Once a place where people could walk, bike and picnic, the 147-acre Washington State University Demonstration Forest in Bonney Lake is now closed to public entry.
Its future is up in the air, the subject of intense negotiations. And no wonder: To developers, it’s in a prime location between Highway 410 and South Prairie Road, close to Bonney Lake’s commercial center. To local residents hungry for open space, it’s an oasis of green in an area that’s developed too quickly for some.
WSU has managed the urban forest for 63 years. But in 2004, WSU and the original landowner, the Weyerhaeuser Corp., agreed to sell the forest and split the proceeds. A development subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser proposed building up to 527 homes on the property, with some land set aside for a park.
That plan galvanized people in Bonney Lake, where parks are at a premium. They’ve put up a spirited fight to preserve more or all of the forest.
Negotiations have gone on for the last two years, and those close to the talks have hinted that the public will be happy with what comes out – eventually. It could be a land swap of some kind or a compromise that would allow the developer to build a less ambitious project in exchange for rights to build elsewhere. Whatever comes out is likely to be better for the public’s interest in preserving open space than what originally had been proposed.
It’s a good sign that one of the parties involved in the negotiations is the Cascade Land Conservancy – an organization with a solid track record of open-space preservation. Most recently it helped put together a public-private partnership to preserve more than 31 acres of forested gulch between the Tacoma Tideflats and Northeast Tacoma where construction of 52 homes had been planned.
Preserving what’s left of open space in fast-growing East Pierce County should be a top priority for elected officials, who often talk about trying to avoid becoming “the next South Hill.” Saving the WSU forest for future generations to enjoy would be a huge step forward for a city that has come late to the preservation table.
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