Firwood rezoning draws split between residents and developers over utilities, housing and industrial proposals

During the March 3 public hearing on Fife’s 2024 periodic update, the Firwood neighborhood became the most contested single topic, with residents, property owners and developers presenting sharply different proposals for the area’s future.

Residents urged the commission to keep Firwood residential. Several speakers said water and septic systems are failing, that well water is undrinkable and that sewer and potable-water access are prerequisites to any large-scale redevelopment. Bill Thomas, speaking on behalf of an estate in Firwood, said recent tests show water “a 9” on a 1–10 scale of potability and urged attention to water and sewer infrastructure before approving zoning changes.

Developers, landowners and their consultants asked the commission to approve industrial zoning or to adopt alternatives that mix industrial development with targeted housing. Tyler Litzenberger, who identified himself as a business owner with Vector Development Company and owner of about 20 acres along Freeman Road, described an amended proposal that would place industrial uses closer to Freeman Road while reserving buffers and adding net new housing and utility infrastructure that would benefit adjacent city-owned parcels.

The Pappay Group…