As well as the improvements going into downtown Yelm with the addition of a new parking lot, activated alleyway and one-way couplets, the site will now receive utility improvements after the City Council signed off on amending the plan.
The Yelm City Council originally approved the project to enhance the experience in downtown Yelm through the project improvements on Oct. 24, 2023. The City wants businesses and activities near Washington Street and McKenzie Street to grow through the construction of a parking lot, an activated alleyway and one-way couplets. The parking lot is under construction behind Yelm City Hall and will create more parking for downtown visitors.
Cody Colt, Yelm’s public services director, said the amendment to the original agreement the council approved June 12 will not exceed the amount of $59,877 for the coordination and design of the project’s utilities, including water and sewer main improvements.
“While we have the alleyway dug up, we want to fix the water main that we’d have to replace in a couple of years anyways, along with the sewer main, and working with PSE to underground all the power lines. That’d be moving the power poles, so it’s more inviting to be back there,” Colt said. “We’re already digging it up. Same with the sewer. There’s a sewer line that runs through there that isn’t as old, but there are some connections that need to be fixed in terms of service connections. Those are really old connections that were built when the sewer was first put in, so we want to correct those connections, too, at the same time. It just makes sense to do it while it’s dug up.”
He added that city staff didn’t originally think they would need to maintain the water main, but since it is a part of Yelm’s 20-year plan and due to be serviced within the next five years, Colt believes the timing is right for the renovations to take place.
“It makes sense to do it now instead of digging up the activated alleyway that we’re going to put a bunch of pavers on in five years to do that,” Colt said. “This was paid for with water and sewer, mostly, money on there. There’d be a little bit of offset money for undergrounding the power utilities.”
He said that around 30% of the alleyway has been planned and includes a general concept of what the area would look like. Colt added, so far, the City has met with Yelm’s Habitat for Humanity, Salon Nouveau and Fair Game and reached out to the new owners of the Pho Yelm building, to hear how the businesses near the alleyway feel about the improvements.
At a Yelm City Council meeting in October 2023, Colt said the alleyway can serve as an extension of those businesses, as it will allow for food trucks, provide power plug-ins for vendors and create ample lighting along the alleyway.
The owners of those businesses will need to be compensated “for the right of way that they’re willing to give,” Colt said June 11. He added that all of the business owners the City has spoken to are excited for the project and have been responsive to the City’s outreach.
With the addition of the activated alleyway, Colt said the road wouldn’t need to permanently close to cars, but it would be closed for events like the Yelm Farmers Market or city-hosted activities.
Councilor Trevor Palmer said he loves the concept of the activated alleyway and the structural improvements that come with it, adding he believes the City should do the same “on the other side of town” behind Bob’s Bar and Grill and that particular strip of buildings.
“The one problem I have is shutting it down all the time. I think we should shut it down for events and not have them remove stuff for trash services and things like that, but when we do have events going on, I love having it activated for those,” Palmer said. “I don’t want it shut down all the time because I feel like our day-to-day business is more prevalent than the individual events that will be happening.”
Councilor Tracey Wood agreed with Palmer, stating the City can come up with a plan for the activated alleyway where “everybody succeeds.”
“Let’s leave it open and close when we need to,” Wood said. “... If we’re having an event and for whatever reason need to shut [the road] down, I think that would be OK with everyone. I agree, as far as deliveries and things like that, it creates a new problem.”
Councilor Brian Hess pondered if SCJ Alliance or the City of Yelm has studied how many vehicles come through the alleyway and how “disruptive” the closure of the strip would be to traffic.
“My concern is that if we’re paying them to put this project together, that’s one of the steps that should’ve been done, and I’m wondering if anyone did that prior to even getting as far as we’ve got at this point,” Hess said.
Colt said, mainly, the City has spoken with the businesses directly to find out how their operations may be impacted.
“We’ll find out what we can do to help, what we can do to offset: Do you need this to be accessible at times? Do you need it to be closed at times,” Colt questioned. “Our main concern was with the businesses and reaching out to them directly and getting their feedback, versus having a study and finding that only three cars came through over a week.”
