The Washington City Council is scheduled to conduct a public hearing concerning the contiguous annexation of land during its June 8 meeting.

A petition for voluntary annexation of the 3.47 acres on 15^th Street Extension was filed on behalf of Granville Lilley, property owner.

Previously, the City Council changed the zoning classification of the 3.47 acres on 15^th Street Extension from a residential classification to a business classification.

The vote came after a public hearing on the rezoning request made by Lilley.

The Planning Board, after discussing the request during a meeting earlier this year, recommended the council change the zoning classification from RA-20 (residential agriculture) to B-2 (general business). The property is adjacent to the fire station on 15^th Street Extension and the Cherry Run shopping center. The Planning Board determined that changing the zoning classification would be consistent with the city’s comprehensive land-use plan.

Property adjacent to part of the 3.47 acres is in the B-2 zoning district, according to a document submitted by Lilley.

“We’re just trying to blend in out there and get a zone that’s all the way around us, just about,” Lilley told the council in April. “We want to be ready if something comes. Probably, we should have done this several years ago. We’ve been trying to develop that land. The front of the property, I think, is already B-2 (business). We’re trying to get it all (B-2), so if something does come, it won’t take but a couple of months to get it done.”

Before committing to annexation, city officials want to know if it’s feasible.
Annexed areas must be provided certain city services — police, fire, rescue, water and sewer among those services — within a specific period of time after they have been annexed. The cost of providing those services may be more than the city can afford, thereby either delaying annexation until it’s feasible or killing annexation plans altogether. The revenue generated by taxes on the annexed property may be greater than the cost of providing such services, making it feasible to annex the land.