MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake is opposing a plan by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to build a truck stop on six acres of land near Interstate 90.

The Colvilles have requested the federal government hold the land in trust, meaning it would not be subject to state or local taxation or regulation.

"It would actually be held by the United States government on (the Colvilles') behalf but it would be treated just like reservation property in terms of regulation, taxation and all those sorts of things," City Manager Joe Gavinski explained to city council members Tuesday. "So, you would have part of a sovereign Indian nation in the middle of the city of Moses Lake."

The tribe paid more than $1 million last year for two parcels of undeveloped land located just south of I-90 on Wanapum Drive. One of the parcels measures approximately six acres and the other is about an acre, according to Gavinski, who said the Colvilles would build the truck stop on the larger of the two.

The council is opposed to the proposal.

Federal regulations allow local governments to provide written comments concerning any potential impacts of a tribal land acquisition before making a determination on whether the land will be brought into trust. The U.S. Department of the Interior recently sent the city a letter requesting any comments be submitted before the end of the month.

Gavinski presented a draft response letter for council consideration this week, unequivocally opposing the move and stating it is unreasonable to convert land well within city limits into trust lands.

Trust land would preclude Moses Lake from having little, if any, say on how zoning, building, water, sewer, streets, or emergency services are handled by the Colvilles, Gavinski said.

The draft letter stresses the land is situated inside the city limits, not a rural setting without neighbors.

"It is property in the middle of a municipality providing the usual urban services to its residents," it states. "The city believes the property should not be acquired by the United States government as property held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation but should simply remain as property held in fee by the Tribes and developed just as any other property inside the City of Moses Lake."

The letter also takes issue with the possibility of developing a large truck stop on land bounded by currently platted and, in some cases, developed and occupied residential properties.

"(The land) doesn't seem appropriate for that because of location to other properties that are already developed and the fact that the street system in that area really isn't designed to accommodate that type of truck traffic," he said.

The Colvilles' single acre parcel is currently zoned as multi-family residential and is bounded by Lakeshore Drive and Wanapum Drive, while the six acre parcel is zoned general commercial and is bounded by Wanapum and Wapato drives.

Moses Lake Municipal Services Director Gil Alvarado said the Colvilles have never approached the city to discuss their plans.

"We didn't know a thing about this until receiving the letter," he said. "There has been no discussion with the city about the prospect of putting this truck stop in. What we have come up with is by digging up information on our own."

One item Alvarado eventually received was a 32-page retail site analysis performed in June 2011 by a consulting firm contracted by the Colvilles.

The analysis reiterates one of Gavinski's own criticisms of the site, that it is not well suited for a truck diesel fueling center due to the interchange location, road configuration and turning characteristics. It also notes large trucks will "hinder residential frequency and will negatively impact ingress and egress characteristics on I-90," Gavinski said.

Councilwoman Karen Liebrecht asked Gavinski to clarify that the city would have no voice in the matter if the land goes into trust.

"You have to understand, you may not have the decision to make here," he said. "You have to convince the United States government, the Secretary of the Interior, not to accept it as trust land, which is the argument I tried to make in the letter I drafted - that this just doesn't make sense."

The council unanimously agreed in a motion to accept the letter as written and sign a copy to be sent immediately to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.