Growth Hearings Board denies Orton Junction proposal

Tahoma Audubon applauds the Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board’s denial of the plan to convert 182 acres of irreplaceable farm land near Sumner into retail shopping along the freeway SR 410 including new homes near the flood-prone Puyallup River.

The City of Sumner planned to expand its southern boundaries to add a YMCA, a medical facilities along with these retail outlets along State Road 410.

“Preserving these valley soils for farming was the right thing to do,” said Dick Carkner, a Tahoma Audubon board member and local farmer. With his wife, Terry, they operate Terry’s Berries providing locally grown produce to the local consumers. 

“Now is the time to use the Transfer of Development Rights program and work with farm owners to preserve Farmland on the border’s cities in the Puyallup Valley. Our farmers do not have enough local lands to keep pace with the demand for agriculture products.”

Tahoma Audubon and Futurewise joined with other groups to appeal the Orton Junction decision. “Over the years, city proposals to expand into farmlands in Orting and Bonney Lake were stopped by zoning restrictions. The Orting Valley has only a two lane farm road.  In community plans residents have said they want the area preserved as an agriculture greenbelt and this decision supports the community’s goals,” said Krystal Kyer, Executive Director of Tahoma Audubon.

“Moving forward, now it is time to adequately fund our TDR program and compensate land owners and farmers who want to sell their farmlands,” she said.

Through the TDR program, farmers can voluntarily sell the development rights allowing the land to only be used for farming in the future.  This keeps the cost of farmland affordable for future farmers while compensating the original land owners if and when they want to retire.

A TDR program was used in the Nisqually Valley to preserve a farmland greenbelt adjacent to the Nisqually Wildlife preserve.  The program was adopted in Pierce County, but has not been adequately funded.

“Pierce County government listened to neighbors and property owners in the Orting-MacMillan Valley to develop their community plan,” said Dick Carkner.  “Today’s decision upholds the farming designations near Sumner.  Now is the time to see this area become the agriculture greenbelt envisioned in that plan.”