How is Issaquah’s growth progressing? Slow, steady and perhaps a little less ambitiously, as indicated by planning reports given to councilmembers March 12.

At the Thursday meeting of the land and shore committee, members of the council took a look at progress on the Central Issaquah Plan and the status of the city’s remaining potential annexation areas.

City Planning Manager Trish Heinonen presented the second of Central Issaquah’s required annual monitoring report tracking properties, development projects and their progress.

In 2014, four commercial structures and two residential developments were under construction, while one commercial structure — a 7,000-square-foot Costco warehouse expansion on 10th Avenue Northwest — was completed. Costco had also mostly completed construction on a parking structure during that time, finishing more than 500,000 square feet and continuing work on more than 200,000 square feet.

In all, more than 538,000 square feet of commercial space was added to Central Issaquah.

Heinonen told the Reporter that more projects had been added since 2013, but early progress in the area was still slow.

“I think any change in your zoning or land use takes a while for property owners to acclimate to,” she said.

Heinonen’s report on potential annexation areas came at the request of councilmembers wishing to take stock of what remained in the city’s urban growth area following changes from 2014.

Issaquah only has two potential annexation areas left following the relinquishment of Klahanie to Sammamish’s urban growth area and the successful annexation of Lake Sammamish State Park. The remaining annexation areas are East Cougar Mountain and an unincorporated King County “island” inside Issaquah’s borders on the east side of the city.

Heinonen said the council was not presently looking at incorporating those areas.

“(When a city looks at annexation) often it depends on the city and its goals and how aggressive its PAAs are,” she said.