City planning staff on Dec. 8 told the North Bend City Council the city will consider a petition to vacate part of Montana Street from Pine Street to Oak Street.

"The request was to vacate the full portion of Montana Street from Pine Street to Oak Street," a planning presenter said in staff remarks, describing a Nov. 17 planning commission hearing. The planning commission recommended approving only a partial vacation that would allow property owners to take up to 16 feet on each side while preserving a central 48-foot corridor "for access and emergency purposes," staff said.

Staff and technical presenters explained the rationale: the middle corridor contains existing storm and sanitary sewer infrastructure and is graded closely to roadway elevation, making it suitable to remain for potential future roadway development. One staff member summarized the legal effect: "a vacation extinguishes those public uses from that portion of property," meaning vacated segments would revert to adjoining property owners subject to easements retained for utilities.

Staff also described the signatures and notice rules: all directly abutting owners must sign and a two-thirds-influenced area rule applies to affected properties within the terminus. Because utilities run in the corridor, staff recommended retaining easements specific to storm and sanitary sewer rather than vacating the entire right of way.

The council was advised that after the public hearing concludes, the governing body will consider an ordinance to effect the vacation; staff noted the ordinance under consideration would be an emergency ordinance and would not take effect until 30 days after the mayor signed it.

The City will present the staff report and hear public comment at the hearing; council members may ask follow-up questions before moving to the ordinance on the regular meeting agenda.