Annexations
Through annexation, the City of Spokane pursues the long-term financial health of the City by expanding the City’s existing tax base, while providing additional land for future residential, commercial and industrial development that will sustain economic growth and maintain reasonable tax rates. Planning for future annexations allows the City of Spokane to focus infrastructure and resources on areas that can be annexed successfully and cooperatively. The City attempts to use logical boundaries that utilize recognizable physical features such as streets, bodies of water and land contours while adjusting for irregular borders. For any proposed annexation, the property must be in an adopted Urban Growth Area (UGA), must be contiguous to the City of Spokane and must be designated in the City’s Comprehensive Plan as a potential annexation area.
Annexation Methods
Cities in the State of Washington are given a number of mechanisms to annex unincorporated areas. Among those methods are the following:
Direct Petition Method
Election Method
Voter/Property Owner Petition Method
Island Method
Interlocal Agreement Annexation of Area Served by Fire District(s)
Of the available annexation methods, the City of Spokane has most often used the Direct Petition Method. The direct petition method of annexation requires that a minimum of 10% of the property owners (calculated by assessed value) sign petitions to initiate the annexation process. Upon a successful initiation the requested annexation is forwarded to the City council for an official initiation action. Once successfully initiated by the City Council, a minimum of 60% of the property owners within the annexation area (calculated by assessed value) must sign the petition prior to proceeding to the County Boundary Review Board for approval or modification.
The newest method of annexation, the Interlocal Agreement Annexation of Area Served by Fire District(s), was adopted by the 2009 Washington State Legislature. It may be used where a city is proposing to annex territory within one or more fire protection districts.
Current Annexation Proposals
West Plains Annexation
General Information
In January, 2009, the City of Spokane and the City of Airway Heights entered into a Memorandum of Understanding and began a series of collaborative meetings to address future annexation within the West Plains Urban Growth Area. Subsequently, Spokane County joined the collaborative process to identify and discuss issues related to annexation of this area. The Memorandum of Understanding was extended four times and, ultimately, 29 collaborative meetings were held.
In addition, two public meetings were held, June 3, 2009, and August 19, 2009, on the West Plains. The purpose of the public meetings was to provide information to residents and property owners of the area about the process and to answer questions about the potential annexations. The meetings were jointly hosted and chaired by the mayors of the Cities of Airway Heights and Spokane and Spokane County Commissioners.
The process culminated with a joint legislative meeting of the City Councils of Airway Heights and Spokane and the Board of County Commissioners on December 3, 2009, at which an Interlocal Agreement between the three jurisdictions was adopted related to annexation of this area by the two cities. The Interlocal Agreement addresses agreements and processes for the annexations and contemplates annexations will be effective January 1, 2012, or later pending completion of the individual annexation processes by the respective cities.
View the December 3, 2009 Interlocal Agreement.
View the informational presentation on the West Plains Annexation.
Plan Commission Hearing, Wednesday, May 11, 2011, on City of Spokane Proposed West Plains Annexation
The Spokane City Plan Commission will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, Lower Level of City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. to receive written and oral public testimony on the proposed annexation of approximately 9.6 square miles known as the West Plains Annexation. The West Plains Annexation is composed of the entire Spokane International Airport, approximately 7.7 square miles in size, and approximately 1.9 square miles of land both north and south of the US Highway 2 corridor starting approximately one half mile east of Hayford Road then east to the existing corporate boundaries of the City of Spokane. To view a map of the proposed City of Spokane West Plains Annexation Area.
Prior to the Public Hearing, City staff will conduct an informational open house in the Chase Gallery, Lower Level of City Hall from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Additional information is available from the Capital Programs Office, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, Washington, weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Contact John Mercer, AICP, Capital Programs Manager at 625-6065 or jmercer@spokanecity.org.
West Plains Annexation Zoning and Airfield Overlay Zoning
On April 4, 2011 the City Council voted 6 to 1 to adopt zoning and Comprehensive Plan land use designations for the proposed West Plains Annexation. Spokane International Airport is to be included in the proposed annexation. In addition to standard zoning, Airfield Overlay Zoning and Airfield Influence Area Comprehensive Plan designations were also adopted. These measures seek to prevent development that is incompatible with aviation facilities in the areas surrounding Spokane International Airport as well as Fairchild Air Force Base and Felts Field.
For more information on adopted Land Use designations and zoning for the pending West Plains Annexation. To read the adopted Airfield Overlay Zoning and Comprehensive Plan policy.
Current Files:
