Second Staff Report to Council
City of Yelm
STAFF REPORT
To: Mayor Adam Rivas Yelm City Council
From: Grant Beck, Director of Community Development
Date: April 5, 2005 (for April 13 City Council Meeting)
Subj: Annexation Petition - Denny Balascio
Recommendation
The Council should authorize the circulation of an annexation petition for western 5 acres of the 10 acre Suburban Realty parcel utilizing either the petition method or the alternate
petition method of annexation, to require the properties within the annexation area to assume their share of the existing City indebtedness and identify the Comprehensive Plan Designation
of the annexed parcels as Moderate Density Residential (R-6).
Background
At its regular meeting of December 8, 2004, the City Council authorized Denny Balascio to circulate a petition for annexation. Mr. Balascio has circulated the petition within the annexation
area as modified by the City Council and has failed to obtain the required signatures for the annexation to proceed. Based on the comments received, it will not be possible under either
annexation method to obtain sufficient signatures to annex the property and include Sunnyland Estates.
Mr. Balascio is requesting the Council authorize the circulation of a petition for a modified annexation area, limited to the property in which he has ownership interest (the Suburban
Realty parcel).
The Council had approved the staff recommended boundaries for the proposed annexation, being Mr. Balascio’s parcel and the lots within Sunnyland Estates subdivision, in order to create
a logical and ‘clean’ City boundary. The City mailed a postcard to each property owner within Sunnyland Estates and received only 5 positive or neutral responses from the 20 lots within
the development, which proves insufficient to proceed with an annexation of this area.
Current Situation
The revised annexation boundaries would not form a logical urban boundary, creating a ‘peninsula’ of City surrounded on three sides by County land. Allowing such an annexation to proceed
effectively decreases the potential of future annexation of lands already developed at urban densities located in the County by leaving only pockets of areas in the County in which the
residents have indicated an unwillingness to annex.
In favor of allowing the revised annexation to proceed, however, is the fact that the Suburban Realty parcel is within the Local Improvement District for the sewer system and has purchased
32 ERU connections to the sewer system at a cost of $64,000.00. The property is subject to the assessment and interest, which is being paid off over a 15 year period. However, without
being annexed into the City, the property will not benefit from the assessment as the property remains zoned 1 home per 5 acres in the County until annexation.
Allowing a revised annexation which only includes the western 5 acres of the Suburban Realty parcel would minimize the logical boundary issue and would avoid the creation of a small
portion of City street along Grove Road. The peninsula of City created under this scenario is minimized, and options for future annexation remain open.
This alternative would also allow the 32 LID assessments to be used, as 5 acres can easily support 32 lots in the R-6 zoning district.