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• Cheryl Dell, publisher
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• Kim Bradford, editorial page editor
• Chris Sivula, editorial writer
• Matt Taylor, contributing editor
• Jack Briggs, retired publisher

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Dialogue on land use comes at right time

Published Jan. 10, 2003

There was barely a stir before the Pasco City Council approved a new housing development Monday that will replace a section of public road along the Columbia River with private homes.

June Smurthwaite of the Pasco Planning Commission and Councilman Tom Larsen raised objections to turning over a portion of Court Street west of Interstate 182 to make way for 11 upscale lots withan unsurpassed view of the river.

Other than that, the project, which includes another 20 lots back a little farther from the river, hasn't attracted much notice despite the loss of a short but scenic drive when traffic is rerouted around the new neighborhood.

The public silence doesn't look typical, however. On the contrary, Tri-Citians seem more interested than ever in what's happening to the land beyond the end of their driveways.

In south Richland, the state Department of Natural Resources canceled an auction scheduled for last month on 73 acres near Meadow Springs. The move came because neighbors voiced concerns about retaining open spaces to protect the health of Amon Creek, a habitat for salmon and steelhead that runs through the parcel.

In Pasco, the Desert Plateau Homeowners Association, voicing a similar call for preserving open spaces, has gathered approximately 400 signatures opposing the state's plan to sell 138 acres of farmland.

Other signs of a surging interest in maintaining natural and open lands are plentiful - such as volunteer efforts to clean Bateman Island and Columbia Point, progress on a greenbelt along the Yakima River and the growing acceptance of the Hanford Reach National Monument as an asset rather than a federally imposed impediment to progress.

How we decide to balance the forces of economic growth with our desire to preserve the Mid-Columbia's quality of life is the perfect topic for public debate.

And the time to have the dialogue is now, while we can still influence decisions about what kind of community we're building.

Because of public pressure, state DNR officials have agreed to meet with Tri-Citians on Jan. 27 to discuss proposed sales of 778 acres of trust properties in Pasco, Kennewick and Richland. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at James McGee Elementary School, 4601 Horizon Drive, Pasco. Even without the sale of any state land, the changes are coming fast and furious. Last year, Mid-Columbia building departments approved nearly 2,000 permits for new single-family homes.

And the boom isn't finished. In west Pasco alone, another 4,200 lots are ready for eventual development along the Interstate 182 corridor.

Growth is good, even necessary. The long-term health of the Mid-Columbia depends on it. But how we proceed toward that future is the business of every family.

Few things we'll do as a community will have a more lasting impact.