By Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

The city of Auburn has declared its intention to add the north portion of Lake Tapps to its urban growth area.

That plan was announced by Elizabeth Chamberlain, senior planner for Auburn and a former Bonney Lake Planning Department employee, at a May 3 Bonney Lake Planning Commission meeting.

A letter delivered to the commission by Chamberlain stated: &#8220For your information, at the direction of the Auburn City Council, the City of Auburn is moving forward with a 2006 comprehensive plan amendment to include the north Lake Tapps area as part of our Urban Growth Area…. The City of Auburn plans to apply to Pierce County for this amendment during the County's next urban growth area amendment cycle.”

Adding the area to the city's UGA is the first step to possible annexation of the area.

Dave Osaki, community development administrator, said the city is &#8220looking at the most efficient way to serve this area in terms of utilities. We have been asked by the City Council as part of the comprehensive plan amendment last year to pursue the process of including north Lake Tapps into our Urban Growth Area.”

The area is within Bonney Lake's water service area.

Mayor Neil Johnson said he met with Pete Lewis, the mayor of Auburn, and other staff members April 27 to discuss providing services to the unincorporated area around the lake. Johnson said he did not know Auburn was going to ask for the north Lake Tapps area to be added to their UGA.

&#8220I'm a little surprised,” Johnson said. &#8220I didn't know they were going to move that fast. We will find out how this works out. They are going to need our support for this.”

Johnson said the Bonney Lake City Council will need to decide what they want to do about the area.

&#8220We will protect our service area,” Johnson said. &#8220But we may not want the whole lake in our UGA.'

The city provides water to the area around the lake, but Johnson said the Lakeland water service area may be moved to Auburn.

Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman said the council will need to decide, &#8220how much water and sewer service we want to provide outside our city limits.”

Pierce County Councilman Shawn Bunney, who represents the Bonney Lake and the Lake Tapps area, said adding this area to Auburn's UGA is a very complicated and time consuming process.

&#8220I think this conversation is very, very premature,” Bunney said. &#8220This would need to be done in a larger context to expand the UGA boundaries in the entire county.'

Bunney also said any decision made concerning the area's UGA would have to involve the homeowners desire to be annexed by a city or stay in unincorporated Pierce County.

Bonney Lake city limits extend to Inlet Island taking in about one-fourth of the southern end of the lake.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.