If youve moved to North Snohomish County within the last 20 years, its time to shut the door behind you. Those who have been here longer and can remember when the area was even more beautiful than it is now its time to stiffen the spine.
Given that developers, builders and political machines have been joined at the hip since the days of the ancient Romans, its no surprise that only one County Councilman expressed immediate disapproval June 25 of a proposal to expand a future cluster-home project north of Lake Goodwin to as many as 1,200 new homes.
Apparently, the Snohomish County Council feels that there may be a way to get around the enormous water/sewer, environmental and traffic challenges this development would bring to that picturesque area. Nearby towns feel differently. Even Marysville who has gained notoriety for substituting mass-produced, close-quarter eyesores for beautiful, historic properties is opposed to it.
Questionable land-use decisions of the past should not be set-in-stone precedents for future actions. Land-use regulations should be strengthened, not softened. While some municipal and county leaders thankfully balk at selling their constituents down the river, others might not be so benevolent. It is time for politicians to recognize that the digits on their campaign checks arent the only numbers that count, that they will be voted out of office for not doing job number one safeguarding our quality of life.
Developers, homebuilders and even politicians have a right to make a living and property owners have a right to a retirement payday. But not at the expense of others. Residential development does not pay for itself; the mitigation fees dont come close to the long-term costs of necessary utilities, roads, fire, police and schools. I am not aware of a large surplus of family-wage employment opportunities in this area and have no interest in providing more bedroom communities for south county and Seattle. New residents do not bring new jobs into a community, save for the additional, low-paying industries needed to serve them. And we wind up accommodating the extra gas stations, grocery stores and fast-food restaurants that provide those jobs. And where will those poverty-level-wage earners live?
The cardboard-apartment builders have an answer for that.
Another myth is that any influx of taxpayers especially affluent ones boosts an areas infrastructure. If that were true, Washington would have some of the best roadways and public schools in the nation.
All those who stand to gain from radical changes in our surroundings would like us to keep sacrificing our quality of life and keep subsidizing their profits with our taxes while the roadways become more clogged, the air gets dirtier and the farms and trees disappear. Until there is an urgent need for more housing for workers who are employed in our communities, those who desire to live in a more open space can find real estate in the Dakotas. They can use a few more taxpayers there.
Steve Stav
Arlington