Stanwood revamping comp plan

By Brian Kelly

Herald Writer

STANWOOD — Stanwood will start a major update of its 20-year blueprint for guiding growth next year.

Although the overriding vision of the comprehensive plan will remain the same, the planning document needs to be updated given recent growth, traffic and economic trends, said Stephanie Cleveland, Stanwood’s planning director.

"We’re very comfortable with the foundation of the plan," Cleveland said. "We’re not planning on redoing the whole thing; we’re really looking at updates."

Stanwood, which boasted 3,923 residents in the last census, has doubled in population since 1990. It was the seventh-fastest-growing city in the county during that time period.

The current growth plan, created in 1993 and 1994, was adopted in 1995. It covers how fast the city will grow, where it will expand and what it will look like, as well as the road and other capital improvements necessary to accommodate growth. Much of the new work will probably be devoted to sections that cover land use and transportation, Cleveland said.

"Every chapter is going to be tweaked to reflect a new growth period," Cleveland said.

Also up for discussion will be changes to the city’s urban growth area, or UGA, the land that’s outside city limits but eyed for development over the coming two decades. Stanwood has approximately 812 unincorporated acres left in the city’s already-adopted UGA, land that the city expects to pull into its boundaries by 2014. Though that land still lies outside city limits, two annexation proposals totaling 491 acres are being reviewed.

Those inside the UGA can develop properties more intensively, while those outside are stuck with less-dense rural uses. When the plan is updated, Stanwood’s UGA will once again be up for discussion.

"We have to analyze the situation, to see if we have enough room or do we need more," Cleveland explained.

Cleveland hopes three citizens, and maybe as many as 10, will volunteer to serve on a comprehensive plan committee. The citizens advisory committee will work closely with the Stanwood Planning Commission, city officials and a consultant team that will be hired to coordinate the revisions.

The advisory committee will have one to two meetings per month for the next year. People interested in serving on the committee should contact the city’s community development department at 360-629-4577.

You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.

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