Hearing examiner grants Chehalis Tribe’s request to vacate plat

A request from the Confederated Tribes of Chehalis Reservation to vacate a plat originally made for a proposed 40-acre light industrial subdivision near Interstate 5 and 93rd Avenue was approved. 

Hearing Examiner Mark Scheibmeir granted the request on Friday, Dec. 26, one week after a public on Dec. 17. 

A plat is a legally recorded map that lays out how a property is divided into lots and establishes how the land may be developed. Vacating the plat eliminates the recorded subdivision. 

Kauffman Real Estate originally applied for the plat in 2020, which called for turning four lots into 12. Road improvements were constructed as part of the project, but no other development occurred.  

The Chehalis Tribe has since been working with the city to vacate the plat in preparation for the purchase of the property, which happened on Sept. 30, 2024. 

The tribe also applied to vacate the public right-of-way established when a road was built in the middle of the site.  

At the public hearing, city staff recommended Scheibmeir approve the tribe’s requests, deeming it compliant with local and state requirements. 

Scheibmeir’s approval is contingent on two conditions: the tribe must either pay the city 50 percent of the road’s appraised value or convey land of equal fair market value for the construction of another road or other municipal purposes. 

Details on the tribe’s plan for the land were not included in its application.