County Council Hague Meets with Woodinville Residents on Annexation in Sammamish Valley

By Dale Knapinski

King County Councilmember Jane Hague met with Woodinville area residents to discuss on Thursday, June 14. The meeting, hosted by  Dale Knapinski, was held at the Canterbury Square in Woodinville.

Some homeowners from the Canterbury Square seemed very upset that the Woodinville council and King County were considering adding more CBD properties to the city, when it is well known that Canterbury residents have been struggling to find a buyer for their acreage for many years. Holding the meeting at the Canterbury gave Hague a firsthand opportunity to speak with residents that will be negatively affected by UGB adjustments. Hague was presented with a letter from the Canterbury Board, a copy of which will be presented to the Woodinville council.

Hague was taken on a tour of the potential annexation areas where she met with owners of several agricultural properties in the valley. One property owner stated that her agricultural property suffered from flooding from development in her area, and she felt additional encroachment of development could potentially ruin additional farm land. It was noted that the existing property uses in the Potential Annexation Area’s (PAA) were not all non-conforming, as had been reported to the King County Council. Most existing uses seemed to be rural in character, not urban as described by representatives of the property owners seeking UGB adjustments.

Comments were made about traffic safety on 148th Avenue NE and the fact that King County would still be responsible for the road if UGB adjustments were made and annexation did occur. Hague raised her eyebrows at the notion that Woodinville would graciously accept additional properties fronting the roadway, without accepting responsibility for the road itself.

Following the area tour and a brief PowerPoint presentation back at the Canterbury, discussions focused on the legal ramifications of UGB adjustments with respect to the GMA. A land use attorney voiced agreement that the Woodinville PAA’s would probably be the weakest case for UGB adjustments in King County, and hinted that there would certainly be a legal challenge to the GMA Board in the event that UGB adjustments were made near Woodinville.

The actions of the Woodinville council were also discussed. Residents seemed surprised and angered to learn that Woodinville councilmembers Bauman, Aspen, Hageman, and Rubstello, voted this week to prevent public hearings on the UGB/annexation issue until AFTER King County makes a decision on the matter. It was mentioned thatwas in dispute with respect to factual content, but the Woodinville council was supporting UGB adjustments. The lack of an applicant and documentation that supports the need for UGB adjustments was also discussed.

The meeting was attended by authorities in many fields. It was well organized and seemed very productive. Jane Hague offered to attend another meeting with representatives in the future, and suggested that it would be a good idea to invite other King County Councilmembers. Additional meetings are in the works.