Wednesday, December 16, 2015

There are consequences when the Urban Growth Boundary is moved

Take a close look at the photos ... see those trees on the ridge?  That's the western edge of Wellington Hills Park.

OK, big deal, what's the point?

During the first public disclosure (Oct. 13, 2015) concerning the secret sale by Snohomish County of Wellington Hills Park to the Northshore School District... one of the bureaucrats more or less blew off concerns that the Park was outside the Urban Growth Boundary (located close to the photo's tree line) as unimportant ... the bureaucrat said it was no big deal to move the Urban Growth Boundary to suit their needs.

What happens if he gets his way ... and the boundary separating urban and rural IS moved up the plateau and wraps around the two schools they want ... what else follows?

Look at the kind of stuff in the foreground of the photos ... both commercial sites are very near Route 9, just below the plateau where Wellington Hills Park is located.




And, even closer to the western boundary of the park, in fact so close it's nearly touching the property line of the park.



For the moment, that precious Urban Growth Boundary is all that separates rural places from urban expansion.  And, Wellington Hills Park sits on the rural side of the Boundary, between the commerce in thse photos and people's homes and lives.

And that bureaucrat wants to callously move the Urban Growth Boundary??