Will Seattle put annexation on White Center ballots? New twist

| West Seattle news | White Center

This afternoon at City Hall, a new twist in the ongoing saga of who will eventually annex White Center and the rest of remaining unincorporated North Highline: Instead of deciding whether to give voters in that area a chance to decide this fall if they want to join Seattle, there’s a new push to give Seattle’s council one more year to make up its mind. This afternoon, the council’s Regional Development and Sustainability Committee passed a resolution proposed at the last minute, saying that if the council doesn’t decide by next February to seek a North Highline annexation, they will officially withdraw the city’s longstanding designation of NH as a “potential annexation area.” The resolution goes to the full Seattle council on March 28th. More details on our partner site White Center Now.

martyu March 18, 2011 (4:40 pm)

I’m not in favor of annexing White Center. We have enough problems in Seattle without adding an area that is known to have more than it’s share of problems. I don’t see what we would get out of the deal except maybe the Rat City Rollergirls!!

Roger March 18, 2011 (5:05 pm)

I think annexation is in the best interest of Seattle, especially West Seattle. We would get a vibrant, colorful neighborhood with affordable housing. I believe crime will see a decline when the area is under municipal control (Seattle or Burien) and not a King Count step-child.
It seems silly to me that White Center north of Roxbury is in Seattle and south of Roxbury is unincorporated. The number of businesses alone in that area provides tax monies that otherwise aren’t going to city coffers.
I know West Seattle residents who shop, dine and do business in White Center. If Burien annexes then they get the tax monies without having to provide services. That, to me, is lost money. Seattle is already providing police and fire service to areas up to the borders.

ivan March 18, 2011 (5:34 pm)

@ Roger:

Seattle can’t afford this annexation right now, and it’s not likely that it will afford it in 2012.
–
And who says Burien won’t provide services if they annex? What kind of fantasy is that? The entire North Highline area, including the part that already has annexed to Burien, would be 50 percent of Burien. I’d say they’d be in a hell of a lot better position to get the services they need from Burien than they would as 5 percent of Seattle.

foyboy March 18, 2011 (5:43 pm)

It’s funny that you talk about white center as sum sort of a den of drugs and crime. I bet you didn’t know but crime in ballard, fremont, pioneer sq. and other parts of seattle have a higher crime rate. White center crime rate would be model for the rest of seattle.

marty March 18, 2011 (6:03 pm)

Roger: Really?? You think the White Center crime problems would decline under Seattle municipal control? Well, I have two words for you: Rainier Valley

maplesyrup March 18, 2011 (6:54 pm)

From what I understand, part of the problem with crime in White Center is the lack of policing other than the King County Sheriff. Maybe the SPD could help clean up the area (not that I find it to be all that bad anyway, I shop there a lot).

Wenizzle March 20, 2011 (9:14 am)

Does anyone know what happens to the schools if Seattle annexes WC? They are currently in the Highline School District – would they then be taken over by the Seattle School District?

WSB March 20, 2011 (9:16 am)

They would stay in Highline. We have reported this multiple times before in our coverage on White Center Now (which is for obvious reasons more comprehensive than here). It would take a whole flotilla of separate actions to change that. – TR

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