MILL CREEK – The city could be larger by almost a square mile, 900 homes and 2,300 residents Wednesday.
The proposed annexation to the northeast corner of the city would be the largest in the city’s 22-year history.
The council is scheduled to vote tonight on the proposed Northeast Annexation at a meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 15728 Main St.
Maintenance of 35th Avenue SE, a road that has been prone to sinking in spots since being rebuilt by the county, is among council members’ concerns.
“All of us are concerned about this road,” Councilman John Hudgins said recently. “I’m more interested in 35th (Avenue SE) and what it’s going to cost down the line.”
Before approving the annexation, City Council members want assurance that Snohomish County would help maintain the road. City staff said negotiations on an agreement with the county have begun.
Council members expressed concerns about police staffing, especially with the expected addition of a Wal-Mart store on 132nd Street SE.
The city estimates hiring an additional officer will be sufficient to cover the new area.
“I don’t know if Wal-Mart is going to generate 500 calls. It may only generate 50 calls a year,” Police Chief Bob Crannell said. “I really don’t know what the Wal-Mart is going to bring to us. I don’t want to go out and build an empire if we don’t need to.”
City Councilman Mark Bond, a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy, said he didn’t think Wal-Mart would affect the city’s crime rate as much as apartment complexes, for example.
Bond said that in 2003, when he worked in the precinct that serves the Wal-Mart on 164th Street SW, that store generated about 900 calls, mostly for shoplifting.
“The calls are fairly minor,” Bond said.
He also said any new officers wouldn’t patrol just the new areas, but the entire city, and that with budget issues annexing the new area and the revenue it could generate could be the only way to get more police.
The annexation area runs along the south side of 132nd Street SE, straddles 35th Avenue SE and includes the Thomas Lake shopping center.
The proposed area originally included only a thin strip approximately a half-mile wide from north to south. But after hearings, the county Boundary Review Board added territory east of 35th Avenue SE, so the annexation includes most of the territory between 35th Avenue SE and Seattle Hill Road.
John Santana is editor of the Mill Creek Enterprise.
Annexation specifics
Facts and figures about Mill Creek’s proposed annexation:
Size: 553.25 acres (largest annexation in city history)
Location: To the north and east of city limits
Borders: 132nd Street SE on the north, city limits on the west, Seattle Hill Road on the east and 144th Street SE on the south
Number of houses: Approximately 900
Estimated population: 2,300
Key retailers: Thomas Lake Shopping Center, proposed Wal-Mart store on 132nd Street SE
Estimated net annual revenue: Between $459,000 and $647,000
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