Soap Lake considers annexation, development needs
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 11 months AGO
As Soap Lake continues to grow the city’s administration is looking to ensure planning is taken care of to accommodate the growth within state guidelines.
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Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | January 21, 2023 3:40 PM
SOAP LAKE – During Wednesday’s regular Soap Lake City Council meeting, council members took up multiple topics related to development in and around the city, including the annexation of a dozen 50-foot by 100-foot lots and an updated plan for the Purple Sage development.
City Planner and former Mayor Alex Kovach said the new development plan for Purple Sage will set up a condominium development rather than an RV park. It will be comprised of double-wide manufactured homes with 236 units in the subdivision.
Soap Lake Police Chief and Interim City Administrator Ryan Cox advised the council that only brand new manufactured homes can be brought into the city, so this will not bring in outdated structures that aren’t up to current codes.
The city also discussed the annexation of the dozen units and what that process would involve. The lots in question are located about one and a half blocks west of Maple Street, Kovach said. If annexed, the lots would be zoned for residential use.
In order to annex the land or approve the updated development plan, the city would need to address whether it has the infrastructure to support those properties. That would include water and sewer capacity to support the added population.
R. Hans “Rob” Miller may be reached at [email protected].
Correction: The day of the meeting and Ryan Cox's title have been corrected above.
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An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.