Once in a Lifetime - Part One

In the latest issue of Seattle Magazine, editor Rachel Hart bemoans the "anywhere-USA" type of urban planning - the type that seems to be commonplace no matter where you go. Some may call it the "Wal-Mart" effect (or you may have your own name for it).
The town I call home is finishing the planning phase of its "Unified Development Regulations" and my wife just happens to be one of the planning commission members, so I get a second row seat to the process and planning that will hopefully continue to provide the relatively small-town feel we enjoy.

Duvall, Washington, population 5,600 and rising, is a teenager entering adulthood. Once just a farming community "way out there" is now turning into a bedroom community of the East Eastside. While there are still farms and horse ranches, ground-breaking seems to be more common than horse breaking (for more information about Duvall, visit www.cityofduvall.com).

There is currently a moratorium on permits for new homes which will expire in June, 2005, if things go as planned. In order to facilitate what could be come a free-for-all, the Duvall Planning Commission and City Council are setting standards for design, development and overall zoning for homes, business and other in-city facilities (part of the City-Wide Visioning Plan, the Downtown Sub-Area Plan, and the 2004 Duvall Comprehensive Plan).

During this process, Duvall took advantage of local resources - using University of Washington graduate students to help present ideas and gather data and citizen input during the regulation development process. The city has also been good about getting local citizen involvement from the beginning - something that doesn't always happen. Duvall is still small enough so that it can still be "our" town and not just another Eastside thoroughfare.

Once the ink is dry on the final regulations and the moratorium is lifted, we will get to see first hand how successful the the plan is. It's almost impossible to stop development, but with responsible planning and citizen involvement, Duvall can still be a place that is home to the cowboys and the coders and maintain its distinctive character.

In Part II, we'll look at post-moratorium and the effects on the local businesses, homeowners and why some people may be leaving for good.

Comments

[Debby Neal]

Kurt, Your blog rocks! See ya round Duvall. Debby Neal

[Kurt]

Thanks Debby! I usually publish articles/items of interest several times a week, so I hope you make it a regular stop.