The Pierce County Planning Commission on Tuesday narrowly rejected a proposal to designate 182 acres south of Sumner as urban growth area.
The decision is a blow to proponents who are hoping to bring a mixed-use development with a YMCA to the area.
Commissioners voted 4-3 to turn down the proposal, with several citing concerns about loss of agriculture land.
“I totally support every element that Sumner wants to add,” said Commissioner Claudia Finseth, referring to shops and other features that could be part of the development. “...I just would like to see it within the city of Sumner.”
The decision doesn’t mean the proposal is dead; a County Council member can revive it when the council considers other comprehensive plan amendments later this year.
Still, Sumner leaders said they’re disappointed, and that their proposal meets all requirements for approval.
“I think it’s a great proposal,” said Mayor Dave Enslow, who attended the meeting along with several Sumner staff members and leaders from the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap counties. “I’m very optimistic the County Council will agree with me and approve it.”
Today, the land – in an area known as Orton Junction – is zoned for rural and agricultural uses. A Sumner real estate investment group owns most of it, and the chief executive officer has listed shops, and medical and higher education facilities as possibilities for the site. He’s also offered land for a YMCA.
Supporters say the area is a natural spot for growth because it’s close to the highway and utility routes. They also say the development would bring hundreds of jobs to the area and help capture retail dollars leaving Pierce County.
“How can anybody, in this climate, turn down a proposal that brings jobs?” Enslow said after the vote.
The city proposes permanently preserving some other farmland nearby to offset the development.
But critics say the city doesn’t need the land to grow, and that the damage to the prime agriculture land would be lasting.
“They have enough available land in their (urban growth area) to meet all their needs for urban growth,” said Tim Trohimovich, co-director of planning and law for the Seattle-based Futurewise, which works to protect farmland and natural areas. “It’s great soil. It has a long history of being farmed. It’s not needed (for growth).”
“It’s irreplaceable land,” said Maxine Herbert-Hill, another opponent. “We are at a tipping point, it seems to me, with the decisions that are made now with farmland.”
County staff recommended denial of the proposal on the grounds that more commercial and industrial land isn’t needed in the county to meet long-term employment targets.
The proposal did find some support on the commission, with three members saying they believe it should be approved.
“The project has a real benefit for the community, and it’s what’s best for Pierce County,” said Malcolm Russell, chairman.
In a separate action, the commission voted to recommend approval of a companion request from the city to reduce the urban growth area by 284 acres to the east of Sumner.
Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
saraschilling@thenewstribune.com
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