A proposal that would pave the way for a mixed-use development in Sumner anchored by a YMCA is headed to the Pierce County Planning Commission for a recommendation.
Supporters say the project would bring hundreds of jobs to the area and help prevent retail dollars from flowing north to King County.
YMCA spokeswoman Michelle LaRue said plans for the recreation center also hang in the balance. If the county doesn’t sign off, “we’d be going back to square one,” she said.
Opponents are concerned about loss of farmland.
“It’s our lifeblood. I don’t understand why anybody would even plan to cover the farmland,” said Roxy Giddings of Parkland, one of several people who spoke in opposition at a recent public hearing.
The Planning Commission is to consider a slew of proposals, including Sumner’s, at a meeting Wednesday.
The County Council has the final say.
County planning staff members have recommended turning down Sumner’s proposal. They said that while it’s consistent with general agriculture preservation policies, they have concerns, including that it doesn’t show a need for more commercial land.
The Planning Commission could make its recommendation tonight or hold off a few weeks to consider new information recently submitted by Sumner city staff members.
The city of 9,500 people east of Puyallup is asking to expand its urban growth area to the south to include 182 acres that today are zoned for rural and agriculture uses. The area is known as Orton Junction.
Sumner-based Investco Financial Corp. owns about 100 acres. Michael Corliss, founder and chief executive officer, has cited shops and medical and higher education facilities as possible tenants for the site.
He also has offered six acres for a YMCA.
Officials say the community clearly wants a YMCA. A 2008 study done in conjunction with Bonney Lake showed one of every two residents would support a Y.
The facility would be 50,000 to 75,000 square feet, said LaRue, spokeswoman for YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties.
Nearly $6 million has been raised, with a fundraising goal of at least $10 million, she said. It could open as soon as 2013.
But LaRue said building it hinges on approval of the city’s proposal, which would open the land to urban uses.
City officials say Orton Junction is a good spot for growth because it’s near major utility and transportation routes. “We think this is the type of growth that the (state) Growth Management Act encourages us to facilitate,” said Paul Rogerson, Sumner’s community development director. “Growth is supposed to go in places like this.”
To make up for the loss of farmland, the city proposes permanently preserving about 200 aces south of Orton Junction.
At least one critic says that’s not enough. Giddings said agriculture land is a dwindling resource in the county and beyond.
“If we keep paving it, what are we going to eat?” she asked.
The city last week submitted about 40 pages addressing the concerns of county planning staff members. Dan Cardwell, a senior county planner, said a full review of the new documents isn’t yet complete and the staff recommendation could change once it is.
Along with expanding the urban growth area to the south, the city also is proposing to reduce it by 284 acres to the east. The area is largely residential.
Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/street
