GRANITE FALLS — Some folks here are giving up half a back yard and some peace of mind so Snohomish County can build a bypass road through Granite Falls.
They’re prepared for the change in scenery, but two families along the route aren’t happy about the county’s compensation offers. They’re the final two holdouts among 46 properties the county has bought for the future road.
“I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the road is going in,” Chris Hargraves said. “I just want to be compensated fairly.”
The big sticking point: whether the offer makes up for having a highway as a back-fence neighbor.
The families signed over the property last year, but haven’t settled on a price. With no resolution, the issue could wind up in court, something neither side wants to happen.
Two years ago, other landowners on the route complained of low offers but later settled with the county.
Construction on the 2-mile bypass officially got under way earlier this month. When completed in two years or so, the road will carry traffic around Granite Falls to the north, connecting Highway 92 with the Mountain Loop Highway. The total cost should be $28.7 million.
“It’s a great project, but it’s going to change lifestyles,” said Deanna Clark-Willingham, the county’s real property supervisor.
From the affected back yards, the land slopes steeply toward the Stillaguamish River Valley. The new road will be 16 to 20 feet below their yards.
The county also plans to build a 7-foot concrete sound wall. Officials said that should block the sight of 1,800 trucks passing daily, and most of the noise. The families say they will still be able to see over the wall from the upper floors of their split-level homes.
The conflict is over how much to pay for about 1,700 square feet of land, about a quarter of each lot.
The county won’t discuss specifics, but the families said the first offer last fall was for $10,000. They feel they deserve at least five times that for what they’re giving up: land, fencing, landscaping, views, air quality and quiet.
Later, the county raised its offer to Shannan and Daniel Leonard, who live two doors down from the Hargraveses, by $17,800. That put the total at $27,800. The amount included money for new windows.
When the Leonards countered with $50,000, the county turned them down. A letter informed them the payment should be “just and not generous, adequate but not a windfall.”
That made Shannan Leonard mad.
“We’re like a pimple to them, a boil or something,” she said. “We just keep on bothering them.”
The Leonards reasoned they should get $27,500 for the land, plus $22,000 or so for windows, air conditioning and other losses. They calculated the land value by taking the assessor’s estimate of $110,000 and dividing by four.
An appraiser later told them they were low-balling themselves; with a highway next door and the loss of land, the home’s value would fall to $210,000 from about $265,000. The Leonards said that could put them in trouble with their mortgage lender because they would suddenly owe more than the house is worth.
What further annoys them is that the payment is subject to income tax. They’ve also spent $2,500 on an independent appraisal.
While other neighbors have settled, the county did buy one whole lot, including the house, because the sound wall would come within a few feet of it. The county intends to rent the house out for now, then sell it after finishing the road.
Neighboring landowners include the developer, Himalaya Homes, which kept several houses as rentals. The Lake Stevens-based company said negotiations went smoothly.
“The the county was more than fair,” chief financial officer Kami Albright said.
Himalaya’s owner, Zak Parpia, said he wished he could have gotten more, but is glad he reached a compromise. Parpia said he understands that the land is more valuable to the homeowners than to a local government or a landlord.
The bypass project has been approved since 2001, but both families said they received almost no notice when they both moved in back in 2004. They said the only warning was a vague mention of a “slope easement.”
Parpia disputes that, saying all buyers received full disclosure about the road going in.
County officials worry that disagreements over land value could increase because of the recession and the weak housing market. For the holdouts, that isn’t the issue — it’s whether the offer makes up for what they’re losing.
“We shouldn’t have to take one for the team because we are part of the team,” said Casandra Hargraves, Chris Hargraves’ wife.
The families have contacted an attorney. The next step is a public hearing on Aug. 18, when a judge is expected to set a trial date in eight to 12 months. In the meantime, the sides can try to work out a deal.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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