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Residents warn annexation could raise flood insurance, traffic in Shamrock Park
Summary
At the July 15 North Bend City Council meeting, residents from the Shamrock Park area urged council members to halt or reconsider a proposed annexation, citing higher flood-insurance costs, potential through‑traffic from new development and concerns the proposal chiefly benefits a single landowner.
At the July 15 North Bend City Council meeting, residents of the unincorporated Shamrock Park neighborhood urged the council to reconsider a petition to annex their area into the city, saying the change would increase homeowners’ flood‑insurance costs and risk new through‑traffic.
Britney Larson, who identified herself as a Shamrock Park resident, told the council she collected a counter‑petition representing about 70% of the neighborhood and raised multiple concerns about annexation. "Flood insurance for my house is currently $331 per month and would go up to $553 per month," Larson said, citing the neighborhood’s current National Flood Insurance Program discount and an expected change in levy code after annexation. She added that the higher insurance — about $2,640 a year for her household — would outweigh any small reduction in property taxes.
Larson also warned that city zoning maps list the adjacent Glacier property as "high density residential," and said neighbors fear a new through road connecting Shamrock Park to the Glacier property and Berry Estates. "None of us bought a house on a through street, and none of us want to live on a through street," she said. Larson said the annexation felt driven by the interests of a single property owner and by the city's budget gap, rather than by neighborhood benefit.
In her remarks Larson noted one potential benefit — policing — is now moot because the city will contract with the King County Sheriff's Office rather than Snoqualmie–North Bend Police.
Council did not take formal action on the petition at the meeting; Larson’s concerns were raised during the audience participation portion of the agenda. The transcript does not record any staff presentation or formal vote on the annexation petition during the July 15 session.
Council members who heard public comment did not vote on the matter that night, but the remarks were part of the public record and will inform any staff follow‑up or future agenda items related to annexation.
