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KENNEWICK Developer and property owner Jos Chavallo and his team are gearing up to defend their proposal to change the land use on top of Thompson Hill to allow for luxury homes and a destination resort when the issue comes to the Kennewick City Council on Dec. 15.
Chavallo's vision is to build a hotel, condos, a day spa and a wine tasting room, he told the Herald on Tuesday.
It's about making an exclusive private property with great views of the city available to everybody, said Chavallo. He's also proposing to build 27 luxury homes west of 25th and 26th avenues on the lower north side of the hill.
But on Monday, the Kennewick Planning Commission rejected his request to change the land use on the top of the hill after many area residents spoke against it. They said they were worried about more traffic, disturbing natural habitat and preserving their quality of life.
Allowing commercial development there would conflict with the goals of the comprehensive plan, said a city staff report.
Chavallo, who owns about 50 acres on the hill, said he believes he can alleviate the misconceptions of those opposed to his vision. He said he can better explain the potential benefits his long-term project could bring to the Tri-Cities.
Chavallo spoke to the Kennewick City Council on Tuesday after initially asking the council to delay for 60 days the hearing on the preliminary plat to divide the property into 27 single-family lots and three tracts of land. The hearing lasted more than two hours and included concerns and questions from unhappy neighbors of the proposed development. Chavallo and his engineers also addressed the council.
Before the public hearing began, Councilman Bob Olson recused himself.
Olson initially said he was ill prepared to vote on the development's preliminary plat, but later said, "I think it's ... from people I've talked to. I had my mind made up."
After the hearing, the city council decided to continue the issue and postponed a vote on the preliminary plat until its Dec. 15 meeting. Olson will not be able to vote during that meeting because he recused himself Tuesday.
Many of the residents who addressed the council derided the several retaining walls, which could stand anywhere from 4- to 20-plus feet, that would be used to section the development. They said the walls would drastically shape the landscape and obscure views.
He said his idea was to develop a gated community at the lower end of the hill, and a monument accessible to all at the top.
It will have amenities to attract tourists, and will be a big draw for the Southridge area, said Chavallo, who has built several professional office buildings, including one at the Port of Kennewick's Spaulding Business Park. "We don't have a high-end luxury hotel or a restaurant in Kennewick."
Development plans on top of the hill also would include an interpretive center, said Paul Christensen, a project engineer working with Chavallo.
The top of the hill could be developed so that it becomes a crown to the city, he told the Herald. "We're ready to work with the city (to work it out.)
He said he'll be able to clarify several misconceptions including the one expressed by neighbors Monday about traffic. "No traffic will go through Panoramic Heights," he said.
Council members will take a closer look at Chavallo's request, despite the planning commission's recommendation to deny the zoning change, said Ferdouse Oneza, Kennewick's planning manager.
The council will review the application along with the minutes of the planning commission meeting and testimony from the hearing, Oneza said. If the council also denies the change, then Chavallo has 60 days to appeal the decision to the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, she said.
"We'll make a pitch that the planning commission's recommendation shouldn't be followed," said Chavallo's Spokane-based attorney Brian T. McGinn. He said he'll present a technical objection to the commission's decision. "It's inappropriate for the commission to rely on an Environment Impact Study to recommend denial of the project at the same time recognizing that the IS doesn't address the impact of commercial development," he argued.
"Mr. Chavallo has the best interest of Kennewick. I hope people will keep an open mind."
Chavallo said he can understand the neighbors' passion for open space, but "as life goes on, we have to move on."
They need to see the bigger picture and the opportunity for balanced growth. The project will potentially create 100 to 150 jobs and also give local businesses a boost, he said.
He said he's in touch with several financiers and individuals who support his vision and are ready to invest in it.
* Reporter Drew Foster contributed to this report.
* Pratik Joshi: 509-582-1541; pjoshi@tricityherald.com.
