Council OKs 268th Avenue SE Annexation

The Enumclaw City Council voted 4-1 Monday in favor of annexing 101 acres, known as the 268th Avenue S.E. Annexation into the city.

Councilmen Mike Ennis and Jim Hogan were absent. Councilman Glen Jensen opposed the move, citing his concern over the state of the city's general fund and the additional strain that the annexation will put on city services.

Jensen had the support of seven out of 12 community members who addressed the council during a public hearing prior to the vote. Those who opposed the annexation and zoning offered a number of reasons including wanting to retain the rural character of the area, believing that some of the petitioners for the annexation didn't realize the full extent of what they were signing and that the annexation petitioner Richard Kranz didn't actually live in the area.

Kranz responded later that yes, he didn't live in the area though he still owned six acres and following all rules pertaining to the process. Annexation supporters indicated they wanted to have a say in city matters and felt the city could use the tax revenue that came from the additional properties that were annexed.

Similar arguments were made when the council first accepted the 60 percent petition back in October 2011 () and during the first public hearing in February (read the Courier-Herald's story).

Councilman Sean Krebs thanked all the citizens who took the time to attend the hearing and reinforced that the annexation and zoning effort was not a frivolous proposal but one that involved a long process and a lot of thoughtfulness. “As a council, we have very strict guidelines for these that are provided by the state,” he said.

Some highlights of the annexation, according to City Planner Clark Close, are:

• It represents 101 acres along 268th Avenue S.E., bound by S.E. 424th Street and S.E. 432nd Street.
• There are 42 parcels representing about $9.8 million in assessed fair market value (June 2011).
• It is about 13 percent of the city's remaining 1.25 square miles of Urban Growth Area (UGA).
• There are 85 people in the annexation area.
• The city stands to see an annual net gain if about $35,127; it will collect less in utility fees as it would no longer collect out-of-city rates.
• Residents in the area would see a net annual property tax bill decrease.

Along with the annexation is a zoning regulation of R-2 moderate density single family residential district and R-1 low density single family residential district that would become effective upon annexation. An R-2 designation represents 5.2 dwelling units/acre while an R-1 designation represents 2.9 dwelling units/acre.