On Tuesday, the Kent City Council will possibly vote on the issue of the sale of Pine Tree Park. If they do the right thing, they will vote to rescind the sale.
The city of Kent needs to take responsibility for making mistakes. King County’s deed covenants were violated. Kent annexed the park from the county, but the city has to uphold the special warranty deed with the county. It was written to protect the park and uphold the county’s vision of saving open spaces.
The city of Kent did not provide public notice that they intended to sell the park to a developer to build a high-density housing development. They did not hold public hearings to allow the citizens of Kent to voice their opinions on the subject.
The city did not follow the regulations of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to determine the impact the sale would have on the environment. As there are wetlands on this property, that is important. Pine Tree Park is open space land, with tall mature trees, nesting birds, animals and a trail. Is it a sports complex? No. Does it have a dock? No. It is open space, a place to walk and breathe the fresh air. It is priceless, a soul refill, something we all need.
I want to encourage everyone to attend Tuesday’s 7 p.m. City Council meeting to support this park, to let the council hear our voices. Let them know they need to do the job they’ve been elected to do and rescind the sale of Pine Tree Park.
– Carrie Stark
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