Letters

<< Previous   of   Next >>   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: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 COUNTY GROWTH Lake Stevens always gets shortchanged I have lived in the Lake Stevens area my entire life and have yet to understand the logic of Snohomish County with regard to planning for growth management. It is almost as if they are looking for a way to keep Lake Stevens a bedroom community for the benefit of everyone else. In 2000-2001, the county adopted a subarea plan for Lake Stevens. This plan eliminated the potential for commercial development along Cavelero Hill. In 2005, they upzoned properties to create more dense residential development in Lake Stevens, while giving Marysville the land adjacent to Lake Stevens for Marysville to obtain commercial and retail development along Highway 9. Ironically, they also approved a site-specific rezone for property adjacent to this area (the former Hewlett Packard site), which was in the Lake Stevens urban growth area, to convert it from commercial to residential. Looking back on it, I'll bet everyone involved is proud of that ridiculous move. Now the County Council is entertaining a proposal by a developer and Snohomish to take the land to the south of Lake Stevens and add it to the city of Snohomish for commercial and industrial development. Am I missing something here? Oh, yeah, I am: a job in my community. How can the county keep giving Lake Stevens the short end of the stick? Don't they know we'd like to have some jobs and services in our town so we aren't driving everywhere all the time? The fact is that county buildable lands figures show that Lake Stevens ranks near last among all the county's cities in jobs per household at 0.42. Until the county and stakeholders can produce a sensible plan to handle the growth in the Lake Stevens and Snohomish urban growth areas, I am pleading with the council to hold off on approving any expansions at this time. Brent Kirk Lake Stevens

1. Snohomish County man dies of swine flu 2. Lynnwood bank reprimanded by government 3. Police ID make of vehicle in fatal hit-and-run 4. Armed man shot by deputies in Arlington 5. IRS joins puppy mill investigation 6. Jetty Island ready for sand castles 7. Boeing's 6-month tally: 1 net order 8. Warriors & Patriots: Many American Indians served before getting full citizenship rights 9. Movin' out 10. Marshals seize swindler's home 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people