Public hearings set to begin on area rezones

Published 12:20 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

By Brian Beckley

The Courier-Herald

The Planning Commission tonight, Wednesday, hosts the first of two scheduled public hearings on official proposals to re-zone areas of the city which are inconsistent with the future land use map of the comprehensive plan.

Tonight's hearing will focus on the steep slopes and public facilities sections of the map, while a second hearing June 15 will be conducted to discuss midtown, including the controversial Area 41.

State law requires that the comprehensive plan's future land use map match the zoning map for a city. During to a 2003 update to the comprehensive plan, the city identified 65 areas of inconsistency between the two maps. The current hearings deal with altering the zoning of those properties to match the comprehensive plan.

The properties discussed tonight are either recently acquired park properties that need to be reclassified as public facilities or mostly lie on the western edge of the city overlooking the Puyallup Valley.

Most are currently zoned residential or commercial, though the future land use map lists the properties as "conservation."

According to a staff memo, there are four reasons for rezoning the land: The area is steep and prone to geologic instability, access and sewer service to the properties are extremely difficult, the community character element of the comprehensive plan calls for keeping green the western entrance to the city, and the area provides habitat for wildlife.

Planning Commission vice-Chairman Randy McKibbon cited "geographic reasons" as the main concern for re-zoning the area.

"You're fighting to build on it anyway because of the grade," he said.

Some owners, however, refute the inability to build on the land.

Karin Leslie owns Area 18, currently zoned as commercial land, and said she has collected several engineering letters stating her land is build able, but admits the biggest hurdle she may face is the labeling of her property as "visually sensitive," though she believes re-zoning her property, which has access to state Route 410 near Ascent Park, is unnecessary.

"I think there can be ways to make it so there's a green belt on the highway," she said, adding, "There's development on all sides of this chunk of property."

A developer working with Leslie filed a pre-application for development of Area 18, further complicating the city's re-zoning efforts.

If the project is approved and vested before the city council officially re-zones the property, the development will be allowed.

Leslie also said she has an attorney on retainer and is willing to "do what is necessary" to prevent a "huge financial impact" on her family should the city rezone her land.

McKibbon said first impressions coming into the city are important though and the open green spaces at the western edge of town make it distinctive.

"I want people to realize they were in the county and now they're in the city (of Bonney Lake)," he said.

Brian Beckley can be reached at bbeckley@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.