Council approves Tarragon annexation, rejects Kazer Mezic bid

Uniontown’s City Council on May 11 approved Resolution 1877 to accept a modified annexation petition from Tarragon and rejected Resolution 1876, a separate annexation request.

City staff told the council the Tarragon proposal, originally three large parcels, was recommended to be modified to six parcels totaling roughly 18 acres and has an estimated 2026 county-assessor valuation near $4,000,000. City staff said the annexation area is zoned for low-density residential (R-2) under the city’s comprehensive plan and that water and sewer stub-outs are available nearby. The applicant offered to help cover consultant and review costs to avoid burdening city staff.

“By connecting to stubbed infrastructure near the subject property, the city of Enumclaw can expect to bring in over $32,000 per unit in revenue,” a Tarragon representative said, adding that the figure “would equate to an estimated $2,000,000 overall.” (Statement attributed to the Tarragon representative.)

Alex Campbell, who said he lives outside the city limits, spoke in support of Tarragon’s annexation and reiterated the applicant’s offer to reimburse city review costs. “The key to us is that we don’t wanna burden city staff,” Campbell said.

Staff recommended approval of Resolution 1877; the motion passed by voice vote with a 5–1 tally recorded in the transcript. By contrast, Resolution 1876 (Kazer Mezic annexation), which staff had reported would expand an initial two-parcel request to 11 parcels (about 20 acres and an assessed valuation near $5,000,000), failed to pass after council debate and a voice vote; the transcript records that the motion did not carry.

A council member asked whether the default zoning for annexed areas could be R‑1 instead of R‑2; staff answered that changing the default would likely require a comprehensive-plan amendment and is not the item before council tonight. Council and staff discussed that the city frequently recommends adjusting annexation boundaries to make the municipal boundary more regular and that the Boundary Review Board may also require inclusion of adjacent roadways.

Next steps: the council’s action sets the schedule under state annexation procedures to consult with petitioners and the Boundary Review Board as required. Staff indicated the city will continue coordinating with applicants on consultant scopes and cost-reimbursement arrangements.