City Council Selects Plaza Design, Will Not Lower Utility Tax

The Yakima City Council voted in favor of a final design for the proposed downtown plaza Tuesday, selecting the plan for the parking lot in front of the Capitol Theatre on Third Street.

Parking apparently will not be a problem because the plan incorporates 50 parking spaces within the plaza design. Only one parking spot will be lost within a one-block radius, city officials say. Water features, grass and shade are also part of the plan.

The vote for the design was 5-2 with Rick Ensey and Bill Lover voting no. The plan will now go back to the designer for more work and will ready for the council later this fall.

Also Tuesday, the council voted against lowering the city utility tax, which Ensey had proposed. The city does plan, however, to talk more in the future about utility tax money and how it is used.