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The West Linn-Wilsonville School District passed a big hurdle on Aug. 17 when the Wilsonville City Council voted unanimously to annex into the city 40 acres where a new middle school will be built.

The district owns the land on Advance Road and the school has been planned for at least 10 years, said Tim Woodley, director of operations for the school district. Voters approved an $84.5 million bond issue last November to pay for the school and a few smaller projects.

鈥淚t is a major accomplishment to get it annexed,鈥� Woodley said. 鈥淭he site was just a rural county property and three or four years ago we petitioned Metro to bring it inside the UGB (urban growth boundary). We accomplish that and it sat that way while we got the bond on the ballot.鈥�

Plans call for devoting 20 acres for the middle school and 10 acres for a future primary school. The district plans to donate the remaining 10 acres to the city for a park.

IBI Group of Portland will serve as architect for the middle school project, Woodley said. A general contractor has not been selected.

In addition to annexing the Advance Road property, the city council also approved two other ordinances, to change the zoning for the site from exclusive farm use to public facility and to amend the city’s comprehensive plan designation for the property from agricultural to public use. Second readings of all three ordinances are planned for the next city council meeting on Sept. 10.

The next step in the process for the still-unnamed school is for the school district to go back to the city council with a development plan.

鈥淭hen we will have more details about the design of the site,鈥� Woodley said. 鈥淚t will be a true land use action and we will probably make an application in October.鈥�