Steering growth to Seattle, urban areas -Seattle Times

The combined populations of Seattle and Bellevue could grow by nearly 300,000 under a plan that attempts to direct much of the region’s projected growth to its largest cities.

Vision 2040, adopted overwhelmingly Thursday by elected officials from four counties and more than 40 cities, also opposes building any more “fully contained communities,” such as Redmond Ridge, in rural areas.

The Puget Sound Regional Council’s 40-year blueprint for slowing sprawl and speeding up downtown renewal discourages high-density islands outside the urban growth line “because of their potential to create sprawl and undermine state and regional growth management goals.”

Tacoma City Councilmember Mike Lonergan, who headed the planning effort, said fully contained communities are “an oxymoron” because they overwhelm rural roads as the new residents drive elsewhere to work, shop and attend school.

Cities and counties aren’t required to comply with policies in Vision 2040, an update of the Vision 2020 plan that was adopted in 1995. But the Regional Council’s role in allocating some federal road-building funds gives it influence over local land-use decisions…

King County Executive Ron Sims, saying Redmond Ridge was a mistake, supported the Vision 2040 goals.

Sims adviser Karen Wolf called Vision 2040 “fabulous” and said it will allow King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties to grow by 1.7 million people without moving the urban growth boundary.

The plan would locate one-third of those new residents in the region’s five largest cities: Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and Bremerton. Smaller cities would take 41 percent of the growth, and areas outside cities 28 percent…

Bellevue City Councilmember John Chelminiak and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels’ spokesman Marty McOmber welcomed the goal of bringing 294,000 more residents into those two cities. Seattle now has 563,400 and Bellevue 109,600. That growth target will be apportioned between the cities through a separate county planning process. Continued…  For the fully story read Steering growth to Seattle, urban areas -Kieth Ervin, Seattle Times

Mike Rozell ~ Bellevue Realtor / Real Estate Agent ~ www.MyBellevueLifestyle.com