Orton Junction

Orton Junction:
The Only Farmland Currently Threatened by Development
Editor's View

Against the recommendations of County Staff and the Planning Commission, the County Council unanimously approved the amendment to the Sumner Comprehensive Plan that will develop approximately 200 acres of prime farmland along the south side of SR410.

In a last minute maneuver by the developer to show good faith (or provide a Council with an out) the revised proposal mandates that for every acre of Agriculture Resource Land (ARL) to be developed, four acres of ARL must be preserved in the Alderton / McMillin Community Plan (AMCP) area. Sounds good, but what it does is splinter the farmland throughout the valley, because there is no provision for protecting land adjacent to one another. What do you think the developer will do with the remaining valley ARL lands that are not preserved? Might you now see more offers to purchase existing unprotected farmland in the Alderton / McMillin Community Plan area for future County rezoning amendments? This Council decision ignores the Alderton / McMillin Community Plan on the Sumner UGA change, so why would we think that it would not change the current R10 zoning in the rest of the AMCP area. Would public testimony against a rezoning decision carry any more weight than this issue?

Oh, but wait, says an astute councilman, the 500 acres in the Sumner amendment agreement is "In Perpetuity". The definition of "in perpetuity" is "FOREVER" in Webster's book, but perhaps the County has their own definition regarding land use. Five hundred acres is good, but how many acres remain unprotected in the AMCP area? Will the County protect those acres as well as it did the Orton Farmland?

One more comment as the Council touts its decision as a reflection of its support of preserving Pierce County Farmland. The only farmland currently being threatened by urban sprawl development is the Orton Junction. All other ARL farmland in the AMCP area is zoned R10 (rural 10 acre parcels minimum). This applies to all farmland that was greater than 10 acre parcels at the time the zoning was implemented 2007. So, what you see looking down on the valley from the surrounding plateaus will continue to remain primarily connected farmland. That is until the County changes the zoning or grants another compromise to valley farmland as it did in this decision. Panorama Heights residents may soon be purchasing blinds to filter the city lights as Sumner sprawls into the darkness of the valley below. Not to mention the daylight view to include a collage of building roofs to coincide with the collage of farmland colors.

Perhaps once again the political pressures of developers take priority over the often stated County pledge to preserve some of the richest farmland in this nation. Oh, but there is a YMCA and a Farmer's Market. Of course you can't get to or from them without traffic delays on SR410 and SR162, but that wasn't the County's concern when they approved the UGA amendment that allowed Orton Junction. That was only shared in those pesky public testimonies. And what about those poor surrounding residents and farmlands with water covering their property. No one heard that testimony either. It is all well and good, think of it in terms of imminent domain, taking away the valley farmland culture for the good of the .....developer? Sorry, it sort of seems that way.

Just wait until the Rhodes Lake Road corridor funnels four lanes of plateau traffic onto the valley floor and Orton Junction attracts all of those shoppers that used to go to King County to shop, but can no longer get there due to valley congestion. We can thank our Pierce County Council for their decisions to enable these conditions. Won't we miss the site of blooming daffodils along SR410 and the feeling of open spaces in the valley. Again, thanks to the Council for leaving us with such wonderful memories of the rural Puyallup Valley. The call for "Saving the Rural Character of the Puyallup Valley for Future Generations" has once again taken a devastating blow by the Pierce County Council.

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