The land mass within the City of Platte City grew by near 70 acres last week.
Platte City Board of Aldermen approved the voluntary annexation of just over 69 acres of land in the area known as Windmill Creek East. The property is located to the east of the current Windmill Creek subdivision that is under construction.
It sits south of Hwy. 92 and west of Bethel Road, on the east side of Interstate 29. City records describe the 69 acres as “contiguous with the Windmill Creek subdivision along its western boundary and the recently annexed Aberdeen parcel along its northern boundary.”
Property owners had sought the friendly annexation.
Benny Hoy is listed as the property owner.
“The boundaries of Platte City have just expanded once again,” said Mayor Frank Offutt at last Tuesday’s aldermen meeting after the board had voted to unanimously approve the action.
According to a staff report from DJ Gehrt, city administrator, property owners seeking annexation into a fourth class city such as Platte City may file a petition seeking voluntary annexation.
“The area to be annexed must be contiguous and compact to the existing city limits. Voluntary annexations may create ‘islands’ of unincorporated property so long as the property owners of the remaining unincorporated properties are notified of their right to petition for voluntary annexation under the same conditions as the original petitioner. Although there are unincorporated parcels remaining in the area west of Bethel Road and south of Hwy. 92, this annexation does not create any additional unincorporated islands,” Gehrt said.
By ordinance, areas annexed into the city by voluntary annexation shall be entered as an agriculturally zoned district but shall be subject to rezoning request as may be requested by the property owner at a later date, according to Gehrt. Such request shall be addressed in compliance with the city’s land use regulations.
Gehrt said the annexation of the property is reasonable and necessary to the orderly development of the city. The proposed area is within the city’s planning boundaries and is immediately adjacent/contiguous with current city development. “Annexation will provide the city the ability to provide necessary utility and street connections from current city development activities to Bethel Road,” Gehrt said.
The city is positioned to provide sewer service to the property in a reasonable time period. Privately provided electric and telecommunications utilities are at or near the property. A natural gas service provider has scheduled construction of supply line extensions on or near the property which have sufficient capacity to serve the annexed area, according to the city administrator.