Good evening, Rockwell.

Today is Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025.

This is meeting number 05-25 of the City of Rockwell Planning Commission.

I am Jamie Santa, Chair of the Planning Commission.

I am attending virtually tonight and I'm joined in chambers by Commissioner Cheyenne Sawahoudin.

Commissioner Susan Pittman, Commissioner Eric Fulton, and Commissioner Mongsoon.

Tonight's meeting is being conducted in person, and as you can see virtually by WebEx.

Tonight's agenda includes a public hearing on annexation petition A and X 2023-00147.

This will be followed by a work session on the zoning ordinance rewrite project.

Then this will be followed by a regularly scheduled commission items.

Our first agenda item is annexation petition A and X 2023-00147 to conduct a public hearing on the preliminary annexation plan for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency OMATA on Shady Grove Metro Station properties and a portion of the CFX Transportation Incorporated property, close the public hearing record and to approve and transmit the annexation plan to the mayor and council of Rockfell.

Over to Mr.

Wasselak.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair and members of the Commission.

As you correctly stated, this is a public hearing and action on this annexation petition and plan.

We are pleased to have our research manager, Manisha Tawar here to make a brief presentation in advance of the hearing.

Good evening, Commissioners.

Good evening, Commissioners.

For the record, Manisha Tavari, Planning and Research Manager with Community Planning and Development Services, and you'll be conducting a public hearing on the annexation plan.

Just as a little bit of background, um Rockwell's comprehensive plan was adopted in August of 2021.

The municipal growth element is a required element of the comprehensive plan.

And the state requires municipality municipalities to identify their growth boundaries with the municipal growth element.

And the map that you show that you see on the screen has uh Rockwell's maximum expansion limits as outlined.

This is the location map of the proposed annexation area.

It includes the Shady Grove Metro station and both the east and the west side of the tracks.

The property also includes the railroad tracks that Metro that Bomata uses to service its cars.

And um this map um shows um the um Rockwell city limits and also the city of Getersburg um city limits.

So uh as seen in this map, um uh the proposed annexation area uh meets the adjacency and um adjacency requirements, which is also required by the state that the properties to be annexed should be adjacent and contiguous to the city limits.

So um the requirements um of the annexation plan is um to determine whether the annexation plan complies with the municipal growth element of the comprehensive plan.

Um the planning commission uh needs to recommend a zoning for the property that will be annexed into the city, and whether the proposed uh the property proposed for annexation will be served in general by the necessary public facilities.

So uh the preliminary annexation plan findings indicate that the annexation area is within the city's uh designated uh expansion limits, and the proposed mixed-use transit district is appropriate.

Uh zoning is appropriate for the property, and that the city has the capacity to provide public services.

So the um as as a part of the uh as required by the city's zoning ordinance, the applicable state, county, and regional agencies were notified of the preliminary annexation plan.

The public hearing notice was published as required in the Washington Post.

Adjacent property owners were notified, and additional notifications were sent by um Rockwell Report newsletters and other social media channels.

So staff recommends that you conduct the public hearing, review testimony, close the public hearing record tonight, and finalize and transmit your approved annexation plan to the mayor and council.

The mayor and council must adopt the annexation plan, which is also required by the annotate uh by the state law.

And um the mayor at the Rockwell's uh zoning ordinance uh determines the role of the planning commission with respect to annexation plan that the planning commission is required to hold a hearing and transmit the preliminary uh annexation plan for the mayor and council so that they can adopt it and move further with the annexation process.

So um notifications were sent out as uh noted in the previous slide, and uh in the notifications, uh the method of test uh testifying at the public hearing was uh outlined, uh which is uh shown on the slide.

Uh they could test whoever wanted to testify could testify in person or in WebEx tonight, email testimony uh to the planning commission or the city staff, which includes me and uh Mr.

Wasselak, and materials related to the annexation were also posted on the city's website.

So these are the next steps for the annexation.

Uh you would be conducting a public hearing tonight, and uh you would review the testimony and approve uh the preliminary annexation plan if you choose to for transmitted to the mayor and council.

The mayor and council is scheduled to conduct a work session on May 12th on the annexation on the annexation plan, they will receive a presentation from uh the city uh hired fiscal impact consultants on the uh public service related aspect of the annexation plan, and then the mayor and council will choose to move forward with the annexation with their recommendations and the schedule is outlined as follows.

Uh the mayor and council will also have a public hearing, and um then uh then uh once they have a public hearing, they could uh choose to adopt the annexation resolution, and once the annexation resolution is adopted, the property uh can be a part of the city within 45 days of enactment of the annexation resolution.

So with that, uh I would like to conclude my presentation, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

We received uh testimony from uh two individuals so far, which was in your packet.

Uh, one individual was concerned about uh Vamata's uh uh uh Bomata's uh approach towards um cleaning the site during uh uh IC conditions.

Um they wanted uh they were just uh they wanted to note that you know there were some hazardous conditions that were and related to pedestrian safety.

Uh the other testimony related to a city resident, or who was supporting the annexation.

You're on mute.

We can't hear you.

I see what's going on.

All right, the computer was on mute.

Um so just for the tech folks to know, I'm actually calling in via uh telephone.

So um I'll be muting the phone.

Um the so before you open it up to public testimony.

I'll need a verbal yes or no since I cannot see you.

Uh Chair Espinosa, I do have one question of staff.