The City of Sumner wants more land

Valley traveling gridlock is not the only issue facing this rural farming area between Sumner and Orting. Driving across the valley east of SR167 you notice the adjacent farmland along the highway. Daffodils are grown and harvested providing a spectacular example of our rural valley farming. But that is about to change as developers have worked with the city of Sumner to propose annexing 188 acres which includes the rich farmland that so well represents the remaining farming lands of the Puyallup Valley.

The proposal is to blend what they call interchange commercial zoning such as the car dealers, Winco Foods, and the proposed YMCA complex. Then it proceeds deeper into the farmland and develops a blend of commercial and residential zoning that will remove the line between urban development and rural farmlands. Commercial development will remove 123 acres of farmable soil and residential development some 65 acres of farmable soil.

This is a loss of farmland that could be protected by the County through developer mitigation requiring developers in other areas of the county build a monetary fund to purchase the development rights of existing farmland, which would remove that farmland from any future development. This allows the current farm owner to receive a market value for the development rights of their property. This leaves the land owner with land-only property value thus making it affordable to the current owner in lower taxation and future land purchasers, thus encouraging continued farming applications.

The annexation that Sumner is proposing will remove farmland, not preserve it. The intent of the purchase of development rights of existing farmland was to preserve all remaining farmland. To rationalize that the developer of this annexed farmland could purchase the development rights of other farmland is still a loss of farmland. The bottom line is, the valley, County, State, and Country looses more irreplaceable farmland to development if the Pierce County accepts the city annexation proposal.

There is only a small percent of the Puyallup Valley left in farmland and it is the culture of this valley as well as the soil that is being lost. There is no reason that the remaining Puyallup Valley farmland cannot be preserved and made profitable again.

Urban growth cannot be stopped, but it CAN be controlled. If you can take an urban center like New York City and protect a large area of park amongst the high rises, Pierce County can preserve this small area of County farmland amongst its growth.

The Puyallup Valley contains some of the richest growing soil in the nation. Can we afford to loose this resource? Can we accept loosing this important part of Pierce County heritage? But who is listening to us? Are you? Contact the Pierce County if you are and let them know what you think of the Sumner annexation proposal.

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