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GROWTH 09-26-99
Where do we GROW from here?
Demand for big lots expected to change
John Dodge, The Olympian Originally published September 26, 1999
The demand for large lots in suburban and rural Thurston County is strong.
"My customers want to live in the suburbs and commute to work," says John Hayden, president of the Olympia Master Builders.
Will that change over time? Planners and community leaders think so.
Land is a finite resource. As the state and South Sound populations continue to grow, the options for families will narrow.
"We won't have the same choices anymore because we are growing," says Shane Hope, managing director of the state Growth Management Program. "We're going to run out of space -- the very thing that allows people to live in the suburbs."
"Higher densities will occur as the land prices go up," adds Tumwater City Councilman Pete Kmet.
The graying of South Sound will also play a role in where we live, says Pete Swensson, who tracks population trends for the Thurston Regional Planning Council.
The baby boomers are aging and that means the South Sound population will consist of more senior citizens and retirees than ever before. All age groups 45 and older are expected to grow two to three times faster than the county's overall population growth rate, Swensson says.
The county's aging population will increase the demand for urban housing, he says.
"In the long term, we'll be living closer together," Lacey Mayor Nancy Peterson predicts. The Olympian Copyright 2000 back to main GROWTH 09-26-99 index
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