Neighbors fight proposed housing development, tree removal in East Pierce County
Neighbors are opposing a development that would bring 19 new homes to Bonney Lake, not far from Lake Bonney.
Nearly 500 signed an online petition against the project, and some spoke against the proposed development at a recent City Council meeting. Residents have appealed a tree-removal permit that the city approved, and a hearing is scheduled Feb. 26. They're fundraising to cover legal costs.
'If you are like us, you enjoy this quieter part of Bonney Lake. Many of us live in older homes and enjoy larger lots,' the petition says in part. 'We live on the original 1,000 acres which Bonney Lake was incorporated with in 1949. The proposed 19 houses would become some of the smallest lots in all Bonney Lake and do not belong in this unique and historic part of our town.'
Puyallup-based Caliber Development owns the nearly 5 acres near 77th Street East and 182nd Avenue East.
'It is zoned to build houses,' Carl Wade, the company's president, told The News Tribune in a phone call this month.
Wade said he understands the concerns.
'Nobody wants anything touched,' he said. 'They want to leave it untouched, and I can't blame them for that. ... The one thing human beings don't like is change.'
The company is leaving more trees than the city's code requires, Wade said.
'I think it's going to be a nice neighborhood when we're all through with it,' he said.
He expects the homes will be three- or four-bedrooms, he said, and that they'd maybe go for roughly $800,000 to $1 million, but it's early enough in the process that they haven't finalized that.
The region needs more housing, he said.
Asked about a timeline for when they'd build the homes, Wade said it's not clear.
'We're just waiting now,' he said.
The city's hearing examiner approved the preliminary plat on Sept. 19, 2023, Jason Sullivan, the public services director for the city of Bonney Lake, told The News Tribune in an email this month.
'These parcels are approximately 670 feet from the shore of Lake Bonney, measured in a straight-line distance,' Sullivan wrote. '... It also includes two tree preservation tracts totaling 0.90 acres and three open space/park tracts totaling 0.36 acres. The project entails constructing two new roadways and associated utility improvements.'
The developer applied for a tree-removal permit on May 21, 2024, and the city approved it Nov. 12. Residents appealed that permit Dec. 2.
'As the appeal is still pending, I cannot provide further comment on this project,' Sullivan wrote.
Gabriel Hinman, the attorney residents hired to represent them in the appeal, told The News Tribune on Friday that the developer filed a motion to dismiss the appeal. The hearing examiner hasn't made a decision on that. They'll talk about the status of the case at the hearing Wednesday, and schedule a full hearing for the appeal. That full hearing will be like a trial, with witnesses and testimony.
One of the roads to access the development would go along 44-year-old Jason Stephens' property. He likes to walk around the nearby lake with his kids.
'The most dangerous part of getting to the lake is right in front of our house,' Stephens said.
He's not opposed to development on the land altogether, he said, but to the number of homes, given the size of the lots and the traffic they'd bring. That's also what he and other neighbors said in comments sent to the city about the project in May 2023 and at the City Council meeting Jan. 28.
Stephens and others also say they have been frustrated with the process. For example, they told the council a $4,000 fee to file a State Environmental Policy Act appeal with the city was prohibitively expensive.
They're also concerned about wildlife in the area. Stephens said he's seen a black bear on his game camera.
Ann Fox, 75, lives next to Stephens. Her property also runs along one of the proposed roads to the new development.
They've had more wildlife in the area since the Sumner Grade Fire devastated 484 acres along state Route 410 in 2020, she said.
'It's moving the wildlife up this way because they lost their home,' Fox said.
She sees deer in her backyard sometimes, and squirrels that drive her dogs crazy. The trees are a nice buffer for her pool, she said, and her backyard is relaxing and private.
'Obviously they want this to grow and become like South Hill, and that's not what any of us came up here for,' she said.
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