About 140 acres of forested land around Issaquah, including the entire Park Pointe area on the foot of Tiger Mountain, has been preserved and protected from development.

The multi-year project is a reflection of the city’s vision to increase density while protecting large areas of open space, called smart growth.

The Issaquah City Council took one of many necessary votes March 21 to accept the Washington State Department of Transportation land it expects to soon sell to Bellevue College and housing developers.

Selling the land makes it possible to buy up Park Pointe.

“We found a creative way to utilize our strong partnerships with the business community and local land owners to continue our mission of smart growth – all without using public funds to preserve the land,” said Mayor Ava Frisinger in a press release.

The city hasn’t decided whether it will continue to maintain the land, or whether it will hand it over to another agency, such as the Department of Fish and Wildlife.