BLAINE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Voters in Blaine will decide this fall on whether to de-annex hundreds of acres of land in the eastern part of the city.
The Northern Light reports the city council voted last week to place a measure on the November election ballot seeking to de-annex rural property that has remained undeveloped for nearly 30 years.
The proposal concerns roughly 570 acres of land located north of H Street and south of the Canadian border.
According to the city, the area is made up of forested wetlands and ponds that make it unsuitable for housing development. The chunk of land includes 470 acres on the Grandis Pond property, which was originally expected to be one of the city’s largest housing developments, but has since fallen by the wayside.
Instead, the city plans to swap out the land lost in the potential de-annexation for urban growth areas near Semiahmoo.
The de-annexation proposal will need a 60% supermajority in order to pass this November.
