A controversial land-use change that could allow 150 townhomes to be built near the Bridges neighborhood in Kent took another twist when the Kent City Council removed the ordinance from its March 16 agenda.
The council voted 4-3 at the start of its meeting to remove the item. At its March 2 meeting, the council voted 4-3 against an ordinance to amend the city’s comprehensive land-use map to allow housing on the 13.2-acre site. Bellevue-based Oakpointe Communities wants to build townhouses on the site near 124th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 304th Street.
The council agreed at the March 2 meeting to bring the proposal back on March 16. City staff had prepared a motion in favor of the land-use change and a motion that would deny it.
Councilmember Bill Boyce, however, moved at the March 16 meeting to take the item off the agenda.
“This is a big decision,” said Boyce, who voted in favor of the measure two weeks ago. “Questions keep coming up, such as with wetlands. I need more time for clarity around this issue. We can talk about it in the future, but I need more time to get my arms around it.”
Council President Toni Troutner and members Zandria Michaud and Brenda Fincher voted with Boyce to remove the item.
Les Thomas, Satwinder Kaur and Marli Larimer voted against removal.
“We’ve had enough time for questions,” said Thomas, who voted against the proposal two weeks ago. “I’m personally ready.”
Kaur and Larimer agreed they were ready to vote. They each were against the land-use change two weeks ago because they wanted more time for residents to comment, and they had questions about wetlands and proper public notice about the change. Michaud, who voted March 2 against the change, agreed to remove the item from the agenda.
Fincher said she needed more time and still had questions after talking to Auburn residents and city legal staff.
No date was set for when the ordinance might come back to the council.
“It’s removed indefinitely at this point,” said Mayor Dana Ralph, who runs the council meetings.
Fincher then added that the measure will come back to the council.
Several residents told the council March 2 that they have concerns about increased traffic, nearby wetlands and whether Auburn might annex the land and need to make land-use decisions. More than 530 Lea Hill residents have signed an online petition asking the city to reject the proposed land-use changes, according to an email to the Kent Reporter from a resident against the development.
The Bridges housing development is in the city of Kent, but surrounded by properties in the city of Auburn. City of Auburn leaders and staff said this month they will continue to evaluate whether to annex the Bridges neighborhood.
Oakpointe requested the city of Kent change the land use to low density multifamily from urban separator as a first step toward building the townhouses. Oakpointe constructed the Bridges housing development on the 155-acre site along 124th Avenue Southeast between Southeast 288th and 304th streets.
The 155 acres is part of a “municipal island” in Kent with about 380 homes and 1,000 residents. Discussion started in 2019 to heat up about Auburn annexing the Bridges development. That caused Oakpointe to delay its proposal for townhouses in case the property changed cities. But Auburn hasn’t shown any progress in annexing the area, so the developer decided to ask Kent for the land-use change.
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