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Enumclaw staff brief council on two annexation requests; council asks for legal review and separate resolutions
Summary
City staff presented two annexation requests (one west of town near the Roosevelt roundabout and one east near the Expo), noting petitions cover five parcels (~18 acres); staff recommended modifying and possibly combining the areas, estimating a modified total of about 38 acres valued near $8.5 million. Council asked staff to consult the city attorney and suggested processing the requests separately and considering applicant-funded consultant work.
City staff briefed the Enumclaw City Council on two annexation notices the city received in March and asked council for direction on how to proceed.
"Annexation is the expansion of the city boundary into properties that are currently located outside of the city," Community Development Director Chris Masonetti told the council, describing the 60% petition method applicants must use to secure signatures representing 60% of valuation if a petition proceeds.
Masonetti said the petitions as submitted cover five vacant, residentially zoned parcels totaling about 18 acres. Staff presented maps showing the parcels proposed by applicants and a staff-recommended modified footprint that would add parcels to make boundaries more regular and comply with comprehensive-plan policies. If the council adopted the staff modifications, Masonetti said the combined area would amount to roughly 38 acres with an assessed valuation of about $8.5 million. Water and sewer service are available adjacent to both areas.
During council discussion, members asked procedural questions and pressed staff about fairness to individual parcel owners, whether Tarragon’s parcels alone meet the 60% valuation threshold (Masonetti said they do not), and whether the two proposals should be processed together or separately. One council committee recommended the council ask the city attorney whether the council could require applicants to pay for consultant support to run the annexation process, citing current staff bandwidth concerns.
Alex Campbell, who said he represents Tarragon, introduced himself and said the applicant will follow up with further documents. A separate applicant representative who identified himself as representing Terragon LLC said he and the development team would be available to answer questions and planned to provide additional supporting documents.
Council direction and next steps: Council signaled general support (several head nods) for staff to return with draft resolutions modifying the proposed annexation areas and to consult the city attorney about potential conditions (including applicant-funded consultant work). Council requested staff return within the 60-day statutory review window with options, and no annexation was approved during the April 27 meeting.
What this means: If the council later adopts a modified area and appellants secure signatures representing 60% of valuation as required, the annexation process proceeds to county verification and then boundary-review and ordinance steps; the council can still reject an annexation later in the ordinance stage.
