Splicing Small Farms into Residential Development

One company is looking to build mid-rise and high-density housing on roughly 1,000 acres outside Seattle. The developer is hoping that including a farm in the project could help local agriculture stay alive amidst urban growth.

"The project would not only transform Kitsap's forested northern tier and provide a safety valve for Seattle's developmentally stressed Eastside suburbs, but Rose predicts it could trigger $600 million in private investment in the county over the next two decades. Predictably, the plan has generated high excitement in Kitsap's business community and even elicited tepid enthusiasm from the county's environmentalists.

Almost unnoticed in the local to-do about the planned development is a piece of Rose's vision that centers on a 27-acre farmsite just south of Port Gamble. The long-dormant farm sits near the middle of Olympic's development plan and is, in Rose's words, 'a fabulous amenity.'"