Marivaux neighborhood asks to join Sammamish
October 23, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
New: Oct. 23, 10:13 a.m.
About 6.46 acres on the east side of Sammamish might join the city within the year.
Residents from the Marivaux neighborhood (referred to as Ravenhill in some city documents) have petitioned to annex into Sammamish. If the process goes smoothly, the 21 lots, and about 64 people, would become part of Sammamish by March 2010.
Steven Johnson, one of the four residents to sign the first petition, said early signs indicate the annexation should go off without a hitch.
The neighborhood is tucked in near the Plateau Club and Soaring Eagle Park. Map by Dona Mokin.
“In discussions, everyone’s been for it,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of an easy deal.”
Douglas Wiener, a next-door neighbor of Johnson’s, didn’t sign the first petition, but said he supported the annexation, too.
“It’s something I personally would want,” Wiener said. “I just think we would get better service.”
Johnson, Wiener and others in the neighborhood have a Sammamish zip code, but are currently a small island of development between Sammamish city limits and rural King County.
Johnson said residents believed Sammamish police would respond quicker to their emergency calls. They also believe their property taxes would be lower, he said.
“We’re surrounded by neighbors in the city. We’ve never heard them say, man I wish we lived in the county,” Johnson said.
The City Council voted 6-0 (Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay was absent) in favor of moving the annexation process along Oct. 20. The vote allows residents in Marivaux to move the next next phase of the process – collecting signatures representing 60 percent of the total property value in the neighborhood.
Councilman Lee Fellinge asked if the annexation would present any future costs for the city.
In past annexations, the neighborhoods have represented slight revenue gains, while not entailing huge costs in terms of maintenance or improving local street facilities. The city conducted a cost-benefit analysis of Marivaux in 2007 and found a $13,000 gain.
Emily Arteche, a senior planner, said the city is working on an update to that study.
“We expect to be at worse, neutral, and probably slightly positive,” Community Development Director Kamuron Gurol said. Later, Gurol added that the Marivaux streets were in good condition.
If the council favors the annexation after the second round of signature collecting, then it would hold a public hearing and decide to either accept or reject the petition; then a county boundary review board would examine the petition and decide whether to accept it. After all those steps, the council would pass an ordinance annexing the new neighborhood into Sammamish.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
