by Holly Borba
While many know the town of Roslyn as the filming locale for the hit TV show Northern Exposure, few are aware the town is also the scene of a heated growth management dispute between local residents, county officials and big timber interests. Last January, in the process of implementing the Growth Management Act (GMA), Kittitas County Commissioners voted to not designate two contentious parcels of land as "Forestland of Long-Term Commercial Significance." The parcels at stake included 7,500 acres along the Cle Elum River Corridor and 7,000 acres on the ridge above the towns of Roslyn and Cle Elum.
That decision pleased Plum Creek Timber Company, disputed owner of the parcels. The company did not want the Cle Elum River property designated as resource land because they intended to develop it into a Master Planned Resort complete with thousands of condominiums and an 18-hole golf course.
"They (Plum Creek) were really talking out both sides of their mouth," said Lea Beardsley of the Ridge Committee, a citizen group which formed when Plum Creek announced plans to harvest timber around the town of Roslyn in the late 80s. "They were saying this isn't resource land but at the same time, they were logging it."
Prior to the county's decision, a number of public hearings were held during which local residents and Ridge members testified, using the county's criteria, to demonstrate the eligibility of the land as commercial forestland. According to Ellie Belew, Ridge member and Roslyn City Council member, some thought it ironic that the Committee be put in the position of arguing in favor of the commercial significance of the land. "It is to their (Plum Creek's) advantage that it appear we are asking for opposite things," said Belew. "I don't see it as an issue as long as we stand firm in our goal of moving toward a sustainable forest and economy."
After consulting with local economists and looking at a number of similar developments which have occurred in the last 10 to 15 years, the Ridge Committee prepared a white paper on the economic and social impact of a Master Planned Resort. Among their findings was that a development of the size and scope proposed by Plum Creek would dominate the local economy, turning nearby towns such as Roslyn into service or bedroom communities. "When so-called 'destination resorts' such as this are located near a city like Seattle, they essentially become mini-cities," said Belew. "All of the demands of residential development are made. It's a false name to call it a destination resort. It would really be an instant city the size of Ellensburg."
Rising land costs associated with residential development would edge out the possibility of locating light manufacturing in the area. "We would lose out on a whole way of diversifying our economy," Belew said. In addition, any jobs brought to the area would be primarily low-wage seasonal jobs which would pit locals against out-of-town college students.
The Ridge Committee's opposition took a formal tone June 1 when they appealed the county decision to the Eastern Washington Growth Planning Hearings Board. On July 28, the board decided in favor of the Ridge and directed the county to include the land in question as "Forestland of Long-term Commercial Significance."
In response, the county has said they will appeal the board's decision. That response baffles Belew. "I'm mystified, personally," said Belew. "It is a mystery to me economically, in terms of the cost to the county and in terms of time." The county is currently meeting all the time over other areas of the Growth Management Act, said Belew, and is bumping up against deadlines for filing decisions. "Why they are choosing to do this, I don't know. I can understand why Plum Creek would want to, but the county? It just doesn't make sense."
While the battle over resort development appears to have been won, at least temporarily, the Ridge Committee continues its efforts in the fight for sustainable management of local lands. Currently they are exploring ways to develop a community land trust for the "Ridge to River" area, approximately 14,000 acres which includes the parcel intended as a Master Planned Resort. With some financial support from the Washington Corporate Council for the Environment, Ridge has conducted feasibility studies on structuring a community trust. Obviously, buying the land outright is not a realistic option for a group of community activists. There are ways around that, said Belew, such as purchasing development rights to the land. "Similar efforts have been made in other areas of the state but they haven't been entirely successful. It is tricky because you are trying to manipulate the real estate market," said Belew.
Belew says the feasibility process has been slowed by less funding than had been anticipated. "We're still continuing with the process; we just have to be more realistic about how much we can do at this point." Since they are far short of the resources available to Plum Creek, the Ridge is at a political disadvantage. Belew points out that Plum Creek attorney John Hemplemen is currently working out suggested language for Master Planned Resorts on a committee of the WA State Department of Community Development. "We aren't in the position of being able to go to Olympia all the time," Belew said.
Complicating matters is the reality that determining how to acquire the land is only half the battle; deciding how to manage it once it is acquired is another dilemma. "We aren't talking about pristine old growth here," Belew said. "Much of this land is going to require a long time to recover before it can be economically viable. We have to ask, 'What are our options in the meantime?' "
Belew is aware of the concerns Roslyn residents have about the local economy, and says there are people who talk about their children having to leave to find jobs. On the other hand, residents are aware of the costs that come with logging or tourism. "I think the Northern Exposure experience has given people a good idea of some of the costs of instant success or tourism."
For Belew, the most critical aspect of a community land trust is that it would put crucial economic decision-making power where it belongs - in the hands of the people these decisions will most intimately effect. "If this community makes a decision and I don't agree with it, I can live with that," Belew said. "What I can't live with is a decision made by a corporation whose sole intent is to turn a profit for their shareholders."
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Contents on this page were published in the October/November, 1994 edition of the Washington Free Press.
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