The problem with Forward Thrust, the 1968 initiative that created Pine Tree Park, is that it provided for parks but not for maintenance.
Pine Tree has little access, private roads and therefore has less priority within Kent Park’s maintenance budget.
The Pine Tree community was asked, long before this issue became newsworthy, if they wanted to become a “recognized community” as others have done by forming a Neighborhood Council. The community decided to remain exclusive and private. Only when the sale of the park was under contract did they wake up to what was occurring in Kent’s other communities.
The Growth Management Act in the mid-’90s required municipalities to plan for growth. Although communities like those in Spokane wanted to restrict development, the state Supreme Court recently ruled on local zoning control initiatives deciding that land use approval is an administrative matter that is reserved as a power of local authorities.
In 2005, King County’s population was 1.8 million and projected at 2 million in 2015, a 13.52 percent increase.
Organized communities need to insist on promoting sustainable, livable and diverse cities. We need to advocate for smart policies and regulations that implement programs to enhance urban environments. We need to commit to quality design that accommodates growth, provides for a diversity of housing choices and adequately provides public services, parks and recreation for all.
– Kathi Jones
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