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Water and Growth
Tuesday, October 10, 2000
Where do we grow from here? The Olympian's series thus far
A series of articles that began Sunday and ends today marks the latest installment in a months-long project by The Olympian.
Here's a look at some of the ground that has been covered:
-First, we examined land use and population trends, which showed South Sound in conflict with the anti-sprawl goals of the state Growth Management Act.
Nearly 40 percent of the building permits approved since the act was passed in 1990 have been in the rural area of the county.
-Second, we asked this question: Who pays for growth? We learned that local governments rarely take full advantage of the Growth Management Act, which allows them to charge fees to recoup most of the costs of growth.
They collect and assess fees in different, confusing ways. Hundreds of homes built in the 1990s in rural Thurston County have paid next to nothing for services such as roads, schools and parks.
-Third, we explored transportation problems and possible solutions as our community grows.
Traffic congestion is getting worse, but taxpayers are reluctant to pay for new transportation projects.
Nearly 85 percent of us commute to work in single-occupancy vehicles, and public transit has yet to catch on with the working middle class.
Previous installments
We invite you to view the previous installments:
Where do we GROW from here? October 9, 2000: Where do we GROW from here? October 8, 2000: Where do we GROW from here? March 20, 2000
Where do we GROW from here? March 19, 2000
Where do we GROW from here? November 22, 1999
Where do we GROW from here? November 21, 1999
Where do we GROW from here? September 26, 1999
COMING SOON
In the next installment of "Where do we grow from here," The Olympian will look at growth's effect on the local economy. The Olympian Copyright 2000 back to main Water and Growth index
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