Business Owner Says He Doesn’t Want Street Paved

During the 42 years Arthur Hefling has worked at the rambling farm supply store he owns in Hillyard, he’s never seen a single road crew or snow plow on the block outside his door.

Then, earlier this month, he learned about the city’s aggressive, on-going street paving program. City construction officials can’t wait to get to work on the strip of Rowan Avenue next to his store that dead ends after one block at the railroad tracks.

The city wants Hefling and the two other business owners on the Rowan stub to pay the $52,000 bill for asphalt, curbs and sidewalks.

“I don’t want it,” Hefling says of the improvements.

Neither do his neighbors, John Lindsey, who owns Hillyard Tire, or the Toulouse brothers, who lease their property to Big Sky’s tavern.

Since the farm supply store was built in the 1920s, cars and trucks have turned onto Rowan from North Market Street and pulled up to the rough-hewn loading dock.

If a sidewalk is built beneath his loading dock, Hefling wonders where his customers will park to load their sacks of feed or bales of wire.

Hefling and his neighbors are scheduled to meet with the city hearing examiner Tuesday at 1 p.m. to discuss the proposed improvement.

Hefling can’t believe the city wants to spend money to pave his street, when it doesn’t have cash or crews to fix pothole-pocked streets elsewhere in the city.

Paving projects are directed by the city council, but paid for by business or home owners along the street.

Jim Smith, principal engineer for city construction services, said the goal is to pave all public right of way in the city. Nearly 100 miles of city streets are unpaved.

Streets are sometimes chosen for paving priority based on how easy it will be for the city to form local improvement districts to pay the cost.

In this case, one of the property owners signed a waiver in 1995, agreeing not to protest formation of an improvement district.

Michael and Patrick Toulouse own the property, but lease it to the tavern operator. The tenant was having trouble getting a permit for a renovation project, and Patrick Toulouse signed the waiver to help move the work along, said Michael Toulouse, who lives in Seattle.

With one property owner in agreement, the city can usually form the project.

“They haven’t plowed, graded or maintained this road in 42 years, and all of a sudden it’s a priority,” said Hefling.

The city pays the paving costs up front. Property owners have the option of paying their share of the cost in full, without accruing interest, or making payments annually for 10 years, with interest added.

But there is an alternative.

The street can be vacated. If the city agrees, the property is turned over to the adjacent property owners, who can do what they want with it.

The land would be added to the tax rolls, and the three owners would divide the property tax load.

“I have no choice at all but to vacate it,” Hefling said. “If I don’t, and they put in the sidewalk, they’ll take out my dock.”

“We want to work with these folks,” said Smith. “We have the aggressive paving policy, but by the same token, if they want to go an alternative route, we will do everything we can to help.”

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