The city of Bonney Lake is reiterating its opposition to Sumner’s request to add to its urban growth area the piece of land known as Orton Junction.

Bonney Lake in June authorized Councilman Mark Hamilton to speak against the issue when the plan reached the Pierce County Regional Council, but this time the council took the official step of approving a letter to be signed by the mayor and sent to the Pierce County Council in anticipation of a Sept. 18 vote on the matter.

“The City of Sumner has failed to demonstrate the necessity of its proposed expansion and failed to consider the impacts of this expansion on neighboring cities, including Bonney Lake,” reads the letter.

Orton Junction is a 182-acre parcel located just to the south of Sumner city limits off 166th Avenue East. The land sits behind current car dealerships and retailers to the south of state Route 410 and includes much of the farmland visible from the highway.

The land would include Sumner’s YMCA facility, but 122 acres of the land would be re-designated for commercial applications.

County planning staff have recommended the county council deny the city’s application though Sumner has requested the county council approve the application anyway.

Bonney Lake officials see the land not only as threat to the city’s own downtown and Eastown development, but also oppose the UGA application because it will redesignate farmland and because they don’t feel Sumner was made to follow the same rules that led to Bonney Lake’s own UGA application being denied on grounds that not enough planning was done.

“Everybody needs to play by the same rules,” Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman said.

Councilmembers also cited the 2007 Pierce County Buildable Lands report that shows Sumner as the Pierce County city most overcapacity on commercial land.

“The proposed UGA amendment is not in accordance with the Washington State Growth Management Act because of the excessive amounts of commercial property the city of Sumner has,” Hamilton said.

Bonney Lake’s letter also cites the “irreversible loss of 125 acres of prime agricultural land.”

“This council is a big believer in the preservation of farm land,” Hamilton said.

Mayor Neil Johnson agreed to sign the letter on behalf of the administration and the city council, which passed the measure unanimously.

Johnson called Sumner’s UGA request a “developer-driven proposal.”

“Our employment base will be affected by this in the future,” Johnson said.

The letter concludes by stating Sumner failed to explore the alternatives within its own boundaries as well as those within its closest neighbor and failed to clearly demonstrate a need for the project.

“The County should not permit the de-designation of agricultural lands, or the siphoning of development away from neighboring cities, when Sumner has failed to establish the absence of reasonable alternatives within the area,” it reads.

A discussion at the county’s Community Development Committee is scheduled for Sunday.