Lessons From Our Successful 2019 “No Warehouses on Farmland” Campaign:
IT’S 2024 and IT’s BAAAAACK! The Knutsen Farms Mega-Warehouse proposal is still alive. However, as a result of our 2019 campaign to help defeat city council candidates supported by developer Running Bear’s warehouse PAC still wanting to build these 7 monstrosities, the city was able to continue its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and should now recommend No Action on this proposal.
We need to re-envision that area, if not outright save this pristine Puyallup River valley farmland. The time has come to comment on the just-published Draft EIS via https://knutsonfarmseis.org/ with deadline of March 15th after joining the city’s virtual open house meeting on Thu, Jan 11, 2024 from 6-8 p.m. as well as an in-person open house meeting on Wed, Jan 17, 2024 from 6-8 p.m. at Pierce College, Allied Arts and Heath Building.
The proposed action is an effort to go back on an agreement the landowner made after years of community meetings over a decade ago. Because the landowner and developer backtracked, the City of Puyallup has the right to recommend a No Action Alternative and send a message to the county that Puyallup stands united against warehouses on this farmland.
Not only has the landowner moved the goal posts on how this land was supposed to be used, but then they cost taxpayers of Puyallup untold millions of dollars in staff time and legal fees over years of unfounded litigation. Having lost in court, they got their out-of-state developer to sponsor a Political Action Committee in 2019 to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaigns opposing city council members with institutional history of the original land use agreement.
With just a couple thousand dollars, Puyallup Voters for Integrity rallied against that development PAC and crushed the pro-warehouse candidates they supported. The people of Puyallup have spoken. We do not want warehouses on this farmland.
For the above reasons, the Proposed Action is a nonstarter, and the Rail Line Alternative is also a nonstarter because it reduces little traffic and would create worse backups because of railroad crossings. The only alternative that the City of Puyallup should recommend to the county is No Action. There is no legal basis to object to the No Action Alternative because ultimately, the county will decide whether to permit any development anyway, and the city’s recommendation should simply reflect an alternative the people of Puyallup have said we want. The city needs to stand up and speak clearly that we recommend no action.
If the landowner and developer want to come up with their own plan that fits within the community’s original land use agreement, let them do that work. We should not hand them the compromise Reduced Density Alternative. Again, they need to make that kind of plan themselves. If that plan comes in, that’s when the City should start an EIS and base it on our latest comprehensive plan. If the landowner and developer continue to delay, they risk future comp plans that further restrict development.
Our community has spoken clearly that we want to protect farmland and make sure sure that any development in the area in question is consistent with current realities. Those realities now include Farm 12 and its Step-By- Step program, as well as the new Van Lierop Park. The new reality also includes horrible traffic that has developed on Shaw Road over the past decade. Any proposal needs to improve that traffic, not make it worse.
Our next comprehensive plan should recommend zoning that’s consistent with the status of our reality and what’s expected in the next 20 years. Development should conform to the new vision and reality. Alternative 2 of this EIS just gives the developer a long leash for what they should have done themselves. Instead, we must give them the No Action alternative so the county can decide what to do with recommendation from the city and people of Puyallup, sending a message that we want none of their proposed action.
In 2021, voting turnout in Puyallup was 4% higher than countywide, and in 2017 ours was on par with the 28.5% countywide turnout. In 2019, the interest we helped generate in the warehouse fight brought Puyallup turnout up to about 44% compared to countywide turnout under 40%. Please note below in the at-large race, both candidates opposed warehouses and neither was supported by the warehouse PACs. The remaining district races were all won by candidates opposing warehouses.
Re: Alternatives – Priorities for this land should be 1) farmland and parks, meaning this proposal should be denied, or 2) if unable to retain the first priority, then instead of warehouses, create an “east towne center” with mix of commercial retail, upstairs condo residential, very light manufacturing, plus high tech tenants similar to Barclay Village, as the area was zoned over a decade ago.
Re: Traffic – Page 12 of the Feb 2, 2016 Knutsen warehouse proposal “Traffic Impact Analysis” public disclosure request (received on 11/01/19) shows that the development will generate a total of 6,723 new vehicle trips per day (in and out, including approximately 1,750 semis according to http://cityofpuyallup.org/…/Puyallup-Valley-Warehouse…) plus small trucks and private vehicles; therefore to proceed with this warehouse project, the developer must first (pay to) upgrade all roads to 4 lanes including East Pioneer, 80th St SE, and the Orting Hwy over the Puyallup River to Hwy 410. Regarding noise, trucks must be required to enter/exit directly to Hwy 410 in order to prevent noise and road degredation on Puyallup city streets. In other words, no direct access to Hwy 512 or up the hill on city streets.
Re: Public Utilities – City of Puyallup planning engineers should have an excellent handle on what is needed, with all water runoff filtered, water and sewer paid for throughout the life of the buildings so taxpayers never have to subsidize them. Project proponents must also stop bringing the city to court over its requirements. Their sue-happy lawyers have already cost local government and taxpayers far too much time and money.
Re: Cultural Heritage & Mitigation – Puyallup Tribe cultural resource specialists should have an excellent handle on what is needed. In regards to farmland heritage, the warehouses completely destroys it, and in addition to tribal culture mitigation measures, property developers should buy and restore an equal number of unused agricultural lands in the Puyallup River – Orting Valley for a community farming project, offering use at $1/acre/applicant.
Re: That Pedestrian Trail – The updated plan is not consistent with the nature of the Riverwalk & Foothills Trail system. Who wants to walk/bike/board next to 7 giant warehouses? The buffer should include a full environmental restoration of the Puyallup River streambank with with additional vegetative buffering to eventually “hide” warehouses from the trail. All building walls should be terraced to grow vegetation (native or agricultural crops) with a goal of no empty wall space visible from any direction. All asphalt areas must be bordered by native “rain garden” runoff areas with a property easement ensuring they are maintained as such in perpetuity by property owners.
Re: Air & Climate – All buildings must be required to have solar panels and/or vegetation (native plants or agricultural crops) covering the entirety of otherwise empty roof space. Solar must, at a minimum, offset energy use of buildings, asphalt construction, and the 6,723 vehicle trips/day averaging a distance of 30 miles each.
Please consider a donation of any amount, and invite your friends to like our Facebook page. Sponsored by Puyallup Voters for Integrity, PO Box 42, Puyallup WA 98371. No candidate or party contributes to, authorizes or controls this Political Action Committee which is registered at the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. 2025 campaign season contributors over the $100 threshold so far include Chris Chisholm, PV4I Treasurer. When facts are presented, we want them to be accurate. If you find any errors, please email us with original-source evidence for correction.
Puyallup Voters for Integrity 
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