FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2014 Win For Farming In Pierce County After a 3 year battle, the developer Invesco and the City of Sumner have withdrawn their appeal of a Growth Management Hearings Board decision prohibiting the rezone of 182 acres of prime agricultural land in Pierce County for residential and commercial development. This is a victory for anybody who wants to preserve farmlands and ensure a long-term farming economy in Pierce County. Among numerous issues, the development would have expanded the urban growth boundary around the City of Sumner and placed significant residential and commercial development on prime agricultural land and within the land subject to geological hazards. If the project had gone forward it would have opened the floodgates to development on prime agricultural land in the Puyallup Valley south of Sumner. An active coalition of organizations came together to oppose the rezone and prevent any further loss to Pierce County's remaining prime farmland. The coalition included Futurewise, American Farmland Trust, Tahoma Audubon, PCC Farmland Trust, and the Friends of Pierce County who successfully challenged the proposal before the Growth Management Hearings Board in 2012. The Washington Sustainable Food, and Farming Network; Cascade Harvest Coalition; Organically Grown Company; Tilth Producers; Terra Organics; Tahoma Farms; Let Us Farm; Washington State Farmers Market Association; and Charlie's Produce also joined these organizations in opposing the rezone. "We were delighted when the Hearings Board agreed with our argument that building a big project like this on productive farmland is wrong," said Tim Trohimovich, Planning and Legal Director of Futurewise, "We are even more delighted now that the developer and the City of Sumner have decided to end the appeal of the Growth Board's decision. Sumner and Pierce County have plenty of land available for urban growth without paving over farms." "This is a big step towards a better future for farming in Pierce County," said Dick Carkner of local berry producer Terry's Berries, "We've lost far too much farmland to subdivisions and shopping malls in this area. Pierce County has a proud tradition of farming, and it's time we protect our farms." According to Rebecca Sadinsky of PCC Farmland Trust, "We're seeing a big revival of the agricultural industry in Pierce County due to the strong interest in local food. We can't have local food without local farms, and the Orton Junction project would've taken us in the wrong direction." In 2011, the Pierce County Planning Commission recommended against the conversion of the 186 acres of prime agricultural land at Orton Junction, but the Pierce County Council went forward with approval. The large coalition of organizations are now working together to develop and implement long-term solutions that will better protect farmlands in Pierce County, especially those around the urban fringe -- to ensure the long-term sustainability of farming in the county. For more information, contact: Tim Trohimovich at tim@futurewise.org or (206) 343-0681 x118. Krys McArthur Kyer Executive Director Tahoma Audubon Society 2917 Morrison Road W. University Place, WA 98466 "Connecting People with Nature" www.tahomaaudubon.org Adriana Hess Audubon Center: (253) 565-9278 Partners in Education with the Tacoma Nature Center For class registration call: (253) 591-6439