Residents of Snohomish County care about Puget Sound and the other bodies of water here. And they think that they can have wide-ranging access to the waterfront without harming the environment.
That’s a common sense view that government planners must keep in mind as they consider future options along the Sound, the Snohomish River and county lakes and wetlands.
The Herald’s Waterfront Renaissance project succeeded in gathering considerable public input about the future of four waterfront areas: the Mukilteo tank farm, the North Everett Marina and two sites in Everett along the Snohomish River. Various park uses, shopping, restaurants and restoration of natural habitat tended to be the most popular choices at each site.
The results certainly weren’t scientific, but the responses point clearly to widespread public sentiments. For officials trying to make good use of public lands, the ideas can provide a reminder of the need to assure rich opportunities for public access in an environmentally healthy fashion.
Naturally, there will be differing opinions of what constitutes ecologically acceptable developments. But state environmental laws have good safeguards to ensure careful, scientifically oriented reviews of development plans along shorelines. That allows room for every viewpoint to be properly considered, without regard to its popularity.
Still, people have every reason to believe that public access and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. Indeed, anyone looking at Everett’s shorelines might conclude that a little more public access over the years would have gone a long way toward ensuring more environmental responsibility. And the idea still holds. Developing walking and bike trails all along the shoreline in Everett, for instance, would seem a likely step toward ensuring that the environment is well protected. Good public access can mean excellent public oversight and increased commitment to caring for natural resources.
As Herald stories reported in recent months, many cities have had success in cleaning up waterfronts while making them attractive places for the public. And many county residents have visited cities with much less promising waterfronts only to find much greater opportunities for the public to walk, work, shop or eat along the water. Quite reasonably, they come back asking: Why can’t we have that here?
Snohomish County has some of the greatest environmental resources anywhere. The combination of mountain and sea views is a rarity worldwide. The public thinks that it should have a chance to enjoy these resources while protecting the environment zealously. Those ought to be guiding goals for the region’s leaders.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
