Blaine City Council is expected to vote on whether it will place a ballot measure in the November election that would allow city residents to vote on removing 552 acres of the Grandis Pond property from city limits in east Blaine. If the measure passes in the election, council would then vote on adding urban growth area (UGA) near Semiahmoo and near Odell Road to be developed in the future.
Council will consider the resolution to place the de-annexation measure on November 4 ballots during its Monday, July 14 meeting in council chambers, 435 Martin Street. City officials have said Blaine may be the first city in the state to try to de-annex.
Ahead of its vote, the city is already seeking people to serve on committees providing statements for and against the measure in the voter pamphlet. In a July 2 notice, the city requested three city residents serve on each committee and set an application deadline of Thursday, July 10. If council approves placing the measure on ballots, it will also appoint committee members during the July 14 meeting.
City staff first presented council with the proposal to de-annex part of east Blaine and swap the lost UGA last October. Staff formulated the swap after realizing the new owners of Grandis Pond likely wouldn’t start construction before the land use entitlements were set to expire. The property had been slated to bring over 1,100 residential units to east Blaine, but costly infrastructure improvements has slowed the project since the property was annexed into the city in 1996.
East Blaine resident Kevin Keck, who purchased Grandis Pond in December 2023, told council during its May 12 meeting that he supported de-annexation of the property.
De-annexing will require a 60 percent supermajority from Blaine voters.
The city is also looking at removing 37 acres of the Harbor Shores property, an unincorporated UGA near Drayton Harbor.
If the de-annexation of east Blaine passes, city council would then consider focusing the city’s growth near Semiahmoo. Staff has drafted a plan for the UGA land lost in the de-annexation to be reallocated as 453 acres of unincorporated UGA near Semiahmoo and 539 acres of connected UGA reserve in Semiahmoo that could be annexed in the future. It also would add 124 acres of unincorporated UGA in southeast Blaine that the city said it would like to use for manufacturing.
If the de-annexation passes, city officials hope to include the UGA swap in the city and Whatcom County’s comprehensive plans, 20-year planning documents due to the state by the end of the year.
Correction: This article was updated July 11 to correct that the city of Blaine is considering removing the 37-acre uincorporated UGA near Drayton Harbor, not de-annexing it. We regret the error.
