Planning staff outline housing capacity study and draft annexation ordinance for council review

Planning staff presented a division work plan and told the council the first phase will be a housing capacity analysis, funded by a DLCD grant, that starts in April and will feed a later housing production strategy intended to identify actions to accelerate housing production.

The staff presentation listed near‑term applications (Redmond East Gateway, ~200 acres, and the Northpoint Vista PUD) and area plan progress reports (Northwest, Highway 97, Southwest). Staff said the housing capacity analysis will take roughly 18–24 months when combined with the subsequent production strategy and substantial community outreach.

Staff also introduced a draft annexation procedure and ordinance to codify how annexations are processed. The draft adds a criterion that annexations must be in the “city’s best interest,” a phrase meant to give the council clearer grounds to negotiate annexation agreements. Council members asked whether that standard is sufficiently specific and defensible in court; staff said the language was modeled on other jurisdictions and reviewed by outside counsel and that findings supporting each decision would be required.

Council members asked for guardrails and requested staff return with clarifications, findings templates and an opportunity for additional review. Staff said the annexation procedure will likely be scheduled with the planning commission and back to council for adoption in the April cycle.

The council did not adopt the draft at the meeting and asked staff to circulate the ordinance language for feedback.