GARTH YORK, a local Sultan (Startup) Developer

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During the July 29, 2006 Plng. Board workshop, City Planner Rick Cisar referred to a map of Sultan displaying proposed growth locations, one of which is a proposed annexation of land on the north side of 124th St. SE across from the beautiful York Rosewood community. The post-it note on this area indicated 200 future homes may be built.

The subject of an annexation in this still-quiet, dead-end area of the City next to the City's Water Treatment Plant (and its new 35-acre open space/recreational land which no one can either find or access) will further exacerbate the irregular UGA/City Limits boundary created when the City approved York's 40-acre annexation. Worse still is that when Sultan agreed to annex that land into the city, it also created an area that could not logically or effectively be serviced by the city, as statutorily mandated by annexation law. (Read below comments about having to travel one mile outside the city limits at 132nd SE, re-entering city's jurisdiction at Rosewood Estates.)

Since 2003, Mr. York has developed in Sultan:

  • 18-unit Rosewood Estates at the eastern end of 124th on the South side (using septic systems, as no sewer line is available on 124th.)
  • Currently (as of July, 2006) under construction: 18-unit Steen Park Estates and Cascade Breeze Estates (30 units)

Because Mr. York was so upset with our opposition to his April, 2000 40-acre annexation petition -- which was one of the first issues that sparked our interest in the City's functions -- we thought it might be kind of fun to revisit those Days of Yore and read some of the transcriptions from the three hearings held on that annexation, linked below.

Unfortunately, it really was not much fun. In fact, it's a bit depressing, because -- except for our rather uneducated perceptions of annexations and land use law, as well as how the City "worked" (and didn't) -- many of the comments made by us and others then, reflect the same ongoing ignorance and shenanigans being engaged in by the City of Sultan today. While there have been some recent improvements in the city's attitude and by some council members, the simple truth is that the astounding lack of long-term strategic planning and an almost ingrained predilection to approve special interest land use requests regardless of the long-term negative impacts, vary little from six years ago. Even though the city has recently learned that residential development costs the city rather than creating real revenue (thanks to Interim City Administrator Lee Walton and something we've known for years), its previous lack of financial and land use planning has placed it in the dangerous position of having to obtain new "credit cards" (i.e., revenue from temporary permits and taxes from new developments) so they can keep current with the interest being charged from their long-term addictive behavior.

But back to 2000, interestingly, when we and other citizens originally objected to York's request to annex his 40 acres on 124th's southern side at its dead-end (near the Sultan Water Plant), it was because it could not be adequately serviced by the City. There was no sewer (still isn't), and the only physical access by vehicles was to leave the city limits at 132nd St. SE and Sultan Basin Road (SBR), travel 1/2 mile on SBR, turn left onto 124th and travel another 1/2 mile to the then--and-still-dead-end of 124th & SBR). Mr. York was furious, in testimony and in private conversations, that we referred to him a "developer." He was also furious that we referred to ourselves as "neighbors," even though he lived in Startup, not Sultan.

Transcriptions: