Drama filled the Dec. 22 meeting of the Bonney Lake City Council as council members voted 4-3, with the public watching, against the Washington State University Demonstration Forest development agreement – then 30 minutes later reconsidering their vote to approve the agreement with changes.

The council voted 6-1 to approve the development agreement with an amendment stipulating there will be no traffic light at the intersection of state Route 410 and 204th Avenue East.

The forest consists of almost 150 acres of land south of state Route 410 between South Prairie Road and 214th Avenue East.

In June, the city, WSU and Weyerhaeuser announced plans to develop the property to meet a variety of community goals. The acreage, dedicated to the city, was to include 35 acres of trees or open space, five acres for buffer and trails, two acres for a park and five acres for a future YMCA with a pool.

After the initial 4-3 vote and a 15-minute recess, City Attorney Jim Dionne told the council one problem with preparing a development agreement is responding to the public and councilmembers’ suggested changes.

“It’s been hard to figure out where there is possibly a majority of the council that might pass a development agreement,” Dionne said. “After the initial vote, it’s clear to me that there is not a majority vote with having the signal on the corner of 410 and 204th.”

Dionne said without a signal at 204th Avenue East, the majority of the council might support the agreement.

“To be fair to the majority of the council, that proposal should still be alive and should be made as an opportunity for the council to see whether or not they want to do that,” Dionne said.

Dionne requested that a councilmember make a motion to reconsider the 4-3 vote and allow an opportunity for an amendment made to the previous motion that would delete all the language concerning a signal at 204th Avenue East. He added the motion to reconsider could only be done at the Dec. 22 meeting.

Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman, who voted against the agreement earlier, made the motion to reconsider.

Swatman said the signal is consistent with his and Councilman David Bowen’s concerns.

The motion to reconsider passed, 6-1, with Bowen voting “no.”

Dionne told the council they needed a motion to amended the changes concerning the signal. Added to the agreement – taking the place of the deleted language for a signal – was an agreement there would be no signal at 204th Avenue East and SR 410, and that the parties agree to a right-in, right-out turn lane that would be allowed by the state Department of Transportation.

The motion to amend the agreement was unanimously approved.

Bowen said he would not support the agreement if there was a light.

“I consider myself an honorable man,” Bowen said. “I will honor what I said.”

Pete Lymberis, representing WSU and Weyerhaeuser, said the agreement and changes need to be approved by his clients by Thursday.

Before council voted on the agreement, Dionne pointed out several changes made to the document. The changes:

• clarify all residential development must comply with fire codes in effect at the time of construction.

• clarify through an amendment the city may market or use the city property for any purpose after the issuance of final building permits for the commercial and residential areas.

• remove references to the maximum residential densities.

• clarify the overlay is applicable only to R-3 (high-density residential with 20 units per acre) property south of SR 410 and east of South Prairie Road.

• add a requirement for 1.5 acres of landscaped spaces in commercial area with trees of at least three inches in diameter at the time of planting.

• clarify that either party may terminate use of trails and requires one-year advance notice for termination by WSU and Weyerhaeuser.

Councilwoman Laurie Carter said she was disappointed when the amount of landscaped space in commercial areas was changed from 25 percent to 1.5 acres.

Before the meeting, Carter placed a small rubber duck by each councilmember and the mayor’s nameplate.

“At a previous council workshop, a councilmember said, “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck,” Carter said. “I believe this situation is something like that – some things are not as they seem. It’s not a win-win for everybody. I feel there are more pluses for WSU and Quadrant than for the city of Bonney Lake.”

Councilman Dave King said the city is faced with a choice to save a portion of open space and potential park land.

“In the future it might cost us some maintenance money, but at this time it doesn’t cost us a dime,” King said. “Today we have an attempt to save property for a variety of benefits to Bonney Lake citizens.”

The council also approved an ordinance to amend the city’s comprehensive plan land-use designation and rezone of the WSU Forest.

The ordinance would change the current land-use from conservation/open spaces to a combination of commercial, public facilities and high-density residential.

Dionne said if the comprehensive plan will not go into effect until the city, WSU and Weyerhaeuser have all signed the development agreement.

Councilman Mark Hamilton said passing the development agreement and comprehensive plan was in the “best interest of the city.”

“We don’t know the future of WSU today – we don’t,” Hamilton said. “With this agreement and changing in the comprehensive plan, we will. We’ll know a portion of it will be developed residential, a portion developed commercial, but a portion of the forest – that has been around for years and years – will be owned by the city of Bonney Lake.”

He said people in the city will decide what happens to the land, not developers.

Carter was the lone opposing vote on the agreement and comprehensive plan.