The Pierce County Council Tuesday unanimously approved the City of Sumner’s request to extend the urban-growth boundary southward into an area of rich farmland – a decision that left supporters of the proposed Orton Junction development elated and at least one opponent planning to appeal.
Council members said they didn’t make the decision lightly, especially because of the strong feelings on both sides.
But an agreement reached last week by the city, the developer who owns a majority of the Orton Junction property and the Cascade Land Conservancy seemed to win them over.
Among other things, the agreement significantly increases the amount of agriculture land that would be permanently preserved elsewhere to offset development in the 182-acre area south of Sumner.
“I think that the agreement they came up with really could be considered a win-win overall for the people of Pierce County – not just the people who want the jobs, which we all want, (or) the people who want to preserve farmland, which we all want – but for all of us,” said Councilwoman Joyce McDonald, R-Puyallup.
“This has a way to actually secure jobs and save the farms,” said Council Chairman Roger Bush, R-Graham. He called it “a milestone in our history.”
The proposal will open the land to urban uses, specifically a planned mixed-use development with everything from shops to medical facilities and homes. The YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties plans to build a 50,000- to 80,000-square-foot building in Orton Junction. Bob Ecklund, the Y’s president and CEO, said it could open in 2013.
He said he was elated by the council’s decision, and feels the Orton Junction project will be an economic stimulus in the area.
Sumner City Administrator Diane Supler said she was pleased with the vote.
Others in the County Council chambers weren’t so jubilant.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” said Katharine Rode, who lives in Sumner and been a vocal opponent as the proposal worked its way through city and then county government.
She said she plans to appeal the council’s decision. County officials said any appeal would have to be filed with the state Growth Management Hearings Board.
Before council members voted Tuesday, they heard about an hour of public testimony.
The comments hit on the same themes as in earlier meetings on Orton Junction. In general, proponents said the project would bring an infusion of jobs and retail dollars, while opponents argued that Sumner already has room for urban growth inside city limits and that Orton Junction isn’t right for development because of risks such as flooding. They also lamented the loss of farmland.
The agreement reached by the city, representatives of developer Michael Corliss and Cascade Land Conservancy, was meant in part to address any such loss.
It increases to at least 500 acres the amount of agriculture land in the county that would be permanently preserved to offset the project.
Other principles in the agreement include incorporating sustainable design standards and convening a “stakeholder process” to identify programs or infrastructure to support agriculture.
Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy recently asked Cascade to become involved.
In a statement released after the vote, she said: “This agreement represents a model solution that provides for services and jobs in the Sumner area while also permanently protecting hundreds of acres of farmland and creating a ‘green wall’ to curb further growth in the valley.”
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