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News Dec 29 2011
MAPLE VALLEY REPORTER: Growth board ruling on YarrowBay developments reversed by Court of Appeals

Dec 13 2011
MAPLE VALLEY REPORTER: Three City Council members approve YarrowBay development agreements



Environment » Parks | Trails | Open Space | Water Quality

Open Space

A benefit to planned development is protecting valuable open space from the start of a project. YarrowBay has committed to setting aside vast amounts of land for open space, ensuring that Black Diamond holds on to the natural beauty of its rural setting. Through a combination of land conveyance and conservation easements, these properties will be effectively preserved as open space in perpetuity.

This preservation of open space is a key component of the Black Diamond Urban Growth Area Agreement (BDUGAA) which the City of Black Diamond, YarrowBay’s predecessors and King County entered into in 1996.

The completion of the BDUGA agreement will result in over 1,600 acres of open space being set aside. As of today, approximately 1,237 acres of open space have already been conveyed to King County and the City of Black Diamond. Within The Villages and Lawson Hills themselves, YarrowBay has set aside at least 625.1 acres of land as open space, and recreational uses. In total, at least 1,871 acres of total open space will be set aside as a result of the BDUGAA and YarrowBay’s MPDs.

Open spaces are a combination of the natural and the manicured - the informal and the formal - the active and the passive - depending upon their location and functions. Manicured open spaces will be planted with indigenous or regional plant species in order to fit the climate and character of the area.

The natural open space system, in the form of wetlands, bogs and their surrounding buffer areas, are a major key to long-term environmental sustainability in The Villages and Lawson Hills. Natural open spaces provide wildlife movement corridors and important habitat. In some instances, they will support local environmental education initiatives from the schools.

YarrowBay is proud of the vast amount of open space that we’ve been able to preserve. We know that this was part of a larger accomplishment, a vision established more than 15 years ago to identify opportunities that provide multiple benefits to the people in this area including housing, services, schools and open space. We are glad to be a part of that vision.
 
Open spaces are a combination of the natural and the manicured - the informal and the formal - the active and the passive - depending upon their location and functions. The landscape planting palette is primarily derived from indigenous or regional plant species in order to fit the climate and character of the area.

The natural open space system, in the form of wetlands, bogs and their surrounding buffer areas, are a major key to long-term environmental sustainability in The Villages and Lawson Hills. These spaces are protected from intrusive human uses and take advantage of natural systems to capture and clean stormwater for the community.

Natural open spaces provide wildlife movement corridors and important habitat. In some instances, they will support local environmental education initiatives from the schools. Stewardship of the natural environment begins with understanding this beautiful resource and educating residents and guests on its proper use and protection.