In a Federal Way Mirror article, (Aug. 25, 2016) Industrial Reality Group’s manager Messmer is reported stating “… he’s taking the required 100-foot tree buffer along Interstate-5, the 50-foot tree buffer along Weyerhaeuser Way and the other required environmental protections seriously.”

Industrial Reality Group (IRG) is a California real estate development and investment firm who purchased the former 417 acre Weyerhaeuser corporate headquarters site in 2016. However, now (Nov. 8, 2018) our city Community Development Department ruled at the request of IRG that if a right of way is conveyed to the city for a street along the north boundary of the corporate park site, then a forest buffer is not required! Is this taking “environmental protections seriously”? We need a comprehensive plan for the property with binding environmental protections before more non-binding IRG statements are taken seriously.

Richard Pierson

Federal Way