Orton Junction Approved for County Council Vote

On Monday, the Pierce County Community Development Committee unanimously voted to move the Orton Junction proposal forward to the Pierce County Council agenda, after hearing almost two hours of public testimony.

The County Council is scheduled to make a final determination on the 182-acre mixed use development project at its Oct. 18 meeting.

“This amendment has come a long way and I think it still has a long way to go. I’m going to be supportive of moving this forward today, but there is still more work that needs to be done,” said Rick Talbert, chair of the CDC. “People on both sides of the equation need to come together. It doesn’t have to be us versus them, a win versus loss. In the end, it’s something we could all be proud of.”

In Room 1045 of the downtown Tacoma County-City building, Sumner city officials were pleased with the decision, but treated it as a quiet victory.

“We will definitely keep working to make the proposal better and better, to look forward to the 18th,” said Carmen Palmer, communications director for the city of Sumner.

Members of Friends of Pierce County approached the podium in evergreen T-shirts and voiced their concerns about loss of farmland if the plan is approved; Sumner city staff and Orton supporters wore bright yellow “Jobs Now” badges in the shape of construction signs, to signify the employment opportunities with the project.

Bob Ecklund, president and CEO of the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, spoke of his organization's eagerness to .

“We are very encouraged that it’s moving to the next step and we are eager to serve the community,” said Ecklund. He mentioned during public testimony that the YMCA is ready "to break ground tomorrow" and the project would be completed within 15 months.

During public testimony, proponents for the project talked about greater opportunities for youth, a wider variety of job opportunities and the potential of more housing and local shopping. They talked about the challenge of finding things for kids to do in town and the value a YMCA would bring to the community.

Opponents said an overall weak local economy, diversion from growth opportunities on Main Street and loss of farmland make the project unacceptable. To support healthy children, they pointed to the potential of locally grown food, farming and fresh air if the land were preserved.

“How do you balance open space with the needs and wants of the community?” asked CDC member Stan Flemming in his final comment. “…It’s easy to sit here in a crystal palace to make decisions … and looking at that land, the knee-jerk reaction is to keep it farmland. But I don’t see a single farming job right now on that property, and it’s a troubling thing. If this land was active, it’d be a different discussion.”