If the property west of Interstate 5 that Napavine annexed last month is allowed to be absorbed into city limits, the decision could have interesting implications for city planning all over the state, the Chehalis community development manager said.
Addressing the Chehalis Planning Commission on Tuesday evening, Bob Nacht explained that by going forward on annexation of the property, the city of Napavine broke a number of county planning rules.
Part of the land, owned by the Hamiltons and Grahams just north of Napavine, is actually located in Chehalis' urban growth area.
"I fully understand why (Napavine) did it," Nacht said. "But it's my opinion that you cannot annex territory that's in somebody else's property."
The questions, Nacht said, are whether the county will allow the annexation to stand, and whether the city's growth management committee, made up of city councilors, will challenge Napavine's move.
"It presents a dilemma," he said. "Can a city succeed in annexing property which has been planned for by another city? At this point, I don't know what the answer is. I don't think it's ever been tried."
Because a portion of the property is essentially part of Chehalis, planners have already included the two dozen or so acres in the city's plan for utility extensions, levels of service and population projections, Nacht said.
"It certainly skews all the planning and all the formulas we've had to use for the eventual annexation and service of the affected area," he said.
The Chehalis City Council already voted last year not to move the property from its urban growth area into Napavine's. Nacht said Chehalis has historically been against segregating its growth areas.
