 peach trees he will lose.
“We could see his side of argument; it’s very hard to value farmland in urban environment,” Malone said. Though the settlement is much higher than the original bid, Vancouver will “avoid court costs and everything that goes along with that.”
Beaudoin said he’s still worried about the future: The project is the first phase of widening 18th Street from 87th Avenue to 192nd Avenue, to match up with a state project to create an interchange at Interstate 205 and 18th Street. The work will also include a sidewalk on the north side of 18th and a concrete retaining wall.
When the city widens 18th Street farther down, Beaudoin said, almost all of his popular u-pick operations will be lost.
However, the city has money only to widen 18th Street at 112th Avenue east to Four Seasons Lane from two lanes to five lanes, and then to seven lanes at the intersection. Northeast 112th will also be widened to seven lanes. It’s unknown when the rest of the work can be completed.
“That’s the best thing we’ve got now, with the recession,” Beaudoin quipped.
Malone said work will start on the first phase as soon as all the land disputes are settled, which he expects will be late this summer.
Andrea Damewood: 360-735-4542 or andrea.damewood@columbian.com.
