Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Yelm-area resident Dean Prayer alleged during a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 14 that Blue Fern Development entered a purchase-and-sale agreement (PSA) with him and his wife for their 40-acre lot near the developer’s recently-acquired 640-acre lot with the intention of never actually purchasing the couple’s property.
According to Prayner, he and his wife own a 40-acre parcel south of the 640-acre plot that was recently acquired by Blue Fern Development from the City of Yelm. He specified that his northern 20 acres borders the southern edge of the 640-acre property.
“We were approached last spring by Blue Fern requesting us to consider selling them that northern 20-acre parcel that’s adjacent to the Yelm 640,” Prayner said. “At that time, we told them we weren’t interested in dividing up the property, but we would be interested in accepting an offer for the entire 40-acre parcel. They came back the next day with a fair offer. In fact, it was slightly below the current taxable value. To us, it seemed like a fair offer because it would be an easy deal.”
Prayner added that it can be hard to sell property sometimes and without a realtor in the equation, his family felt this deal with Blue Fern Development was worth exploring.
The two parties officially entered negotiations last summer, and on July 21, Prayner claims a PSA was signed with Blue Fern Development to purchase his property.
“There were some timelines established. There was a six-month feasibility phase with four one-month possible extensions, for a total of 10-months feasibility,” he said. “After that, they would’ve had up to 24 months during the development stage to finish the purchase of the property.”
Since July 21 and through the first six months of feasibility, Prayner said there was zero activity on his property. He never once saw an engineer, a surveyor or a biologist on his land.
“It was absolutely crickets. Nothing was going on with the property,” Prayner said. “We entered the first one-month extension, and that’s when we were asked if we could facilitate, possibly, a surveyor, or facilitate, possibly, the antiquities survey group. We told them ‘of course.’ We wanted to do what we could to help move things along in the process. It turns out the antiquities people just needed a place to park their cars. They had no interest in our property.”
Prayner added that those associated with Blue Fern Development’s 640-acre plot were parking on his property, on and off, for four weeks after those conversations. After parking on his property, Prayner claims the workers would walk out to survey the 640-acre plot, rather than his family’s land.
“I questioned them about that, and they said they don’t have orders to do anything with the Prayner property,” Prayner said.
According to the property owner, that’s the point when “the alarm bells went off.” He knew that time was ticking down for the sale of the property as there was on;y one extension left to possibly continue the feasibility stage.
“On the last day of the third extension, we got a call from Blue Fern that said ‘we’re no longer interested in purchasing your property. We’re issuing a termination letter tonight.’ That termination letter came in right on time, right before 5:30 p.m. when you close the business, and that was it,” Prayner said. “That was it with our dealings with Blue Fern.
“I’m bringing this to your attention, not because we’re asking for anything. We don’t want anything. I think it’s important to know the way our contract fell apart, as you guys proceed and continue in your dealings with Blue Fern moving forward,” Prayner continued. “They achieved their goal. They got their contract with the city because they had a PSA with us, because they had a sale agreement to purchase our property — which joins the Yelm 640 — and that got through some legal loopholes and made them first in line so they could deal with the City of Yelm.”
Prayner specified that it’s entirely his opinion and not a fact, but he doesn’t believe Blue Fern Development entered the PSA with the intentions of purchasing his family’s property.
