Issaquah's visionary plans for Park Pointe preservation

PUGET Sound, take note: A once-in-a-lifetime proposal taking root in Issaquah is an impressive example of how we can responsibly plan for future growth. Let's ensure this effort gets the support and recognition it deserves.

Issaquah is dedicated to protecting the Mountains to Sound Greenway and serving as a Cascade Agenda Leadership City. Mayor Ava Frisinger presented a visionary plan to her City Council last September that would preserve more than 140 acres in Issaquah as permanent open space and parkland, including the entire Park Pointe area on Tiger Mountain.

New development would then be focused to the Issaquah Highlands, Port Blakely Communities' master-planned community, which — when compared with Tiger Mountain — is better prepared to handle future growth of both new office space and residential units.

The end result, if Issaquah and Port Blakely can find an appropriate partner to purchase additional office density under the proposal, is that for every new acre that would be open to urban development in Issaquah, four acres would be designated as open space and parkland.

The preservation of Park Pointe embodies "smart growth" practices, core to the state's Growth Management Act and championed by both the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and the Cascade Agenda.

The idea of clustering development in Issaquah is not new. Its two master-planned communities, Issaquah Highlands and Talus, have become nationally renowned models of smart growth that is economically viable. The Highlands community alone has more than 1,500 acres of parks and open space.

There's still plenty of work left, however. This plan is very complex and involves a host of stakeholders, with many challenges still to face and hurdles yet to overcome. That is why it is imperative that everyone remain open to each other's ideas and support this initiative for the good of the region.

By 2040, the Puget Sound Regional Council estimates this region will grow by 1.7 million people and 1.2 million jobs. Even as development continues today, large tracts of forested open space are quickly disappearing from our communities.

Now is the time to make sure we plan responsibly for that growth, with an eye toward protecting our irreplaceable natural landscapes.

Especially during these tough economic times, we need to develop our communities in ways that are good for the environment, healthy for our families and efficient for our local governments to serve. The Issaquah proposal meets those goals in a very sustainable way, while still ensuring that there are benefits for everyone.

Issaquah is hardly alone in this mission. Since its inception in 1999, King County's Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program has preserved nearly 92,000 acres of valuable open space and fish and wildlife habitat — nearly twice the land of any other TDR program in the country. In addition, work at the state level to support TDRs is taking place as well.

These programs deliver a win-win for all stakeholders. Take the Issaquah proposal, which would save a significant piece of Tiger Mountain while creating the opportunity for additional future development at Issaquah Highlands along with social, recreational fields and transportation improvements.

The Puget Sound region is another huge winner — by preserving Park Pointe, the Mountain to Sound Greenway's important visual entrance to the Cascades will remain green. We are truly witnessing history, as Issaquah works hard today to create a livable, sustainable and healthy community for its future generations.

Cascade Agenda's collective vision is grounded in the belief that "a broad coalition can achieve fundamental change." We must ensure such innovative planning in Issaquah is rewarded with support from the entire Puget Sound region.

Smart growth doesn't happen alone.

Ron Sims is King County executive; Greg Nickels is mayor of Seattle; Bill Chapman is Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust president; Gene Duvernoy is Cascade Land Conservancy president.