A former dairy farm on Enumclaw’s east side has been earmarked for homes, commercial development and a five-acre park.
Now working its way through city channels is the Suntop project that would turn 105 acres of gently sloping land into lots for at least 116 single-family homes and a park that would be developed and handed over to the city. That’s part of a bigger picture that could result in more than 300 homes, plus 84,000 square feet of retail space along state Route 410.
This year, the project has gone through the hearing examiner process, been the subject of a public hearing and, most recently, been considered by the Enumclaw City Council. The seven-member council gave initial approval to the proposal Nov. 10 – with some major modifications – and was expected to issue its final blessing during Monday’s meeting.
Owned by Frances Holdener, who still resides on the land that has been in the family for more than 80 years, the proposed development represents the largest contiguous parcel of land inside the city limits. The Suntop proposal stretches from state Route 410 on the north to Warner Avenue on the south and sits directly east of relatively new subdivisions accessed off Watson Street.
The Suntop development has floated around the city’s planning office since the early 1990s when it was first accorded Planned Unit Development status. Holdener explained the drawn-out process during the Oct. 10 council session, stating that Enumclaw’s lengthy building moratorium kept everything on hold for years and the recession that hit in 2008 further kept plans on the shelf.
The council has amended the original plan to allow more single-family homes while eliminating plans for multi-family dwellings and apartments.
Other elements of the Suntop proposal include:
• a primary north-south roadway – Suntop Boulevard – that would stretch between Warner Avenue and SR 410. New east-west streets would connect to existing roads like Segrist, Bondgard and Peterson.
• mitigation fees will be collected to pay for additional portable buildings at Enumclaw High School, where there is an identified shortage of classroom space.
• the intersection of the new Suntop Boulevard with SR 410 would eventually be address by the state’s Department of Transportation. The fate is currently unknown: it could be as simple as a stop sign for those leaving the development or, if traffic volume warranted, as major as a traffic light. One option still on the table is a roundabout.
