Originally published in the Enumclaw Courier-Herald, April 26, 1989
Homes and revenue for the City of Black Diamond could be on the way again, because the Black Diamond Lake annexation that was killed in September may see new life.
Majority property owner John Walker, on a recent visit from Florida, said he and the City of Black Diamond are in the “conversation stages” of a possible proposal.
“If the city is interested, I’m willing to go along with it, Walker said.
Walker and city officials would not discuss the current proposed plans.
The original proposal outlined a 160-unit, $45 million luxury housing neighborhood for the area. The homes would have boosted the city’s population by one-third along with property tax revenue and services.
The annexation, which formerly was handled for Walker by The Graddon Co., was pulled from a King County Boundary Review Board docket two weeks before it was scheduled for a hearing in September.
In September, The Graddon Co. sent a letter to the city council stating that the owner of the 400-plus-acre portion of land southwest of Black Diamond was no longer interested in pursuing an agreement with Black Diamond. A property owner cannot withdraw a petition from the Boundary Review Board, but the Black Diamond City Council opted not to pursue the annexation.
During the proposed annexation process, Black Diamond had made restrictions to help preserve the natural wetland in the area with city sewer hookups, wanted increased water storage facilities or a new water source and had asked for a northern access road to cut down on traffic through the Green River Valley.
The developer also did not opt to pursue plans for the annexation through King County.
The annexation was supported by Water District 105, the Black Diamond Economic Summit, and the University of Washington economic study on Black Diamond.
The annexation was also fought by the Upper Green Valley Preservation Society, which argued the city’s 2 ½-acre cluster housing zone, the wetland issue and said the traffic and drainage problems would affect them.
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