The Bellevue City Council won't be rushing its decisions on the three proposed annexations now before the city.
Council members made that clear in a meeting Thursday, May 24, during which they discussed the need for further meetings to delve into the impacts of the annexations, which have fueled public debate.
Councilwoman Beth Robrahn raised the issue in a meeting May 15, noting that the city doesn't have guidelines to direct its decisions, despite facing approximately 550 acres of potential annexations. Robrahn expressed concerns about the impacts of growth, such as density and "carbon footprint."
"This is too important to do half-assed," Robrahn said Thursday.
The other council members agreed, but said the implementation of any policies could require applications already approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission to be reconsidered. Councilman Shaun Mahoney warned that it could also require amendments to the city's comprehensive plan.
However, P&Z Administrator Craig Eckles said the city may not have to put policies on growth into writing, but can implement them through its consideration of individual planned-unit development applications. All three annexation proposals before the city are tied to PUD applications.
Eckles recommended that the council finish hearing the reports from the city's paid consultants on annexation topics such as water, sewer and traffic, as well as comments from the developers and public, then hold meetings to consider that input. While those talks would be open to the public, he said, the discussion would be restricted to the council to avoid the distractions of the recent hearings, which have been filled by debate between developers and the public.
"We're getting the broad picture now, and then we'll go over it with a fine-tooth comb," Councilman Chris Koch said.
The council agreed to start planning for those sessions, but also to make sure to not rush them.
"There's no timetable for us," Mahoney said.
City Administrator Tom Blanchard said it would not be unusual for the council to take more than a year to come to a decision.
Robrahn also asked that the council put together a statement to be read at the beginning of each annexation hearing. The statement would serve to clarify the council's intent on taking as much time as needed to collect information and public opinion before discussing the issues and making a decision.
