|
GROWTH 09-26-99
Sunday, October 8, 2000
Family gives up rural life to find sense of community West side story: A family gives up rural isolation for a neighborhood on Olympia's west side. John Dodge, The Olympian Originally published September 26, 1999
I think it's more environmentally responsible of us to live in the city." -- Dave Hitchens, college professor
OLYMPIA -- January 1999 marked a fresh start for the Hitchens family.
That's when they moved into Wellington West, a new housing development on Olympia's west side.
David, Joan and Leah Hitchens left behind a rural lifestyle when they moved from their Mud Bay area home.
They opted for the city for very personal reasons.
"Our No. 1 consideration was to have a sense of community, a sense of neighborhood for Leah," Joan Hitchens says.
Leah, 12, wasn't too keen on the idea of moving at first.
"I had grown up in that house," she says. "I didn't want to move."
But it didn't take long for Leah to see city living in a pleasing light.
"I have two friends that live on our street," Leah says. "And I'm able to walk to the Capital Mall. It's a lot of fun."
The reasons given by the Hitchenses for embracing the urban lifestyle embody what Olympia is trying to achieve, says Steve Hall, assistant city manager.
"You can't have a neighborhood potluck on one home per 5 acre zoning," Hall says. "Urban living is an opportunity for people to connect. The Growth Management Act is about building communities, not just building homes."
There are other practical reasons why the Hitchenses moved. Their new home is energy efficient and 2,300 square feet -- nearly twice the size of the country home.
Dave Hitchens, a professor at The Evergreen State College, also says he won't miss all the yard work he left behind. And, he says, being hooked up to city water and sewer service is a lot better than trying to maintain a septic system and a private well.
"I think it's more environmentally responsible of us to live in the city," he says.
Hitchens' comments echo one of the goals of the state Growth Management Act, which is to funnel growth into urban areas served by sewer and water utilities.
Joan Hitchens says she wasn't thinking about growth management when the family decided to move.
"What it all boils down to is personal choices," she says. "I feel that Leah's safer here in the city. There is safety in numbers."
Still, the Hitchenses have lived in South Sound long enough to see the changes growth is bringing to the community.
A founding faculty member at Evergreen State College, David Hitchens remembers Olympia's west side as a quiet neighborhood 30 years ago.
He recognizes the construction of the college propelled much of the west side growth. But he doesn't see it as a bad thing.
Joan Hitchens, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, says she notices the growth in the community every time she gets in her car in the morning to go to work.
"When you sit through a traffic light three times before it changes, is growth management working?" she asks. "I don't know." The Olympian Copyright 2000 back to main GROWTH 09-26-99 index
|
|
|
 The Olympian - Olympia, Washington 
Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service. ©2002 The Olympian. |