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Planning commission recommends annexation of 6.57‑acre parcel with R‑7 zoning
Summary
The St. Helens Planning Commission recommended the annexation of a 6.57‑acre county island to the city and advised R‑7 zoning to match surrounding parcels. The recommendation goes to city council for final action.
The St. Helens Planning Commission voted to recommend annexation of a 6.57‑acre property identified in county records as Lot Sykes Road / Morton Lane to the City of St. Helens and recommended R‑7 residential zoning to match adjacent parcels.
Staff said the site is an undeveloped island of county land surrounded on four sides by city limits and noted constraints including wetlands, a significant ravine, and a 100‑foot‑wide Bonneville Power Administration easement that reduces developable area. The planner told commissioners the property is within the McNulty Water District and that sewer is available along Sykes Road. The planner recommended R‑7 zoning based on the adopted housing needs analysis and the site’s surrounding zoning pattern.
Applicant Susan Stutzman spoke for herself and her sister and said the family inherited the land and seeks annexation mainly to achieve consistency with surrounding development and to access city services "We are in support of annexing this property from Columbia County to the city of Saint Helens," she said during her presentation.
A neighbor, Jeff Heller, urged approval, saying annexation would simplify future development and allow coordination with adjacent city properties. There was no substantive opposition presented during the record for this item.
Commissioners discussed the differences between R‑7 and R‑10 (noting lot size and dimensional standards), sewer capacity questions raised elsewhere in the meeting, and the legal distinction that the commission’s vote is a recommendation to city council, not a final annexation. Commissioner (Speaker 10) moved to recommend annexation with an R‑7 designation; the motion was seconded and carried. The official annexation and any final zoning decision will be made by the City Council following the planning commission’s recommendation.
Next steps: the planning commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to St. Helens City Council for final consideration and adoption. The council will receive the record and any required mailed notices of decision and appeal rights will follow the city’s procedures.
