BUILD IT AND THEY {MIGHT} COME - BETTER YET - JUST TAKE IT
Nick
Granit Falls, fails with:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2002294222_compplan01n.html
Seattle Times
By Emily Heffter
Times Snohomish County Bureau 6/1/05
UGA developers are screaming for larger UGA's for high density housing.
Supposedly for the new, first time home buyers, that will need low cost
housing.
They fail to mention basic infrastructure must be in place, and that
the City must show they can afford to supply services to these areas?
The cities only want the new tax base, as long as these homes are built
in someone else's neighborhood in the City's UGA! And, as long as
NIMBY-ism is maintained!
What is {NIMBY-ism = Not In My Back Yard} Similar to Lake Stevens UGA!
Read about:
"Granite Falls wants the council to add two parcels to its urban-growth
area so developers can build high-end homes, said Granite Falls Mayor
Lyle Romack"
Lake Steven's on the other hand, has the states largest UGA, and has
gone into an annexation rant, due to it's budget looking more like an
overdrawn checking account.
It's sewer system is still inadequate, and the City was allowed to slip
under Lake Stevens Sewer District 8's sewer moratorium calling for $7
million in upgrades.
"Lake Stevens Sewer District 8" is a private taxing district, and
entity of Snohomish County, only sharing the area's UGA name, IE: Lake
Stevens Sewer District 8.
It's commissioners are voted into office by County voters." But has now
received the Lake Steven Sewer, it's sewer fund containing a newly
granted $3 million City Council-matic bond.
Lake Stevens is now allowing nonresident UGA homeowners the chance to
share in paying off it's private debt without annexation. What a nice
gesture on there part? We get to witness mismanagement first hand, by
way of our wallets.
Lake Stevens, still without a viable Comprehensive Plan in sight for
it's UGA, and overdue over six years or more wants annexation so bad,
that they are annexing in land without a Comprehensive Plan and has
turned over the keys to the City's UGA to area developers, or
developer! They have even resorted to using police {The only service
left} and county fire district employee's as tools for area developers,
in order to beef up the "Yes" signatures to annexation petitions.
Look for upcoming GMA and PDC complaints to follow, as UGA residents
are forced into the City's budget woes, without notice, public hearings
and against their will.
This will force many long time UGA residents, especially the elderly
off their land by developer favored zoning changes, and bogus
statements of cheaper taxes then the county.
They conveniently fail to mention taxes are not only higher, but
additional taxes are paid on monthly utility bills, along with city
codes virtually making any new nonresidents homes out of compliance
with city homes.
The biggest UGA home crusher will be mobile homes, that are
nonconforming in the City.
This begs the question of:
"Why is city hall made up of single wide mobile homes with special
skirting to hide this fact?"
The answer is they just issue themselves a yearly conditional use
permit.
A mobile home will be allowed, as long as it doesn't sustain any
damaged by fire or a tree falling on it. If the City determines 50% has
been affected, it can't be replaced.
Farm animals are also nonconforming, and can't be replaced, even if
they suffer from lead poisoning.
What these Cities like Lake Stevens are doing is purposely keeping
their own City out of compliance with the GMA, in order to force high
density housing and zoning into their UGA, AKA NIMBY-ism!
While our local City paper report about all the bogus benefits to
nonresidents of annexation by selling them a bill of goods, in truth
it's designed to force those nasty homeowners owning an acre or more
off land, into the grips of developers desiring zoning changes.
Nick