As a University of Washington employee and north Snohomish County resident, I am very excited about the UW coming to the Snohomish-Skagit-Island county area. However, I would urge those who are looking at locations to factor campus community and traffic volume into their decisions. Putting the campus in the downtown Everett area or farther south is only going to add to the nightmarish traffic conditions trying to get over the Snohomish River and past U.S. 2.
Also, there are space limitations that must be considered. The location selected for this campus should be large enough to accommodate additional growth so that it can create a sense of community. Urban campuses spread out among cities do not do that. They do not foster interdisciplinary discourse or interactions among students and faculty.
It took decades to get this far. Let’s be forward thinkers – look north. If the campus is placed between Marysville and Stanwood it will have enough room to be designed with an entire campus community in mind, reduce stress on the southbound commuters, and encourage the development of the entire region, not just adding to the downtown clutter.
Jennifer Payne
Maryville
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