Council hears first reading of Glenwood Riverfront annexation encompassing 32 tax lots; no action taken

Tom Sievers, senior planner in current planning, presented a first reading of an ordinance to annex roughly 21.11 acres that include 32 tax lots along the Glenwood Riverfront in western Springfield. The annexation area is currently a mix of commercial improvements and vacant land and is contiguous to the city along its southern boundary, Sievers said.

If annexed, the area would retain its Glenwood residential mixed-use and Glenwood commercial mixed-use zoning but would have the urbanizable-fringe UF-10 overlay removed. Sievers said no other zoning changes are proposed with annexation; the land would be withdrawn from special service districts named in the ordinance and from the Glenwood Water District and the Willamette McKenzie Springfield Rural Fire Protection District (as listed in the staff report). The application was initiated by the council on July 1, 2024 via Resolution 2024-22, Sievers said.

Sievers told council that annexation-approval criteria per the Springfield development code are met: (a) the territory is inside the urban growth boundary and contiguous to city limits, (b) it is consistent with the comprehensive plan policies cited in the staff report, (c) the territory can receive key urban facilities and services in a timely manner (sanitary sewer, water, electric, fire and police services), and (d) fiscal impacts are mitigated through a joint planning agreement tied to an urban-renewal master plan, obviating the need for a separate annexation agreement in this case. Sievers recommended the council consider approval when the ordinance returns for a future reading.

Mayor Van Gordon opened the public hearing; there were no public comments and no hands raised online. Councilors did not ask questions beyond clarifications about service districts. Because this was a first reading, no council action was required or taken.