Growth Management, Isn't

The Growth Management Act was adopted in 1990 because Democrats in the Washington Legislature "found that uncoordinated and unplanned growth posed a threat to the environment, sustainable economic development, and the quality of life in Washington."

As with all pie-in-the-sky social engineering projects liberals adopt, such as telling people where to live, where to shop, what to eat and drink, how much to drive, etc., etc., the GMA has been an unqualified disaster.

In a story Wednesday, the Seattle Times reported that:

In just over three years, Seattle already is halfway to reaching its targeted housing growth for 20 years.

And a few sections of town — Ballard, Eastlake, the Central Area, Greenlake, Lower Queen Anne and downtown — already have exceeded their 20-year targets.

Not surprising really. The Growth Management Act forced densification of core areas by prohibiting development outside "urban growth boundaries." So instead of living in suburbs, as has been the pattern since WWII, people are jamming into Seattle area condos and apartments as fast as developers can build them.

Even stubborn refusal by the Democrats in Olympia to address congestion problems that have resulted in Seattle having the 9th worst traffic in the U.S. has not slowed growth, as prayed for by the treehuggers.

The Growth Management Act should actually have been called the Real Estate Broker and Developers Enrichment Act. Land use regulations, concluded a recent University of Washington study, have added $200,000 to the cost of an average Seattle home. In fact, according to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, housing prices have appreciated significantly statewide since the passage of the GMA. Affordable housing for young families is scarce and growing scarcer.

Silly leftists, Trix are for kids. The Law of Unintended Consequences is immutable. People are like water. They are inexorable, constantly defy expectations, and always find the path of least resistance. God Himself gave us free will. If He cannot control what we choose to do, how can inept bureaucrats in Olympia hope to do so?

TRUE urban planning would account for human choice and behavior and not be based on idealistic and starry-eyed politicans and activists with no knowledge of the real world.

"Some growth is better than none"

One more time, with emphasis. There is no "urban sprawl" on the Palouse. There is no "runaway growth" on the Palouse. The 2006-2007 population data just released from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the Pullman and Moscow micropolitan areas are growing the slowest of any urban area in Washington and Idaho respectively, two very fast-growing states.

Our problem is just the opposite of "sprawl." We cannot "afford to be choosy" as some advocate. We cannot allow unproven concerns over a poorly understood water source be the nails in the coffins of our two towns. We cannot let the Palouse become a social engineering laboratory for academics and students who will be somewhere else in five or ten years. Instead, we had better do everything we can to encourage growth and roll out the red carpet to any business that wants to locate here. As UI prof Jeff Harkins always says, towns grow or they die. This is the conclusion the Daily News editorial board reached in a column published in last Thursday's edition:

Growth has long been a controversial topic in Moscow and Pullman.

Some want it at any expense, others would like the status quo maintained in perpetuity.

We think the correct approach is somewhere in the middle, and that's why recently released statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau are cause for concern.

The Moscow and Pullman "micropolitan" areas - urban cores of 10,000-50,000 people and the surrounding counties - grew 0.5 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, from mid-2006 to mid-2007.

That's not far from negative 0.5 percent and 1.2 percent, and that's what is most troubling.

Negative growth would cause a downturn in the local economy, resulting in the loss of jobs and local businesses and forcing some residents to leave the area in search of other opportunities.

Stagnation might produce similar results considering the basic cost of living - gas, groceries, energy - is only going to rise. Money to offset that rise is needed in the form of new jobs and residents.

Further complicating matters is declining enrollment at the University of Idaho. There currently are 9,980 students enrolled at the UI's Moscow campus, down 702 students from fall 2006.

UI economist Steve Peterson said there's a direct correlation between the number of students and the number of jobs in the area.

"If you're down 1,000 students, you can figure a loss between 500 and 1,000 jobs anywhere in the region," he said.

Imagine what would happen if Washington State University saw a similar decrease in enrollment.

A number of area business leaders and elected officials are encouraging growth, and residents need to get on board if they want their children and grandchildren to be able to live and work on the Palouse when they grow up, graduate and enter the work force.

The speed and direction in which the area expands might not agreeable to everyone, but growth at any pace is a far cry better than no growth at all.

The Rantings of an Arrogant and Contemptuous Jerk

Your blood will boil when you read what elitist WSU archictecture prof Ayad Rahmani wrote in an op-ed that appeared in the October 27, 2007 issue of WSU Today. Some quotes:

WSU’s claims to “world-class” status, while true, ultimately ring hollow because the reality finds no match with those statements. World-class ambitions cannot be met with low-class ideas. High-class faculty will refuse to live in scattered and inconsequential buildings. [And after all, it's only the "high-class" faculty that matter in this town. The rest of us are just low-class. Oh my God. -tf]

The new housing stock in Pullman sadly represents the worst of the effects of a market economy; it has neither respect for art or the environment — or for that matter the fact that within a short walk there is an architecture school with graduates who have gone on to change the world. [So what's stopping them for developing houses with respect for "art and the enivonment?"? Oh yeah, money. It's much easier to tell someone else how to spend theirs. - tf]

Rather than taking clues from cities such as Portland and Seattle — whose architects and developers have joined forces to create a denser and more community friendly environment [and that obsession with "density and community friendly environment" has added $200,000 to the average price of a Seattle home - tf] — Pullman developers have made more suburbs. These offensive McMansions, with garages looking onto the streets, use materials and planning that are highly wasteful and unsustainable. [You mean like wood, which is a renewable crop? Concrete? Seems to me there is a virtually infinite supply of sand and gravel. Vinyl, which can be recycled? What's wasteful and unsustainable? - tf]

Rather than building inward and promoting walking and bicycling, these suburbs force those who live in them to use their cars. And rather than building with materials that have a low-carbon footprint and reflect an inventive approach to scarcity, these same suburbs persist with a cookie-cutter mentality. [So why did Pullman just get nationally recognized as a "pedestrian-oriented" city? And where in the hell are we going to build "inward" in Pullman??????? College Hill?? Downtown?? There's no room left but at the periphery of town. But in any case, there is no "suburb" in town that is more than two miles from the WSU campus. What a joke to call that "sprawl." And that "cookie-cutter mentality" is otherwise known as "affordable family housing." How dare you insult my home as "cookie-cutter" when that is all I can afford, you snobby asshole. - tf]

The university also cannot rely on the town to resolve this problem; the town is too bogged down in trying to increase tax revenues to worry about the role of architecture in improving matters. The university must lead the way in not only improving its own grounds but in transforming the town. [Oh sure. The poor townies are so plebeian wanting to pay the bills for parks, police, fire and emergency services, schools, etc., etc. Let the highly-educated solons take over. I have read some elitist and snobby crap before, but this takes the cake. - tf]

"Walgreens will make home in north Moscow; Motel to come down, drug chain to go up"

More "smart growth" in Moscow. Despite Queen Nancy's objections to chain retail in the corridor ruining our "small town charm," wasting our water, not providing "living wage" jobs, and destroying local businesses that are sustainable and don't "siphon money out of the community," a third major national retailer has located in Moscow on her watch. This time it's Walgreens. Where are the petitions? Where are the angry pony-tailed mobs? The environmentally friendly torches? The non-aggressive pitchforks? Where is the concern for poor locally-owned Hodgin's Drug? Remember B.J., when one store goes in to Moscow, another goes out.

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Moscow is a blip on another corporate radar screen.

Walgreens, the nation's largest drug store chain, is coming to Moscow.

The business will locate at 414 N. Main St. The site was the home of an America's Best Value Inn, formerly the Mark IV Motor Inn.

"We have 24 stores in Idaho now. A year ago we had 20 stores there and two years ago only 17," said Carol Hively, Walgreens corporate spokeswoman. "Our expansion in Idaho has been steady and we're looking for locations in areas where we see increasing demand for prescription drugs, either due to a growing or older population."

The motel closed March 1 and the contents were sold. Demolition will begin soon with the appropriate safety precautions taken during the process.

The new Walgreens will have 14,800 square feet of space and parking for 45 vehicles, including three handicap spaces.

Construction is slated to start after the building permits are issued by the city in a few weeks.

The business is tentatively scheduled to open in the summer of 2009, but "that's just an approximation, so the opening could move up to spring or even back to fall, depending on a number of factors, including weather," Hively said.

Walgreens is a full-line drug store with more than 25,000 items.

The store will feature one-hour and digital photo services and a drive-thru pharmacy window.

Patients will have several options to refill medications including touch-tone service. Touch-tone allows a patient to enter a prescription number and request a time for a refill without having to speak directly to pharmacy staff. Patients may also arrange for automated refills and receive e-mail reminders of refill status.

The cosmetics department will have full-time beauty advisors to help customers.

The Illinois-based Walgreens had $53.8 billion in sales during fiscal year 2007. The company operates more than 6,200 stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. On average, a Walgreens store will have $8.9 million in annual sales.

The Moscow store will employ about 25 people

"Pullman recognized as pedestrian-oriented city"

Daily News editor Doug Bauer wrote in a recent editorial that "'Smart' growth isn't as big a buzzword in Pullman as it is on the other side of the border..."

For that matter, we didn't waste tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a "New Cities" project that produced absolutely nothing.

You see, we don't need fancy buzzwords or overpriced consultants to be a "pedestrian-friendly" city. History took care of that for us already.

The town's main employer, Washington State University is located roughly in the center of town. Parking, like at any major university, is scarce and expensive. Therefore, many university employees and students walk from nearby College Hill.


Pullman is also landlocked in a sea of wheatfields. Decades of stringent agricultural land-use regulations have prevented the town from growing very far outside its borders, making it very compact (and housing very expensive.) If you have ever seen Pullman from the air, you know what I mean. Virtually any point is within easy walking/biking distance of another. Even the so-called sprawl-creating Wal-Mart will be in close proximity to housing developments on Sunnyside and Pioneer Hills.

"Urban sprawl in Pullman" is a non-sequitur.

From last Saturday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Paul Funston is one of thousands of Pullman residents who walk to work each day.

"I find it more economical to walk than drive," he said. "It's also an enjoyable time to unwind."

Pullman recently was recognized as one of the top pedestrian-oriented communities in the country by streetsblog.org. The city was ranked No. 10 nationwide among "walk to work" communities containing more than 20,000 and less than 250,000 residents.

Of the approximately 25,000 people who live in Pullman, more than 5,000 walk to their destinations each day.

"The city has developed decent, safe walking paths for people," Funston said.

Planning Director Pete Dickinson credits the acknowledgment to the city's location.

"The fact that we're in a relatively isolated location with students, staff and faculty means that pretty much everyone lives in the community of Pullman," he said.

"We try to provide for a sizeable population to have the ability to walk to work."

The streetsblog Web site is sponsored by the Open Planning Project of New York. The streetsblog obtained its information from the "Bike at Work" database, which used U.S. Census figures to show how many people walk to their jobs in cities across the country.

The top three cities in Pullman's classification bracket were Ithaca, N.Y., Athens, Ohio, and State College, Penn., each of which have more than 40 percent of their residents walking to work.

All of the cities identified in the 20,000-to-250,000 list contain major institutions of higher learning or military installations, which raises the amount of pedestrian traffic.

According to the streetsblog report, it "would seem there are two major factors that influence the walkability of a city or town: institutional presence and pre-auto urban design. The key to both appears to be co-location of housing with the various destinations that people need and desire."

Dickinson said it's an honor for Pullman to be included in the list.

"It's a nice distinction and it shows that we're a pedestrian-oriented city," Dickinson said. "We'd like to maintain that distinction."

"Panel OKs rezone for business park; County commissioners will have final say"

I love this story because it skewers three myths all at once:

1. Big-box stores don't attract small business. STRATA will be located adjacent to the Hawkins development.
2. If we develop retail in the corridor, there will be no room for high-tech businesses that pay living wage jobs.
3. Moscow's "smart growth" policies haven't chased away business.

From yesterday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

The Whitman County Planning Commission recently approved the rezoning of 15 acres deemed critical to a proposed business park on Airport Road.

The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to Whitman County commissioners, who have the final say in the rezone.

The rezone was proposed by Moscow resident and business owner Travis Wambeke. If approved, it will change the designated use of the property - located at the northwest corner of Airport Road and O'Donnell Road, just east of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport - from agriculture to heavy industrial.

Assistant County Planner Alan Thomson said the current outline presented to the county calls for the creation of three 5-acre parcels that will be leased to construction-related businesses involved in engineering and other geotechnical work.

Thompson said Wambeke also plans to relocate his company, STRATA, to the business park. The business currently operates in Moscow.

County Commissioner Jerry Finch was not familiar with details of the proposal, but said - as always - he would welcome growth to the corridor.

"Obviously anything we can do out in the county to further economic growth we are happy about," Finch said. "It brings an opportunity to bring jobs into the county and that was our goal when we came in eight years ago."

Thomson said only a few residents showed up to the rezone hearing Wednesday and all said they supported the development. However, one resident voiced concerns over increased traffic on Airport Road and the compatibility of the business parks and nearby homes.

Thomson said traffic increases caused by the park would be minimal and the county's comprehensive plan allows for the rezone.

Planning commission member Guy Williams said the rezone met all of the county's criteria and he is "looking forward to it moving ahead."

Finch said the proposal provides just another indication that Whitman County has shed some of its stereotypes.

"We used to have a reputation of being anti-growth," Finch said. "Well, I think we've changed that and we are starting to reap the rewards."

Finch said the proposed business park likely will be one of many developments in the corridor.

"I think long-term right out along Airport Road will be a great commercial" and industrial area, Finch said.

Wambeke could not be reached for comment.

Thomson said commissioners are likely to make a decision on the rezone later this month.

Quote of the Day

Let's all move to Idaho. Then maybe we can select where we want to live and how we want to get to work.

- State Senator Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield) on State Senator Chris Marr's (D-Spokane) SB 6580 which paves the way to requiring that local land-use regulations be based on reduction of "greenhouse gases." The measure passed in the Seante and is now being considered by the House.

Song of My Selfishness

Janet Richards' Town Crier tripe in today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News amply illustrates well why the "progressives" are now in the political wilderness in Moscow. Who can take people this disdainful seriously? It is this same upper class, highly educated drawbridge selfishness that adds $200,000 to the price of Seattle homes.

WARNING: Do not click "Read More" if you are subject to nausea caused by overly florid prose, preening intellectual pretentiousness, tortured logic, asinine allegories, naturalist hyberbole, gratuitous use of adjectives, or haughty classical music references:

Importance of community-shared values

Cows graze behind the supermarket and wheat fields roll for miles in the alley behind our shopping center in Moscow. It's a lonely stretch of road - a soothing respite from the traffic and frenetic animation of the parking lot on the front side of the mall.

Drivers are discouraged from taking this route by a series of lofty speed bumps, installed to assure that only a limited number of cars will clog the delivery lane. The bumpy pavement forces a slower pace and provides a kind of rhythm to the journey, so the occasional jostle is never too much of a surprise. I like knowing what to expect.

The conspicuous evidence of consumption litters this corridor. Stacks of wooden pallets, torn shrink wrap and plastic strapping bands lie discarded - the common refuse of retail operations. Battered Dumpsters, with Smurf-colored paint, bulge with cardboard and packing peanuts resting against drab cinder block walls which form the "backside" of a marketplace filled with glitter and glitz.

The peaceful pasture that lays on the other side of this alley seems out of place. It's a bucolic scene, in stark contrast to the commercial setting that is its backdrop; a metaphor for the clash between the push for development and its opposition.

One day as I began the slow traverse of this undulating path I turned the radio to classical. The music was lilting, and beautiful, but I felt unsettled, my mind troubled by thoughts of the natural landscape on one side of the alley that seems headed for obliteration - threatened by the encroaching ooze of molten asphalt hardening into a permanent tomb and the relentless proliferation of retail outlets that have already scourged the nation.

Countless other towns have been swept up in the now familiar pattern that comes on the winds of progress. A trend favoring a homogeneous market saturated with global franchises housed in immense buildings with the offer of generic predictability. Spewing shrink wrap and clam shell cartons, they operate out of step with the rhythms of the natural world and encourage us to do likewise, causing one to wonder if health of any kind is ever a priority.

Countless towns have seen the destruction of the sense of community that comes in the wake of the big-box phenomena. The marketplace, no longer a meeting place, marches to a global drummer, oblivious to the heartbeat of the community. The anonymous nature of these cart and carry stores only adds to social isolation.

When it comes to the issues of water and Wal-Mart, the residents of Moscow, myself included, are polarized. It's hard to see common ground - the shared soil that is the essence of this community - so near and dear to everyone. But common ground is what we must find to prevent the health of our beautiful natural setting and the relationships that make life so rich and give meaning from falling victim to ideological positions set in stone.

Something rescued me from these somber thoughts that day in the alley. Without warning hundreds of small black birds descended on my car. Swirling, whipping and whirling, they snaked towards me and then away in long symmetrical streams forming layer upon layer of concentric black rings. As if hearing the music, they swept inward and outward, like ribbons in the wind, upward and back around the car in syncopated rhythm. As quickly as they came they vanished, as if sucked by a celestial vacuum.

As I negotiated the last speed bump and turned onto the street to head for home, the radio announcer spoke clearly: "You have been listening to a composition by the French composer Ravel written in 1928. It is titled "Oiseauz Tristes," "The Unhappy Birds."

It was a moment sublime - "coincidental oppositorum." Things that seem separate, even opposed, coincided to reveal an unexpected unity - an unbelievably beautiful experience driving in a littered alley behind a mall illustrating the coming together of two worlds in conflict.

Will our town slide into dissension and mediocrity as so many other towns, unwilling or unable to see the importance of the shared values that will determine its destiny? Is there a way to soar above the staunch opinions and fly together?