City, county consider annexation request

Two companies have petitioned the City of Shelton to annex a combined 280 acres east of Olympic College Shelton into the city limits.

Both properties are in unincorporated Mason County in the Peacock Ridge area, and are in the city's Urban Growth Area. Green Diamond Resources owns 240 of the acres, and JPS Properties owns almost 40 acres.

The Shelton City Council accepted the proposed annexation at its April 5 meeting.

In the city's Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map, the two properties are pre-zoned as neighborhood residential.

The petition now goes to the county, where the assessor will examine it to ensure it contains the signatures of owners of at least 60% of the land's property value. In this case, the two companies own 100%.

The county will then provide formal public notice of the request and set a date for a public hearing before Mason County commissioners.

According to the city report from its community development department, the council during this process can "accept, reject, or geographically modify the proposed annexation and requirement of assumption of any existing city indebtedness."

No one from the public commented on the request at the April 5 meeting. Mayor Eric Onisko was the only member of the council to comment.

"I think this is very exciting," Onisko said. He added, "I know we won't have homes overnight, but it's nice to have some new houses in our future."

Onisko asked Mark Ziegler, the city's director of economic development, when the city last annexed land. Ziegler said the annexation of Eagle Point and part of the marina on Oakland Bay occurred a couple years ago.