The Auburn City Council gave Mayor Nancy Backus the go-ahead on Jan. 21 to enter into a development agreement with a Kent-based investment company and Bellevue developer that calls for the latter to build up to 132 units of townhouse housing on Lea Hill near Jacobsen Elementary School.
The draft agreement with Portofino Investments I LLC, of Kent, which owns the property, and developer Oakpointe LLC, of Bellevue, establishes site-specific standards for the long-term development and use of four contiguous parcels southwest of Jacobsen Tree Farm. It proposes private roads twining amid a mix of new triplexes, fourplexes and fiveplexes.
“After much work,” a relieved Backus said after the unanimous vote.
The properties are part of the Copper Creek Open Space Property, which Auburn annexed from the city of Kent as the Bridges development at the beginning of 2024.
Plans call for a minimum target of 107 homes to a maximum of 132 homes that fit the state of Washington’s definition of middle-income housing.
In the agreement, Portofino and Oakpointe agree to make a $1.2 million contribution to the city for a portion of the cost of the design, permitting, and construction of a roundabout at the intersection of 116th Avenue South and Southeast 304th Street.
The draft agreement vests the project in the regulations and standards in place at the time of the application.
Councilmember Kate Baldwin praised the development-to-be for helping address the state’s housing crisis.
“When we think about the housing challenges that the greater region’s been having, this is just exactly what we want to see coming forward,” Baldwin said. “Having these townhouse units, I think, [is] just going to be a great opportunity for families who are just starting out, who maybe need something that is not quite as big as a full, stand-alone house.
“In the townhouse styling they’re projecting,” Baldwin continued, “this is one that tends to have you be closer to your neighbors. It’s great for the community, it’s in a spot that is on our transit lines across from [Jacobsen Elementary School], and there are nice walking trails nearby. I mean, honestly, if I didn’t like my neighborhood, I might have to go take a look.”
Formerly part of Kent
About 1,000 people and 379 homes on 155 acres in the Bridges neighborhood, developed by Oakpointe, changed from the city of Kent to the city of Auburn after both city councils approved the annexation in late 2023.
It was a rare annexation of property by one city into another city that became effective.
The residents of Bridges wanted the change since they lived on a municipal island of Kent surrounded by properties in the city of Auburn. The Bridges is in the Lea Hill area and is generally bound to the east by 124th Avenue SE, on the west by 118th Avenue SE, on the north by SE 288th Street and on the south by SE 304th Street.
In this tale of two cities, Kent bought the property in 1987 with plans for a water reservoir. But when the city arranged to get Green River water from the Tacoma Water utility, the city sold the property in 2004 to Oakpointe, which later built the Bridges neighborhood. In 2008, Auburn annexed the Lea Hill neighborhood, which created the Bridges enclave.
City of Auburn and Kent staff began talking in 2018 about Auburn annexing the area and later got the approval from residents in the Bridges after a survey and several neighborhood meetings.
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