Heraldnet.com
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2009 6:55 am
LocalNorthwestNation & WorldPoliticsSpecial ReportsPhotosColumnistsMultimedia 
Herald Editorial Board

Bob Bolerjack,
Opinion Editor
bolerjack@heraldnet.com

Carol MacPherson,
Editorial Writer
cmacpherson@
heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
Herald Publisher
funk@heraldnet.com

Kim Heltne,
Assistant to the Publisher
heltne@heraldnet.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Saturday
Two dead, two injured in Lynnwood car wreck
Accident near Poulsbo kills Marysville man, inj...
Icy conditions lead to numerous wrecks on count...
Friday


Salish Sea: Huge body of water now has common n...
Cost of dispute falls on Monroe
Lawsuit blames county and weed inspector in man...
Thursday


Nursed to health by volunteers in Lynnwood, sea...
Everett boy left with brain damage; father face...
Monroe must fill $290,000 gap in budget
Wednesday


81 veterans' names, 81 meaningful lives honored...
USO singer's voice still charms them in Edmonds
Monroe honking case makes it to state Supreme C...
Tuesday


Fire destroys Emory's restaurant
Peggy Pritchard Olson always put Edmonds first
Camano Island burglaries spike: Is Colton back?
Monday


Tree clearing, mud slide angers Everett neighbor
Later start for school day unlikely in Marysville
Hopes for Snohomish excursion train may hinge o...
Sunday


Glacier Peak freshman overcomes jitters to win ...
Gay marriage issue can wait, say Referendum 71 ...
Cities across south Snohomish County see tax re...
 

ADVERTISEMENT

Commentary   Print This Article  Email This Page  Subscribe Now! facebook digg reddit del.icio.us fark stumble

 
ADVERTISEMENT

 
HAVE YOUR SAY
Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor.
You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another.
Send it to:
E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com
Mail: Letters section
The Herald
P.O. Box 930
Everett, WA 98206
Fax: 425-339-3458
Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).
 
Published: Saturday, December 29, 2007

GUEST COMMENTARY

How will new council solve density puzzle?

I found Jeff Switzer's Dec. 15 article about the Snohomish County Council denying plat approval for a seven-unit condo project in Lynnwood quite interesting. My interest has less to do with why the council voted 3-2 to deny -- I have not reviewed the record and would be remiss to be critical of the vote without all the facts -- but rather with my concern about the over-arching policy issues that seem to directly contradict the goals the majority on the council proscribe to.

Advocates for property rights have been at odds with the inherent goals of the state's Growth Management Act since its inception. The GMA required policymakers over the last 15 years to make very difficult decisions when drawing growth boundaries, leaving some land owners with down-zoned property (reduced value) and others up-zoned (increased value). The goals of the community seem to override the desires of the land owner.

The rallying cry from those promoting "smart growth" has made the case over and over that we must limit urban sprawl into the rural areas in order to limit public infrastructure costs, preserve open space and protect resource land. The result is to increase density in the existing urban areas, with promised urban amenities being required of developers. The council's recent vote declaring 164th Street at ultimate capacity is a direct result of the density and infill policies of the last 15 years.

The contradiction that I referred to is what the council proposes to do with the current comprehensive plan growth projection of 300,000 new people if they deny permitting the density infill required under the Growth Management Act. They will respond with commentary about design standards, neighborhood character and lack of infrastructure as reason to deny.

You can anticipate new policies from the new council to be seated in January to create new regulations such as design standards, add a tree retention ordinance and new restrictions on rural development. All of which will further reduce the infill required by the comprehensive plan while adding to the purchase price of new homes for future Snohomish County residents.

It will be quite interesting to watch the two new council members navigate the apparent contradiction. The voters who just elected them (all of whom live with in the urban growth boundary) by and large did so due to the "smart growth," anti-development message that both men expressed in their campaign messages. However, state law and the county comprehensive plan requires that 85 percent of the new population growth be added to those very urban growth boundaries inside of which those voters reside.

Quite a puzzle, wouldn't you say?



Jeff Sax, a former member of the Snohomish County Council, is a Realtor with Windermere Real Estate in Lake Stevens and president of Cascade Resources Group, a land use consulting firm.

1. Lake Stevens neighbors protest loss of left turn off Highway 9
2. Police look into fire at Emory's restaurant in Everett
3. Man who died from fall identified
4. Mural memorializing fallen soldier lost in effort to fix Silvana building
5. Marysville-Pilchuck comes up short in battle of unbeatens
6. 'Twilight' tourism
7. Accident near Poulsbo kills Marysville man, injures five
8. In Forks, it's always Twilight
9. Expect wintry roads at passes, dusting of snow on Snohomish County hills
10. Icy conditions lead to numerous wrecks on county roads
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Memorial for Peggy Pritchard Olson set
Bazaar Fever
Hawks proud of historic season
Olson always put Edmonds first
Honoring student veterans
‘Wheedle' author comes to Lynnwood bookshop
Mavs build early lead en route to easy win
Prep football games of the week (state playoffs)
Tears of laughter, tears of grief
The Enterprise Online Newspaper


25% off Bath & Groom
New Customers

$1 off French Dip
$4.99 Burger Basket

Great Food
24 Hours a Day

Free Dessert!
Click here!

50% off 2nd Pizza
Special Click Here!

Come and Relax
Monthly Specials

$5 Off
Stylecut

$5 OFF
Lunch or Dinner

FREE Appetizer w/
purchase of 2 entrees

Buffet Dining
Tulalip Resort

Free Garlic Bread/Free Soda
Click here for details!

Family Night Free Sundae
$9.99 Prime Rib

Lube, Oil & Filter
Buy 1 - Get 1 FREE

FREE Appetizer with any
purchase daily 2-6pm

Pacific Northwest
Fresh Cuisine

20% off Click Here*
Buy 1 Offer Click Here*

QuadraFire Save $250
Free Smart-Stat

All you can Eat Buffets
Angel of the Winds

20% Off Dinner
Up to $75 Value!

Island Flavors with
Finest NW Ingredients

FREE 6 lb. Pad w/
30yd Carpet Purchase

$2 OFF
at Box Office

15% Off Your
First Time Purchase

Oil - Snohomish County
Low Prices - Fill Now!
TODAY'S TOP JOBS
 View All Top Jobs 
Top Cars
Top Homes

ADVERTISEMENT