Willows and Rose Hill neighborhoods expanded following last week’s Redmond City Council meeting when 54 acres of unincorporated King County were annexed into the city.

The area annexed was located along 132nd Avenue Northeast and was flanked to the west by the City of Kirkland and surrounded on the other three sides by Redmond.

Lucas Rons, a resident of the neighborhood, addressed the council at the June 20 meeting.

“There’s many people that are so excited to see us at this point,” he said.

In order for the residents to request the annexation, property owners who owned more than 50 percent of the assessed property value in the unincorporated area had to sign onto the proposal, a condition that was met in November of 2015.

In January of 2016, the city council accepted a notice of intent from the neighborhood, culminating in the annexation of the neighborhood at the June 20 city council meeting.

Rons said many of the residents who supported the measure did so to be able to hook up to the city’s sewer system. According to city documents, many of the residents in the annexation area currently have septic systems.

Residents of the neighborhood will also begin to receive law enforcement services from the Redmond Police Department instead of through the county Sheriff’s Office.

The neighborhood is currently served by the Redmond Fire Department and service will not be affected.

The neighborhood will also now be taxed at current city rates and will be rezoned to allow four to eight dwellings per acre. Currently there are 84 dwellings in the annexation.

Roughly 200 people are estimated to live within the annexation area, according to city documents.

The total assessed valuation for the properties annexed is more than $44 million and the city is expected to receive an additional $60,000 annually from property tax revenue on top of other taxes.

Redmond Mayor John Marchione thanked residents who showed up to the meeting for being involved.

“Congratulations, and welcome to Redmond,” he said.

Council member Hank Margeson also addressed the audience, saying that overall this was a positive move for the city, as well as for the residents, as Redmond continued to fill in the missing pieces of the annexation area.

“In the long run, I think the benefits outweigh the negative pieces,” he said.

In 2010, some 115.5 acres directly to the south of the annexed neighborhood was incorporated into the city for a gain of around 150 residents.

Such annexations are consistent with city policy on incorporating new neighborhoods, city documents said.