SEQUIM — An effort by the Sequim City Council to have new development cover more of the infrastructure costs associated with growth is being challenged as illegal.
The discussion concerns only a 16.6-acre subdivision proposed near the intersection of West Sequim Bay and Washington Harbor roads, but it is part of a larger debate over public vs. private responsibility for the impacts of growth and development.
Colby Corp., which is developing the subdivision, contends that the City Council’s requirements are improper and has asked the council to reconsider them.
When the council approved rezoning and subdividing the property in January, it added two conditions:
* Future property owners in the subdivision could not oppose a local improvement district, or LID, that could levy property taxes for maintenance and improvements on roads serving the district.
* The homeowners’ association would be responsible for maintaining a stormwater detention pond and associated infrastructure.
The road issue marked a new direction for city planning.