Urban centers offer hope for quality growth

Snohomish County’s population will continue to grow. That much is certain.

How well that growth will be planned is less clear. One urban model of recent years – single-family lots strewn together with too little attention to amenities like parks, trails, nearby transit stops and shopping – won’t do. There simply isn’t enough room left in urban areas.

One very promising alternative is the concept of urban centers, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods that offer a mix of homes, offices, retail and public space. Located near existing transit lines, these centers offer a combination of form and function.

A couple of such projects already are underway, one east of 1-5 at 164th Street SW, another east of Mill Creek along Seattle Hill Road. County planners would like to see another take shape around the I-5 interchange at 128th Street SW, and they’re asking neighbors, many of whom objected strongly to the concept when it was introduced more than a year ago, to offer their vision of what future development should and should not include.

With change, of course, comes worry. One of the chief concerns is traffic, which is already badly congested at 128th during commute hours.

That’s why residents should make the effort to participate in tonight’s program at McCollum Park, where existing ideas can be debated and new ones can be brainstormed. County planners insist that they’ll come to the program with an open mind, and will take neighbors’ suggestions seriously.

Smart development with community backing might even draw the attention of transportation planners, who might move road improvements for the area higher on the state’s priority list.

This isn’t an opportunity to block growth. Thousands of new residents are headed here, and the I-5 corridor is an obvious place to direct them. It is, however, a terrific opportunity to become involved in the front end of the planning process, rather than complaining after most of the key decisions have been made.