The Sumner City Council recently passed the 1st Phase of making Sumner the first city in Pierce County a Manufacturing and Industry Center (MIC).
Mr. Enslow and a few council members have said that there are "no changes" with this plan, however deeper investigation has turned up some open questions that need to address.
1. State GMA (growth management act) requires Sumner to grow at a rate consistent with our regional share.
2. If nothing changes to N. Sumner due to the MIC overlay, how do they account for the restrictions outlined in the PCRC Policy document?
3. If the zoning doesn't change, how does MIC create jobs?
4. What happens to the golf course?
5. What happens to the 200 homes and families up there now?
6. What's the environmental impact of intense manufacturing on the rivers, etc as this area gets developed?
7. The city imposed a ban on noxious chemicals in 2006/07. This does not mean the ban can't be lifted. It also doesn't mean that chemical tank farms to store non-noxious chemicals are prohibited.
8. Since this essentially makes Sumner a Manufacturing Center for the Region, doesn't that open us up for zoning changes from Light (M1) to Heavy Manufacturing (M2)?
9. Given the projected regional traffic from staff, what investments will the county or state make to our freeways and highways coming in and out of Sumner to accommodate the increase in traffic.
Sumner council passes designation ordinance
By CHAZ HOLMES
Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter
Oct 06 2009, 4:31 PM
Sumner City Council passed a controversial zoning resolution 4-2 Monday, which proponents view as an important step toward more revenue and opponents see as a dramatic change to Sumner's small-town identity.
The region in question is the Sumner-Pacific Industrial Area, which when designated as a Manufacturing/Industrial Center (MIC) would become more likely to qualify for federal infrastructure and transportation funding.
Designating the land as an MIC would add manufacturing jobs to the region. Many of the jobs are in construction and manufacturing.
Councilmembers Matthew Richardson and Randy Hynek voted against the ordinance. One fault Richardson saw was the requirement of the manufacturing and industrial center allowing retail to be no more than 20 percent.
Another concern involved the effect the zoning would have on other aspects of Sumner, such as whether accepting federal funding would mean Sumner would lose some of its independence from other jurisdictions.
Giving a presentation to council Monday night Sumner City Planning Manager Ryan Windish said the ordinance does not entail any clause or instructions for Sumner to adhere to any new requirements. .
Councilmember Hynek said his decision did not come without sincere consideration for the benefits and disadvantages to the city.
Before council voted Hynek drove home a point which was stated several times throughout the course of discussion as a prime concern.
"This doesn't lock us into anything," he said.
Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter Chaz Holmes can be reached at cholmes_courierherald.com or 360-802-8208.
Article Link: http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/pierce/bch/news/63639467.html
Bringing a manufacturing/industrial center to Sumner
Avani Nadkarni
Published: July 22nd, 2009 06:01 AM
The general consensus of both Sumner city staff and council members is simple: Sumner is growing whether it is liked or not, so try to benefit from the growth.
With that in mind, six out of the seven council members voted to approve beginning discussions with Pierce County to work toward designating the industrial areas in Sumner and Pacific as an Manufacturing/Industrial Center (MIC) by the Puget Sound Regional Council. This designation would allow Sumner to receive more transportation funds from the regional council.
About a year ago, the two cities teamed up to conduct a study to see if the 2,100-acre industrial area, which lies between both cities, would meet the requirements for an MIC designation, which it did.
The growth is coming to Sumner, whether were MIC designated or not, Sumner Senior Planner Ryan Windish said. The benefit of (the designation) is that well have more access to funds.
About $120,000 of Puget Sound Regional Council funds are reserved solely for cities with designations like MIC, Windish said. By not working to designate the area, Sumner would miss out on a chance to get that money to fund projects such as the Stewart Road expansion.
Councilmember Matt Richardson, Sumner City Councils delegate for the Pierce County Regional Council, was the only member to speak out against the MIC designation.
I will not put my name on (this), Richardson stated firmly. Right now, (growth) is tolerable because its going at a certain pace with a certain type of clientele. That's the difference.
While the majority of the council members agreed to continue discussions, the MIC plan is far from a sure thing. City staff still needs to bring a formal proposal to the council to amend the Comprehensive Plan to be able to designate the area an MIC and then the proposal must go to the county and regional levels.
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