PenMet eyes Knight property for wooded space

Harbor Family Park site to expand, if all goes according to plan

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

The Peninsula Metropolitan Parks District is trying to secure 18.79 acres of wooded property just north of Harbor Family Park.

The Knight property, as it is known, is located at the corner of 70th Avenue NW and 32nd Street NW in Gig Harbor’s Wollochet Bay neighborhood.

The acquisition would enlarge the footprint of Harbor Family Park to nearly 38 acres. PenMet plans to use the new area for passive recreation, such as trails, nature observation and educational opportunities.

Eric Guenther, recreation and special projects coordinator for PenMet, said the plan for the original portion of the park was to have a mix of natural areas and developed areas. If the new acreage is acquired, it won’t change the original design; it will just be configured differently.

“There won’t be any more development than what we have planned,” he said. “It would just offer a more efficient use of the park with regard to the active versus passive recreation areas and the open undeveloped space. We would be able to save more significant trees.”

Dr. Julie Gustanski, president of the PenMet Foundation, said acquiring the property would make a rewarding contribution to the balance of the park system.

“The Knight forest has some wonderful stands of old growth forest,” she said. “It’s also a habitat area that connects this to other corridors — there’s a lot of unique attributes that can be protected.”

The foundation is a non-profit organization whose primary role is working to secure private funds to support parks, provide funding for land acquisitions and maintain parks and improvements.

It celebrated its two-year anniversary May 5. During that time, it has raised more than $700,000 for park-based projects.

“We advocate quality community-based parks, recreational facilities and green spaces, whether they turn out to be ball fields, trails or just public places to gather,” Gustanski said. “The PenMet foundation has applied to the county for a Conservation Futures grant to help acquire the Knight Forest property.

“On application for the Conservation Futures grant, we received numerous letters of support for the project. The district has a huge commitment here.”

Guenther said more than $500,000 was raised to help the district acquire Harbor Family Park. The other half was matched by a state grant.

“Now a similar process has to occur to acquire the Knight Forest property,” he said. “If we don’t, it would probably be sold to a developer or to a private party.”

The site has been identified in the city’s comprehensive plan area as a future site for parks and recreation, Gustanski said.

“This site has been thought about for some time,” she said. “And the opportunity is there now. It would provide a tremendous resource for this area. It is the most heavily populated area of non-incorporated Gig Harbor.”

Gustanski said the county planning department has identified several trees on the property that are more than 100 years old.

“There’s so many reasons this would be better as a park area as opposed to homes,” she said. “This would provide a wonderful opportunity for people to have somewhere to go at the end of the day and get away.”

Guenther said the possibility of acquiring the land is encouraging because of the strong support that was given to obtain Harbor Family Park.

“We need the community to step up and help do this,” he said.

To thank the community for its efforts, PenMet will host a party for volunteers and supporters of Harbor Family Park from 2 to 4 p.m. May 31 at the Narrows Landing Restaurant.

PenMet Parks’ Thank You party

PenMet will thank its supporters and volunteers with a party on May 31.

Time: 2 to 4 p.m.

Date: Saturday, May 31

Place: Narrows Landing Restaurant, Tacoma Narrows Airport.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.