The City of Sunnyside continues to work to attract developers to the long-vacant Monson property, a 144-acre site located between Yakima Valley Highway and Outlook Road.

At Monday night’s city council meeting, officials provided a brief update on the property, which is zoned for a planned unit development — meaning it could accommodate both commercial and residential projects.

However, development has been hampered by a series of challenges.

“Some of the challenges that we’re learning — number one, it’s a really high water table out there,” said Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzalez. “Developers and landowners in Sunnyside know it’s a challenging area to develop because you go three feet deep and start to hit water. That’s a big inhibitor to developers.”

Gonzalez also noted the cost of required infrastructure upgrades, including major road improvements, as another hurdle. Additionally, a nearby feedlot remains a concern for potential residential developers.

Before it could list the property, the city paid $8,000 for a professional appraisal. It is currently listed at $3.6 million, but no formal offers have been made. Still, interest is growing.

“We’re working hard to market the property,” he said. “It’s not fly-by-nights that are coming to Sunnyside to take a look at it. It’s serious developers who have money and want to invest in Sunnyside because it’s really difficult to find a city that has this volume of land in one place.”

The land is not yet “shovel ready” and would require millions in upgrades. Sunnyside still owes about $800,000 on the property, and officials say selling it — even below asking price — may soon make more fiscal sense than holding onto it.

“I’d like to see that property sold. I’d like to see revenue coming into the city, but I’d like to see development,” said Mayor Dean Broersma. “And if it’s something that generates jobs — even if it’s 50 jobs — you know, I’d love to see 200 people hired, but if we can generate 50 jobs, that’s a boost to our community.”

As the city seeks to move the project forward, it is also working to rebuild its community and economic development team. Sunnyside is actively searching for a new director to lead the effort.

“I think this is probably our biggest struggle over the years — our economic development department,” Gonzalez said. “It’s been a revolving door.”

In addition to the Monson property discussion, the city council also swore in two new staff members at the meeting: Emily Goodell as deputy city clerk and Kelly Koskie as administrative services director.

City officials say they plan to present a more detailed analysis of the Monson property at the next city council meeting.