The largest piece of open land in central Maple Valley sits just southwest of Four Corners. The City's planning materials put it at 123 acres. It runs between SR 516, SR 169, SE 280th Street and 228th Avenue SE, with Tahoma High School to the north and homes on the other three sides. King County owns it. Over the years it has held a county road-maintenance yard, a gravel pit and part of the old Elk Run Golf Course. Today it is vacant.
For buyers comparing Maple Valley with nearby towns, the site matters because something will eventually be built there, and the decision about what gets made in public over the next year. The City of Maple Valley has started a Summit Place Subarea Plan and Planned Action EIS. Its published schedule had the Planning Commission giving feedback on October 28, and the City Council takes its turn on Monday, November 2. The history explains what that process is designed to fix.
A county roads yard that was sold once, on paper
King County bought what it then called Summit Pit in 1953. In February 2009, the county approved a $51 million sale to Summit Place 156 LLC, a company the county described as formed by Yarrow Bay Group. Closing depended on moving Road Services operations to Ravensdale or another suitable location. The 2009 ordinance described the property as 156.5 acres. The City's current figure is 123.
The deal ran into trouble almost immediately. Later in 2009, county records show the buyer asking for a one-year extension. Joint-planning and annexation issues had left it unable to judge whether development was feasible, and the original planning deadlines could no longer be met. According to a 2012 King County Auditor report, Yarrow Bay told the county on February 17, 2011 that it would not buy the property, and the agreement was terminated. The county then tried to find another buyer. It stopped in March 2012 because it could not negotiate an acceptable price, and the Auditor noted the county hoped to sell once property values recovered from the recession.
Property values in the region did recover long ago. The land is still empty.
The zoning rule that asks for a tenant before a building
The site is zoned Regional Learning and Technology Center, or RLTC. Maple Valley's Comprehensive Plan has marked it as a future jobs center for more than a decade. The City says the site has to hold at least 841 future jobs, half of Maple Valley's jobs growth target for 2044. Policy ED-P2.3 tells the City to "prioritize employment uses on the Summit Place property… with secondary consideration of other uses."
That policy puts employers first, and the uses it allows are the hardest kind to start on spec. In the City's October 20 FAQ, the City explains that several developers have approached King County, but their proposals didn't match the City's vision or comply with the zoning. Education and office buildings, it notes, "typically require a tenant prior to construction," and the county has had no developer interest in uses that fit the current rules.
The ground adds more costs on top of the tenant problem. In a February 20, 2026 response to King County, the City listed what makes the site hard to develop:
| Constraint | Source of the problem | What it means for a builder |
|---|---|---|
| Possible ground and soil contamination | Decades as a King County Roads operations and maintenance site with heavy vehicles | Soil sampling before any plan can be priced |
| Stability of mined and filled soils | Former gravel extraction | Geotechnical work and possible foundation costs |
| No stubbed utilities | Minimal existing infrastructure | Development the City calls "difficult and expensive" |
| BPA power-line easement through the middle | Bonneville Power Administration corridor | No structures allowed, though trails and parking are |
| Limited access | Interstate access is limited and transit service is poor | A smaller pool of prospective companies |
| One large parcel | Single ownership tract | Possible phased development or a binding site plan |
Power is a cost too. The City says Puget Sound Energy has indicated a new substation will be needed to bring more than about nine megawatts to the site, and the City is working with PSE to learn when each development scenario would trigger it.
Taken together, the site's zoning favors the uses that are slowest to start, and the land itself makes every use more expensive to start.
What is different in 2026
The current push came from the county's budget. King County's 2026–27 biennial budget, Ordinance 20023, held back $100,000 until the Executive sent over a land-use, zoning and environmental assessment plan, developed with Maple Valley, to market and sell Summit Place. The proviso asked for highest-and-best-use analysis, an outline of the environmental review needed, public-engagement recommendations and cost estimates, with a May 1, 2026 deadline. The City's February response says a subarea plan should improve the site's marketability and expected value.
The City's main tool is the "planned action." Under RCW 43.21C.440, once a planned-action ordinance is in place, a project that fits it does not need its own threshold determination or additional environmental review under SEPA, except for impacts specifically left to the project level. The City describes this as front-loading the impact analysis and naming mitigation in advance to give future development more predictability.
The planned action targets the uncertainty that has kept builders away. The City's FAQ adds that zoning will be evaluated and possibly updated to reflect "current market realities and community priorities." The City also says it does not plan to build anything itself. A private developer would buy from King County and apply for permits after the plan and its regulations are adopted.
What each version could mean along the fence line
State law requires the EIS to study a No Action alternative plus at least two action alternatives. No Action does not mean the land stays open. Under today's RLTC zoning, King County could file valid applications now for education, community, office or medical and dental uses.
The City's FAQ describes a few features of the action alternatives:
- Perimeter buffers: Alternative 2 studies a 150-foot buffer and Alternative 3 a 50-foot buffer, and both look at keeping perimeter trees.
- Housing: At least one of the three alternatives includes some housing. Whether that means single-family homes, middle housing or multifamily is still open.
- Recreation: One alternative studies a recreation center. The City says community feedback overwhelmingly asks for an indoor one, but a 2021 joint study with Covington estimated $114 million to build and about three-quarters of a million dollars a year in public subsidy.
- Excluded uses: Current zoning allows light manufacturing but not warehousing or distribution, and the City doesn't expect warehouses or data centers in any alternative.
- Traffic: The consultant's analysis uses the 2024 Comprehensive Plan traffic model and covers PM peak-hour conditions at up to 12 intersections.
At the September 22 open house at Lake Wilderness Lodge, the City's summary of input to date covered a wide range: an indoor pool or ice rink, youth space, jobs and technology uses, mixed housing, no more housing, and keeping the trees and nature. The presentation also floated a possible mix on part of the site, with low-rise apartments, duplexes or townhomes alongside cafes and small restaurants. The scoping period drew more than 200 comments.
How it fits with the Legacy Site
Maple Valley is planning two large central properties at once, and they play different roles. The Legacy Site is a separate, 50-acre City-owned property on SR 169 across from Rock Creek Elementary. The City bought it through a 2000 bond initiative and added farmers-market parking, staging and a pavilion in 2020. The City's Summit Place scope places both sites in the same South Commercial Center planning area and talks about connecting them. City materials describe Summit Place as a jobs center with a different mix from downtown. The planned SR 169 pedestrian bridge would link the Rock Creek side to the Legacy Site and trail. Its schedule calls for a bid award in November 2026 and completion in 2028.
The calendar from here
The City's schedule, as published October 20, 2026:
- Draft EIS and alternatives in development, fall 2026
- City Council feedback, November 2, 2026
- Draft EIS public comment period, February 8 to March 1, 2027, with an open house planned for late February
- Planning Commission recommendation, then a Council vote on a preferred alternative, spring 2027
- Final EIS and adoption process, summer 2027
- Final subarea plan and implementing regulations, fall 2027
None of the City's materials set a date for King County to sell, and the City says any sale proceeds are the county's call.
A short FAQ
Can the public still comment?
The formal scoping period closed September 30. Informal comments, and requests to join the notification list, go to project manager Amy Taylor at [email protected] or 425-413-6633.
Is a fire station still planned for the site?
No. The City says that need went away after voters approved annexing Fire Protection District No. 43 into Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
What about wetlands and slopes?
The City's consultant is running a reconnaissance-level wetland survey, and the site design aims to protect wetlands and conserve natural steep slopes, with buffers set under Maple Valley Code 18.60.270.
This post is general information about a public planning process. It is not legal or financial advice, so if a decision depends on it, check your own situation with the right professional.
If you're weighing a home near Four Corners and want help reading what Summit Place could mean for a particular street, Porterhouse Property Group follows this process meeting by meeting and is happy to walk through it with you. Connect with our Enumclaw specialists, and see our Maple Valley neighborhood page for current listings around town.