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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRAP Denial - RAP Letters / Memos - 3/30/2010 >t 5oN-srgTFo MASON COUNTY �P MC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS o SU = r o T z BUILDING 8 415 NORTH SIXTH STREET P.O. BOX 1850 2� N Y y SHELTON, WASHINGTON 98584 0 0 o - 1864 Phone(360)427 9670 x450 Fax(360)427-7783 April 20, 2010 MASON COUNTY MISSION The mission of Mason County Government is to provide essential& Mr. Mike Griffith mandated services which will preserve & benefit the 21326 NE 161 st health,safety,&welfare of Woodinville WA 98077 the general public in a professional and courteous manner through the effective and equitable management of available public Subject: Excavation of Turn-around & Road Access Permit resources. Mason County recognizes Dear Mr. Griffith: that its employees& volunteers are the foundation upon which We have inspected your removal of excavated material from the turn-around these services are provided. area adjacent to your property on Dewatto Beach Drive. Although we find that you have cleared the area substantially as shown on the preliminary topographical survey done by Sid Bechtolt, we do not believe the site is fully restored to its historical dimensions. We have concluded that, while Mr. Bechtolt's survey is based on actual measurements taken in February of 2009, the historical turn-around space at that time had been reduced by sand that had sloughed off the face of the bluff. Our experience with this area over many years has been that sand has continually sloughed off the face and we have had to remove it to maintain its width. At its full, historical width, we have been able to easily turn dump trucks, which is not possible now. Last week, we met on site with Earl Iddings and several of the neighbors. This group told us that there is still considerable loose material at the base of the bluff that is encroaching into the traditional turn-around area. They maintain, and we agree, that the historical toe of slope is about eight feet further from the pavement. Our position is that more excavation of loose material is needed to fully restore the turn-around. We must also report to you that, beyond the issue of the turn-around dimensions, we have other concerns about your driveway design. The design shows a drainage ditch in front of the retaining wall and through the turn-around area. This would make the turn-around area unusable. Mr. Mike Griffith April 20, 2010 Page 2 Another concern is that the design does not provide an adequate turning radius or distance for a vehicle exiting the driveway. Our requirement is that a typical passenger vehicle be able to stop at a ninety-degree angle to the driving surface and clear of it before proceeding. Given these issues, we cannot issue a Road Access Permit and must require additional work t0 completely clear the turn-around area. Sincerely, Robert A. Thuring Deputy Director/County Engineer cc: Charlie Butros, Director, Public Works Rick Blake, Road Maintenance and Operations Manager Rick Brush, Right of Way Manager Fred Perryman, Engineering Technician Mark Core, Co-Director, Community Development Barbara Adkins, Co-Director, Community Development Debbera Coker, Building Inspector Monty Cobb, Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Py�N--31 4 Fo MASON COUNTY MC y DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS oU. A r o T = 100 W PUBLIC WORKS DRIVE N Y y SHELTON, WASHINGTON 98584 OJ 1864 �O Phone(360)427-9670 x450 Fax(360)427-7783 MASON COUNTY March, 2010 MISSION The mission of Mason County Government is to provide essential& mandated services which Mr. Mike Griffith will preserve & benefit the 21326 NE 161 st health,safety,&welfare of the general public in a Woodinville WA 98077 professional and courteous manner through the effective and equitable management of available public Subject: Road Access Permit, Dewatto Beach Drive resources. Mason County recognizes that its employees& Dear Mr. Griffith: volunteers are the foundation upon which We have reviewed our application for a Road Access Permit RAP and ' these services are provided. y pp your design for your proposed driveway. Unfortunately, we are unable to approve the design as proposed and cannot grant an RAP. The reason for this denial is that the retaining wall for your driveway would occupy a critical area of the present right of way of Dewatto Beach Drive. This area appears to be a natural concave section of the bluff that provides a space adjacent to the road that has been used for many years by the public to turn vehicles around. In addition to this public use, Mason County Public Works road crews have for many years maintained this turn-around area by removing material that has sloughed off the face of the bluff. This public activity has established this area as part of the right of way of the road under RCWs 36.75.070 and 36.75.080. You have proposed that your new driveway would serve as an effective substitute for the present turn-around and would, in fact, be superior. However, we find that this is not the case. To be a suitable alternative, the driveway access would have to much more closely meet the County's standards for vehicle turn-arounds. It appears that your options at this point would include petitioning the Board of County Commissioners to vacate, or release, the public easement for the present turn-around area. However, I would not be able to recommend that to the Commissioners. You may also be able to redesign the driveway such that no portion of it other than the road access occupies the public right of way. I Mr. Mike Griffith March 2, 2010 Page 2 We acknowledge that your efforts to acquire the necessary permits for your project have been time-consuming, expensive and very frustrating. We would be happy to review a new design and would welcome the opportunity to grant your RAP. Finally, the problem created by the excavation in the turn-around area continues and we have received several complaints. Please arrange to have this material removed without further delay. Sincerely, Robert A. Thuring Deputy Director/County Engineer cc: Charlie Butros, Director, Public Works Rick Blake, Road Maintenance and Operations Manager Rick Brush, Right of Way Manager Fred Perryman, Engineering Technician Mark Core, Co-Director, Community Development Barbara Adkins, Co-Director, Community Development Debbera Coker, Building Inspector Monty Cobb, Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney