Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Several community members took to the podium during the public comments portion of a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to speak out against the City of Yelm annexing parts of unincorporated Thurston County.
Alan McKenzie, representing annexation zone eight, said he went to every property owner within zone eight and gathered their signatures against the annexation process occurring.
“This is a letter that all of you should’ve received back in September. Councilman (Brian) Hess is the only one that responded to me,” McKenzie said. “I don’t know if he felt it was important but nobody else thought it was important, but to me it’s important and it’s important to everybody on zone eight.”
McKenzie’s letter reads:
“It has come to our attention, George Road residents, the City of Yelm is proposing to annex eight designated zones in the UGA. The zone eight property owners, west of 507, representing the majority of zone eight property owners, respectfully requests the city council withdraw our properties from further annexation consideration.”
McKenzie added that zone eight property owners, west of state Route 507, seek to remain in Thurston County rather than be annexed into the City of Yelm.
“We take no issue with the properties east of SR 507,” McKenzie said. “I want to point out that east of 507, those properties are owned by a majority of developers. It is in his best interest to be annexed. I have two conservation easements restricting development on my acreage. Thurston County Future Funds is one of the entities that acquired the easement — which I feel they should have a vested interest in this.”
McKenzie said he agrees with the conservation easements to conserve the rural land uses and character of his property. He added that his livelihood is based on the rural use of his property.
“Annexation will eventually take away my income sources, which would definitely have a devastating adverse impact on my family’s lives,” McKenzie said. “Please prove the democratic process still works and vote to exclude zone eight property on the attached additions.”
Another community member to speak against the annexation of specifically zone eight was Elizabeth Burton-Crow.
“I’m one of the people in the households that signed the petition that McKenzie had brought to your attention today,” Burton-Crow said. “My concerns with being annexed as part of zone eight are twofold. First, I don’t think it achieves the objectives that were stated in the letter sent to us. Second, I find it as a potential encumbrance through additional ordinances, taxes, etc., that frankly we’re just not really interested in.”
She said one of the stated reasons for annexation was to increase the number of housing units in Yelm.
“As we know there’s a porosity of housing acreage within the City of Yelm currently compared to what the projects are to what is needed,” Burton-Crow said. “However, zone nine specifically being primarily open space, including the area where I live, does not address those needs directly. So that becomes a moot argument.”
She added that the second argument is that those specific boundaries were made in the 1990s, prior to McKenzie’s conservation agreement.
“I’m not sure that those same boundaries would be drawn today given the fact those are 100-year plus easements and therefore there can be no development in those areas,” Burton-Crow said. “The idea of open space was brought up and it seems to me that zone eight is specifically targeted because it would create open space that could counteract what is needed by Blue Fern Development and the large number of houses that are going behind the properties that are in the zone eight area.”
She added that there’s no “open space” that could be used recreationally by residents of those future housing developments.
“My final point is that it would add layers of encumbrance through additional city ordinances and the potential for higher property values, higher property taxes, etc.,” she said. “On George Road, we hardly receive any services. Our internet is incredibly slow. It is a DSL copper line. We have a well. We’re too far away to receive any benefit from the city in terms of water, sewer, internet, as far as I know. Instead, we would just receive ordinances that would prevent people like Alan McKenzie from doing things like potentially having his Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactments.”
Mayor Joe DePinto added that the urban growth area has always been planned for expansion for the Yelm city limits.
“Not just where you’re at, but other zones as well,” DePinto said. “I understand a majority are from that George Road area, but that has always been a plan for the city limits: to expand out in that area and become part of the City of Yelm jurisdiction. I do understand your concerns. Your life will not change — for the vast majority of you. We will work with you as much as we can, but if you don’t want to sell to a developer or if you don’t want to have residential — you don’t have to sell your property.”
The mayor added that if property owners want to keep their land the way it is now, the vast majority of them will be able to do that “in such a way (where) life will not change.”
DePinto said taxes would remain the same for annexed residents. He noted they wouldn’t see huge increases and that some would even potentially face decreases.
“Services will be more responsive with City of Yelm police, at least,” DePinto said. “I’m not saying that Thurston County doesn’t do a good job at policing, or anything like that, but they do have a larger area to manage than we do. You will have a quicker response time for emergencies.”
