Aldarra annexation suddenly no sure thing

What just last week looked to be little more than a formality, now appears uncertain and contentious — the annexation of Aldarra/Montaine into the City of Sammamish.

At Tuesday night’s Sammamish council study session, Aldarra/Montaine resident and head of the neighborhood’s annexation committee Robert Nielson made the latest of his many appearances before council, to press their case for annexation and implore the city to act speedily.

“From our perspective, this is moving slowly,” he said, referring to the annexation process. “It has caused concern in our community.”

Only last week Director of Community Development Kamuron Gurol said that at this early stage, he predicted that the city’s recommendation would be to approve the annexations, perhaps with some amendments.

And the assumptions apparent in Nielson’s presentations up until now have been not a matter of if, but when.

But he may be jumping the gun, as the tone of the council’s questions about Aldarra changed markedly last night, with a number of sticking points arising.

The most contentious of these appears to be which fire district will assume responsibility for the neighborhood, located to the east of Klahanie along Duthie Hill Road and currently under the jurisdiction of King County Fire Protection District No. 27 of Fall City.

Should Aldarra/Montaine be moved into the jurisdiction of another fire district, not only would it increase the burden on that district, but the 27 district would be affected financially, losing the contributions it currently receives from Aldarra/Montaine.

Councillors also listed the condition of Duthie Hill Road, and particularly the bridge on that road, as being items in need of work in the near future.

There was also some question as to whether the neighboring properties, such as the Members Club at Aldarra, and the William Boeing Jr. Property Trust, which is facing development in the near future, should be included in the annexation package.

As the issue of fire district boundaries raised more questions than it answered, City Manager Ben Yazici said that it would take “some time” for all the parties to sit down together and come up with a fair solution.

Nielson said that the objection he had with that was the proviso of “some time,” meaning that he wanted the annexation to occur quickly.

He said that by his estimates, for every month the annexation was delayed, Sammamish missed out on $47,000 a month in property tax revenue.

“We are extremely flattered that the residents of Aldarra and Montaine want to be a part of our city,” Yazici said. “But we must to be sensitive when working around the needs of our small fire districts.”

Councilwoman Nancy Whitten said that fire district 27 was “a real deal killer.”

“I don’t want to do anything that will put them in long term financial jeopardy,” she said.“I want more information before I vote.”

The next step in the annexation process is a petition with the signatures of 60 percent of the neighborhoods, but council can chose to reject, or accept with modifications, the annexation proposal at any stage they feel prudent.

Nielson repeatedly referred to the increase in property tax revenue that would result from annexation.

According to realtor Brad Golik of John L Scott and The Golik Group, the average price of homes sold is Aldarra in 2008 was $1,495,000.

The average price in Montaine was $764,000, with the lowest at $636,000 and the highest at $1,060,000.

The Aldarra/Montaine neighborhood consists of 125 homes in Aldarra and 147 in Montaine, with a net value of about $273 million.

Golik told The Reporter this week that he knew of residents who were hoping the annexation into the City of Sammamish would bring them under the auspices of the Issaquah School District.

He said that the fact that Aldarra/Montaine was a part of the Snoqualmie School District was a deterrent to some potential buyers.

However, the changing of school districts appears to be a piece of misinformation that threatens to cloud the annexation process.

Gurol made it clear this week that the boundaries of the city were in no way related to school district boundaries, and any change to the school district would have to be negotiated by the residents and the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Councilman Mark Cross said that the residents needed to be made very clear what the annexation entailed.

“There are some things that the city and the council are not in control of, as part of this annexation, and one of those things is the school district,” he said. “As an urban planner, in over 30 years I’ve seen that school district boundaries probably change less than any other boundaries.”

Nielson’s presentation appears to have done more harm than good to the annexation cause, as he raised a number of issues that may become headaches for the council in the future, such as the residents’ dissatisfaction with the stalled development of the Trossachs, which borders Aldarra to the west, and the need for improved traffic signals on Duthie Hill Road.

Rosemont annexation

By contrast, the presentation by Ed Terpilowski on behalf of the Rosemont residents went smoothly.

The small area to the north-west of the Sahalee Golf and Country Club includes just 14 homes.

The homes have an estimated tax valuation of about $14 million, and were built in the past three or four years.

Due to the newness of the neighborhood’s infrastructure, particularly the roads, the city is at this point looking favorably upon the annexation request.

One issue that city staff hope to resolve is the nearby storm drain, which lies only partly in the area of potential annexation.

Who is responsible for its maintenance is something the city will determine before proceeding.

Contact Sammamish Reporter Editor Jake Lynch at editor@sammamish-reporter.com.

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