Town of Friday Harbor is 4 acres, 11 homes bigger

The Town of Friday Harbor grew by four acres and a potential 11 homes Aug. 6.

The Town Council finalized the annexation of the Country Village Estates neighborhood off Lampard Road. An adjacent part of the neighborhood – consisting of 25 lots – already receive town water, wastewater and stormwater service. Annexation clears the way for the 11 annexed lots to be connected to town utilities as well.

The annexation was long expected. Road improvements along Lampard Road from Spring Street were a requirement of the first phase of Country Village Estates, and the town’s analysis at the time included the 11 lots annexed Aug. 6. The developer, Bobby Ross, also improved all of Browne Road to town standards, although half the road was in the county.

The annexation leaves Country Village’s northerly neighbor, Harbor View Place, a near-island of unincorporated land. Town Councilman Noel Monin, a District 3 firefighter, said he hoped the neighborhood could be annexed someday for fire safety reasons: It’s sometimes not immediate clear which agency – District 3 or town fire – is supposed to respond to call in that area.

Town Administrator King Fitch said the cost of homeowners insurance in Harbor View would decrease if the neighborhood were annexed.

In July, the town grew by 49.5 acres with the annexation of the Buck property, near the former Friday Harbor Sand & Gravel site. The next annexation request expected: Near Friday Harbor Airport, nearly 30 acres proposed as a community hospital site.

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