http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/aug/18/rolling-hills-transfer-seen-as-win-win-for/
Our Response. This was something that was a dream for many from the time the county purchased the DNR land in 2001. In 2003 the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Plan was issued that suggested the county consider a future purchase of the golf course to ensure it remained a golf course. In 2006 there was a push to have the golf course zoned for housing at 5-9 homes per acre, which would accommodate nearly a 1000 homes. The Illahee community fought that zoning proposal, and because of that fight the commissioners reversed the planner's request and it went back to an urban reserve zone, which is one home for 10 acres. Around the same time, the owners wanted to sell the golf course to the county, but negotiations fell through. Subsequently, other approaches were looked at including a Centennial Clean Water grant obtained by the Port of Illahee from the Department of Ecology, which found the sediment pollution of Puget Sound was primarily from the area north of the golf course, but that likely golf course property would be needed for detention facilities. It was thought the watershed study documenting the sedimentation problem would help justify a possible purchase of the golf course. Subsequently the Port of Illahee looked at grant opportunities to purchase the golf course, but found there was little grant money available. In other words we were coming up against road blocks in every direction we turned. And so when we got the call we ecstatic and almost speech less that the golf course agreement had been forged. Much thanks goes to Don Rasmussen and Kerma Peterson for their generosity, and to Josh Brown for finding a way for it to happen.
Jim Aho
