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LOCAL | Covington’s Community Christmas tree history pre-dates city [page 3]
SPRAWL AND BRAWL | Jens Pulver tells WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking Tahoma Junior High students how he went news, sports and weather stories. maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012 from Maple Valley to the UFC [15]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Northern Gateway study work progresses
Re-zone approved for Brandt Property
BY KRIS HILL
BY TJ MARTINELL
khill@covingtonreporter.com
tmartinell@maplevalleyreporter.com
Covington is proceeding with the second phase of its Northern Gateway study in an effort to plan for future development of land that the city could potentially annex. Two main conclusions came from the first phase of the study which was conducted earlier this year, explained Covington’s Community Development Director Richard Hart in an email interview. First, the city met five of COVINGTON the six criteria required by King County to move the Urban Growth Area boundary to include a portion of the study area, known as “the Notch,” and eventually allow the city to annex the land. Second, Hart wrote, the first phase of the study concluded it would be not only possible but wise to develop the Hawk property, presently home to gravel extraction and asphalt operations, but where residential, office and commercial retail development could be built.
The Maple Valley City Council approved an ordinance to re-zone the Brandt Property in the northern part of the city at the Dec. 10 meeting. The 50 acre chunk of land, located northeast of state Route 169 and Southeast 240th Way, is seen by both the city and the property owners as a potential location for future business growth and tax revenue. Although the ordinance allows for taller MAPLE buildings to be VALLEY built on certain sections of the property, City Manager David Johnston stated that various conditions were placed on development to address concerns from homeowners in nearby residential neighborhoods. Concerns range from the possible effect on traffic to the appearance of buildings that could potentially go up there. During the public comment section of meetings, as well as in letters written to the city, residents repeatedly asked for a greenbelt buffer
[ more STUDY page 11 ]
Conquering Hunger
Farelli’s brings pizza and brews to town Puget Sound chain opened its doors in October in Maple Valley Town Center BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@maplevalleyreporter.com
At Farrelli’s, it’s a self-serve kind of place when it comes to the tap. The restaurant, located Maple Valley Town Center at 26642 Maple Valley-Black Diamond Road, offers a combination of wood fire baked pizza and a direct approach for
Kentwood student Sara Elzinga places a box of food on the scale as part of the school’s fifth annual Munch Madness food drive. The drive raised more than 50,000 pounds of food. The food drive is a competition among classes similar to a March Madness bracket. Last year Kentwood students raised about 40,000 pounds for local food banks. To view a slide show go to www. maplevalleyreporter.com. TJ MARTINELL, The Reporter
patrons to refill their drinks. Although the restaurant is divided into two different sections, family and adult, Clayton Krueger, director of marketing and communications at Farrelli’s, said they strove for a relaxed environment. The adult section, for example, has a fire table with a fire in the center, while the family section is designed to resemble the family dinner table. Farrelli’s also has two tables with four self-serve taps, which makes it the second restaurant in the state to do so, Kruger said. Rather than order a full glass of beer, a person can fill up a smaller amount to see if they like it before committing to the brew. A customer is ultimately charged based on how many ounces they’ve consumed of which beers.
[ more BRANDT page 4 ]
The pizzas are baked on an apple wood, which is intended to create a more balanced heat and a caramelized crust, which Kruger said is hard to do with a conventional oven. They also use the best ingredients possible, Kruger said. Their cheese is delivered through a partnership with Grande Cheese, which is not sold to the public. Farrelli’s also offers an entire gluten-free menu section and diabetic friendly foods. “We do not skimp on quality,” Kruger said. “We seek out the best quality products we can have for our products. I think you can taste that difference in every bite.” Farrelli’s, which has five other locations in the state, [ more PIZZA page 6]