By Kate Reardon
Herald Writer
STANWOOD — Area residents wearing pink plastic ribbons on their arms to show unity asked a state review board Tuesday night to reject an annexation proposal that would add 330 acres to the boundaries of this small city.
Opponents are concerned that the Cedarhome annexation and future development there would lead to more traffic, crowded school classrooms and the demise of the city’s rural character.
City community development director Stephanie Cleveland told members of the state Boundary Review Board that the annexation proposal is consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and the state Growth Management Act. Cleveland said the annexation would help limit urban sprawl.
"Without the annexation, the city will run out of land for growth," she said.
The board has the authority to approve the annexation, reject it or change the boundaries. The board is expected to announce a decision on the annexation at 6 p.m. March 27 in the Ginni Stevens meeting room in the Snohomish County Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave. in Everett.
Jeff Pearce, whose family has farmed land in the area since the early 1900s, lives near the Cedarhome area and takes issue with the plan.
"I oppose the annexation because it represents the ultimate destruction of our way of life," he said prior to the public hearing, which ran into the night Tuesday.
Laura Chappel, wife of Stanwood City Council member Andy Chappel, has been a strong opponent of the annexation since last fall. Chappel told board members that while annexations are supposed to benefit residents, she has found no benefits to anyone except to land owners in the annexation area who want to develop their property.
In previous months, Chappel has brought up her concerns over the validity of signatures on the annexation petition, as well as her concerns that Mayor Matthew McCune owns property in the area.
She has said she believes the city council voted too quickly last fall when it approved the annexation after a public hearing at which most citizens lambasted the proposal.
The council rejected annexing the Cedarhome area twice before. The issue was turned over to the Boundary Review Board for a final decision. The board’s decision, however, can be appealed to Snohomish County Superior Court.
Stanwood currently has about 4,000 residents. Although the annexation would initially only add 188 more people, it has the potential to house as many as 2,000 people or more.
Annexation proponent Jim Miller, who initiated the plan, said he believes the city is equipped to handle growth in the area. He said he believes the annexation area wouldn’t grow quickly, but by 50 to 100 houses a year.
You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455 or send e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.
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