The dispute over Kensington Gardens, a luxury retirement community outside of Gig Harbor, has moved to Pierce County Superior Court.
Once an event and wedding venue, the resort-style property featuring manicured hedges, European-style architecture and rooms filled with natural light has been at the center of a prolonged land-use dispute involving the estate’s owners and neighboring homeowners.
In August, The News Tribune reported that Dana and Erika Zimmerman, who live across from Kensington Gardens in a home that’s been in their family for generations, started a petition in 2021 opposing permits for the development. They collected over 1,000 signatures and went on to challenge Kensington Gardens co-owners, Mark and Kelly Watson, in hearings before the Pierce County Hearing Examiner last year, along with others opposed to the Watsons’ plan to build four additional villas on the property, The News Tribune reported…