City Council members heard from both sides Nov. 24, as they considered updating Bonney Lake’s Comprehensive Plan for rezoning the Washington State University Demonstration Forest to allow for high-density housing.
During a public hearing, seven people spoke in favor of the rezone, while six were opposed. Each was allowed five minutes to address the council.
Those in favor of the rezone included health care representatives and the president of the area YMCA.
Jennifer Aalgaard, speaking on behalf of MultiCare and Good Samaritan Hospital, said her company supports the rezone and would participate in the development of a medical office building along the southwest portion of property.
“This medical office building would enable our group of healthcare providers to improve access to the community and provide a wide variety of healthcare services,” she said.
Aalgaard said a new facility would create jobs, increase business and improve tax revenues.
Tim Turner, chief executive officer for Woodcreek Health Care of Puyallup, said the proposed rezone would allow the construction of an office building. He said construction of the building would allow for the expansion of primary care and medical services in Bonney Lake. He added it would allow residents to be treated locally, rather than traveling to Puyallup or Tacoma.
Woodcreek currently operates an office near the intersection of state Route 410 and 198th Avenue.
Bob Eckland, president and CEO of the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, said he was excited about the potential of a partnership with the city to build a YMCA.
He said a 2008 market study showed 50 percent of those in the area were interested in joining a YMCA.
Eckland said the proposed master plans would set aside five acres for a 30,000- to 50,000-square-foot YMCA facility.
He said he expects to begin fundraising for the Bonney Lake facility in 2015 and have it open by 2018.
Bonney Lake resident Winona Jacobsen, a member of the Planning Commission, said the state’s Growth Management Act was adopted because the Legislature found unincorporated and unplanned growth posed a threat to the environment, stable economic development and quality of life.
She said the GMA requires local governments to manage growth by identifying and protecting critical areas and natural resource lands, designating urban growth areas and preparing comprehensive plans and implementing them.
Jacobsen said four of the 14 guidelines in the GMA deal with growth in urban areas, reducing sprawl, retaining open spaces and habitat areas, developing recreation and protecting the environment.
“We have seem to have lost site of the GMA,” she added.
Betsy Schultz of Buckley said the proposed amendment should add to the value of the city and to the citizens.
“I see nothing in this plan that is going to enhance the life of Bonney Lake citizens,” she said.
Schultz said Good Samaritan doesn’t need the WSU Forest and no one is paying for a YMCA.
“Nobody is putting the money down, it’s just a plan,” Schultz added. “There is no guarantee that anything good is going to come.”
The current land-use designation of the property is conservation/open space and the zoning is for public facilities.
WSU and Weyerhaeuser applied for a change in land-use designation of the property by the April 30 amendment application deadline.
The application and recommendation is that the land-use designation be changed to a combination of commercial, public facilities and high-density residential with the corresponding zoning designations.
Mitigation conditions for the project include the dedication of 47 acres of land to the city, designated as Public Facilities, with a public road connecting South Prairie Road and state Route 410.
The public hearing on the Demonstration Forest will continue Tuesday
