Ten representatives — four from the City of Centralia, three from Lewis County and three from the Port of Centralia — converged Thursday, Feb. 26, for the first mediation meeting regarding the city’s moratorium on large warehouses and distribution centers.
The meeting came four months after the city approved a mediation agreement with the other two jurisdictions and six months after the city enacted a moratorium on the development of large-scale warehouses and distribution centers, which has since been extended another six months.
Centralia Deputy Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston and City Manager Michael Thomas told the Centralia City Council during its Tuesday night meeting that progress was made, although there were a few sticking points.
They attended the meeting alongside Centralia attorney Kyle Manley, Community Development Director Emil Pierson, Lewis County Manager Ryan Barrett, Lewis County Community Development Director Mindy Brooks, Commissioner Sean Swope, Port of Centralia Commissioner Peter Lahmann, Port of Centralia interim Executive Director Amy Graber, and the port’s land use attorney.
Thomas began his report by stating that “we have more in common than we expected” and that all three parties want the same results for Centralia, albeit through different methods.
“I think, overall, we had a good discussion. We do need to figure out a couple common metrics amongst ourselves to move forward,” Thomas said. “Something the county asked us to do is, what do we consider to be a liveable wage? Is it the average median income or a percentage above or below? There was a discussion as to what actually would constitute traffic mitigation and what that would look like.”
Traffic, specifically stemming from trucks, was the primary reason the Centralia City Council unanimously voted to declare a moratorium on the development of warehouses and distribution centers exceeding 250,000 square feet. Councilors and residents have complained of truck traffic on main thoroughfares in Centralia such as Harrison Avenue. Critics of the moratorium say that the move hinders economic development in the community, primarily in the Port of Centralia’s property.
Thomas specified that the county and the city had disagreements about what a family livable wage would be in Centralia.
Smith Johnston said the three parties have agreed to move forward without hiring a formal mediator. The initial plan had been for each jurisdiction to contribute taxpayer dollars toward hiring a mediator. She added that the meeting carried “great intention” and “a real spirit of collaboration.”
“I didn’t find it unexpected that we had so much in common. I think we’ve known that all along, and then there’s been all of these barriers to a collaborative conversation,” Smith Johnston said. “As those barriers come down, there’s still some pretty sticky wicked issues that we’re going to have to discuss. I think we will have very different opinions on some of the topics, but I’m feeling quite optimistic that the spirit of collaboration will reign supreme and that we can move forward.”
While a specific date for the next mediation meeting has not been confirmed, Thomas said the next gathering is tentatively scheduled for the end of the month.
