By Dennis Box, The Courier-Herald

The city of Bonney Lake has been given the green light by the Pierce County Council to add another 496 acres in what Mayor Bob Young describes as an effort to square up the city's borders and help it accommodate impending growth.

On Nov. 18 the Pierce County Council voted unanimously to adopt numerous amendments to its Comprehensive Growth Plan. The changes included allowing Bonney Lake to bring five rural parcels into the city's Urban Growth Area, the first step toward annexation.

"To get the council to give us a 7-0 vote was a real victory," Young said. "The environmentalists were against us, the planning division was against us. I figured maybe a 4-3 victory, but 7-0 was a surprise."

An important condition of the vote includes protection of Fennel Creek, which begins east of the city and flows through the town before finally flowing into the Puyallup River.

Pierce County Councilman Shawn Bunney was instrumental in the passage of the amendments and felt it was a successful vote for both the city and the council.

"It makes sense to create logical borders for the city and there needs to be a focus on how the community can be best served with future expansion," Bunney said. "And Fennel Creek is a unique environment that everyone wants to protect. The amendment I presented protects the creek."

The area of greatest concern to County Council members was a 1.6 mile stretch of Fennel Creek that flows toward state Route 410. The council has directed the city to form a Fennel Creek Advisory Commission to oversee protection of the area.

"We don't want any development along Fennel Creek," Young said. "That area is very important to us."

The Pierce County action was not without opposition. Tim Trohimovich of 1,000 Friends stated his group tried to convince the council not to approve the amendments. "Bonney Lake has more land than it needs to achieve its growth target. By expanding beyond this target it is violating the Growth Management Act," Trohimovich said. "Also, we agree that Fennel Creek needs to be protected. If it becomes part of the city's UGA that is a problem. Property owners, once they are inside the city, will want to develop their land. Not that the city or anyone else is acting in bad faith. It's just the way it works. If you really want to protect Fennel Creek then keep it as a rural area."

The land change amendment comes from the County Council with some strings attached. By allowing the parcels to be potentially annexed, the council is asking the city to consider annexing the South Plateau area of Prairie Ridge, Rhododendron Park and Ponderosa Estates. This area is known as the County Urban Growth Area or CUGA.

"My understanding is the whole thing is predicated upon an agreement on the CUGA and Fennel Creek," Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman said. "I would imagine by the way they wrote it that they are intending some understanding. They will repeal the vote if some agreement isn't reached."

Trohimovich stated that 1000 Friends will continue to fight the action. "We will encourage (County Executive) John Ladenburg to veto the UGA amendment. It's clear the property owners will want to develop the areas and that is a violation of the both the Growth Management Act and the comprehensive plan."

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com