ROslyn, Washington
The city of Roslyn is proud of its past, as a coal mining town founded in 1886 on the lands of the Kittitas or Upper Yakama people and a destination for immigrants. And it is proud of its present, as a place of natural beauty and continued welcome (many residents today are descendants of these immigrant miners).
The cemetery, with its array of headstones representing the town’s multiculturalism, is well tended and an attraction for genealogists and others looking for a window into the past. And its carefully preserved historic architecture is a source of pleasure to residents and tourists alike. Roslyn also values its views of mountain ridges and its night skies, whose stars have not yet been dimmed by city lights.
Countless people have taken a keen interest in this small, hospitable town and the uptick in newcomers from neighboring regions over the last five years has only increased with the ease of telecommuting. Gentrification and displacement are not just urban predicaments. Residents of Roslyn have expressed concern about rising housing costs and a desire for attainably priced homes.
An opportunity at the #4 Mine Site
Roslyn has long had its eyes on a 30-acre parcel of land at the closed #4 Mine, untouched since the ‘70s, for its potential to support affordable housing, community green space and wetlands conservation. In 2017, the Roslyn Downtown Association reached out to Forterra about an opportunity to purchase the land. With legislative support for the initial purchase and due diligence, Forterra closed on the property in 2020. In 2021, Forterra began working with Roslyn residents and city leadership to craft a development approach for the property.
In partnership with the Roslyn Planning Advisory Team and the community, Forterra seeks to incorporate community priorities through the physical development, such as:
- Honoring Roslyn’s historical character
- Incorporating healthy wetlands and beautiful greenspace within the site
- Providing public parking, developing commercial space and other community attractions.
