Sherwood holds first hearing on proposed annexation code; council schedules second hearing Sept. 2

Sherwood — City staff presented the city’s first public hearing on a proposed annexation code amendment Tuesday night, asking the City Council to add Chapter 16.81 to the Sherwood zoning and community development code to establish annexation procedures, submittal requirements and approval criteria.

The proposal, described by Sean Conrad, planning manager, would codify how the city evaluates infrastructure, school capacity and long-term needs for land inside the urban growth boundary, and would apply to areas including the Tonquin employment area, the Brooklyn addition and Sherwood West. “Clear and objective standards do not apply to annexation,” Conrad said, describing the legislative nature of most annexations and the standards the draft code would use.

Staff and the planning commission recommended approval; the council opened the public hearing, took testimony from agencies and organizations and closed the hearing without a final vote. The council scheduled a second hearing…