Othello council approves Hampton annexation request
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 2 weeks AGO
Othello City Council members have approved the annexation of 164 acres into the city limits.
COURTESY PHOTO/CITY OF OTHELLO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 22, 2025 4:18 PM
OTHELLO — One piece of property submitted for annexation to the city of Othello was accepted by the Othello City Council, but the vote on a second annexation request was delayed. Council members unanimously approved the annexation of 164 acres, which, said council member Corey Everett, fit the annexation criteria.
“All in all, there are seven guidelines,” Everett said. “This property fits perfectly within all seven of those guidelines.”
The property, called the Hampton development, is between Cemetery Road and State Route 26, and east of Wahitis Elementary School and the Columbia Basin Heatlh Association clinic. It's bordered by State Route 17 on the west. No one testified against the proposal during public hearings June 23 or July 14.
Evan Mann, representing the property owners, said some residential areas are planned with a substantial portion being zoned for commercial development.
“We actually are following the city’s comprehensive plan. The land uses that the city anticipated for the comprehensive plan are what we followed (in this proposal),” Mann said at the July 14 Othello council meeting.
Anne Henning, Othello community development director, said Tuesday that the developers originally considered asking that land along SR 17 be rezoned as commercial property but changed their minds. That land is still zoned as residential, Henning said.
In answer to a question from council member Genna Dorow, Mann said the developers do anticipate businesses will have access along SR 26.
“There is the anticipation that Columbia Street will be extended,” Mann said. “And obviously, there will be more feeder roads and local access roads in this area.”
Improvements also are planned for Cemetery Road, he said.
“Keep in mind, any development roads that we propose, we have to build,” he said. "The developer is responsible.”
When the proposal was first presented to the council in February, Mann said the pace of development depends on a lot of factors, including planning and extending the water and sewer lines.
Development could start within the next couple of years, he said, but full development could take up to a decade or more.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.