By Cindy Beckett

This will be heard at the Parkland-Spanaway-Midland Advisory Commission public meeting date is November 15, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at Sprinker Recreation Center. (Remember, you will hike a distance to get in from parking due to construction right now.)  The Land Use Advisory Commission will be reviewing the homeless village project now labeled “executive priority.”

Please share widely in the UGA!  As many as possible need to attend the next meeting, all being informed that the exec cannot smoke screen this claiming “executive priority”!  That’s not what it means as you see below.

Would really like to know all these jobs he has created for these homeless!  Where might we find that list?

The executive is trying to still push through the (illegal) village at Spanaway Lake development, below is the next attempt under a smokescreen title “executive priority”!  I’m sure he hopes no one knows what that means, but I do and so will many very soon. 

It certainly does not mean a homeless village that will not create jobs, only contamination of the lakeshore and the lake and loss of the water recharge to the lake.  All will be ruined or destroyed.

As to that, I remind all that Spanaway Lake is found on Federal sites and is to be treated that way – the Federal laws that protect the shoreline lands, especially those with wetlands that drain into the lake, are to be abided by and upheld even in Pierce, and are to be protected, not destroyed.  In the past I have sent the GIS (FEMA) overlays of that area, clearly showing flood hazard and water on and under the surface. There are also the wetlands and waterway that flow from offsite to the south that also flow into the lake.  That water is part of the supply to the lake, and under Federal therefore State law, may not be destroyed.  Even an “executive priority” cannot damage or destroy those wetlands without Federal permits.  As the legislative body for the county, this needs to be addressed for its legality, as there is no US Code or RCW that permits this destruction.

In fact, “executive priority” does not include this action as it does not create jobs.

Link to the PSM-LUAC Agendas. Here is the proposal document link.

From Pierce County:

Executive Priority Projects

We support projects that will have significant private investment and create large numbers of jobs.  One way we do that is by giving some larger projects Executive Priority status.  Those projects receive special attention and priority in the permitting and development process. 

To be eligible for Executive Priority, projects must be in unincorporated Pierce County, and will be evaluated based on the number of jobs created or retained, wage rates, and the amount of private investment in the project.  Learn more about permitting assistance we can provide at https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/442/Project-Assistance.

Since program inception, there have been significant increases in assessed value and employment resulting from Executive Priority projects.