East Wenatchee advances North Jackson Avenue annexation proposal

EAST WENATCHEE – The East Wenatchee City Council took an initial step Nov. 3 toward bringing three properties along North Jackson Avenue into the city, adding the East Wenatchee Seventh-Day Adventist Church property at 10th Street NE to the area proposed for annexation.

The owner of two lots totaling 4.78 acres asked the city in September to begin annexation proceedings. Community Development Director Curtis Lillquist recommended adding the church property at 1201 10th St. NE because it sits between those lots and the existing city limits. Including it would straighten the boundary, he said. The city already plows both streets along the church property.

When a councilmember asked about the church’s position, Lillquist said he had yet to speak with anyone there. He estimated the two original lots account for 87% of the assessed property value within the expanded boundary. That puts the owner who initiated the request above the 60% threshold for signing the formal annexation petition.

The council approved the expanded boundary on a motion by Councilmember Christine Johnson, seconded by Councilmember Ken Arnold. If the annexation goes through, the properties would come into the city with low-density residential zoning and assume a share of the city’s existing debt. Lillquist said all three parcels are already within East Wenatchee’s urban growth area.

The vote allows the formal petition to circulate. If a sufficient petition is filed, a public hearing would follow before the council decides whether to annex the properties.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media