Suburban growth is abundant in unincorporated Snohomish County. It’s a sign of a growing and prosperous economy. However it comes with a price.
The canvas of 35th Avenue SE between Maltby Road and 180th Street SE has been painted to look like a hellacious expanse of cookie-cutter houses and bumper-to-bumper traffic. There isn’t room for the road to expand. In some places the road lacks a median, which means traffic comes to a halt when a car wants to turn left.
Fernwood Elementary, the school my children attend, is 300 students over its capacity. Portables have taken some of the playing field. Kindergartners are being bused 20 minutes away because there is no room for them at the school. The new high school for Northshore that opened this school year was built on 35th Avenue SE.
Being in unincorporated county the police force is the Snohomish County Sheriff, and more houses means more communities to patrol. Is the county able to hire more officers to accommodate the growth? I am very concerned about the planning or lack thereof that is going into our communities. The infrastructure consisting of roads, schools, police and fire appears to be an afterthought.
Private developers are able to build communities faster than the government can keep up. How can these two entities work together so houses and infrastructure can grow alongside one another to create a more positive integration?
Megan Johnson
Bothell
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