City of Hoquiam accepts donation of home damaged by landslide

Two properties have been donated to the City of Hoquiam.

On Monday night, the Hoquiam City Council heard a report from City Administrator Brian Shay that two different property owners were offering to donate their land to the city.

The properties are located at 432 Beacon Hill Drive and 107 Lincoln Street. The Lincoln Street property is a vacant lot across from the current Hoquiam pump station, while the Beacon Hill Drive property currently features a home sitting on the edge of a cliff.

In January 2015, a mudslide took a large portion of Beacon Hill, sending it down onto the road below. One home now stands precariously on the cliff and has been deemed “unsafe to occupy” according to the report.

Shay says that since the slide, the owners have relocated to San Francisco. By accepting the donation, the city will be responsible for any costs to demolish the home. These costs are anticipated to be between $15,000 and $20,000.

The report states that after the slide, the owners of the property and others gave the city easements to build an access road and new sewer pump station on the property to serve the residents on top of the hill.

Councilman Dave Wilson asked in the meeting why the city is being asked to cover the costs.

Shay added that since the slide, the property had not had any taxes collected.

Councilwoman Shannon Patterson spoke earlier in the meeting, saying that if the city did not accept the property now, they may be liable for it in the future.

The motion to accept the properties passed, with only Wilson voting no.