Regional planning
With balanced regional development, Clark County takes its share of the region's new homes and jobs.
HOMES. This data is from the PSU site for population research.* Table 3 has populations by county in Oregon.
The percentage increase from 2000-2003:
for Clackamas county was 4.5%;
for Multnomah county was 2.6%;
for Washington county was 6.1%.
This yields a 4.4% average growth rate for the Portland metro area (except Clark County). In turn, that amounts to an average annual population increase of 1.47% per year for 2000-2003. (Due to compounding the actual annual percentage would be slightly less.)
Compare that 1.47% Portland metro area annual growth rate to Clark county's growth rate for the same period.
This data is from Clark Public Utilities' new home hookups. (For existing homes, the new utility customer replaces the previous occupant.) The county estimates 2.69 residents per household.
- In 2000-2001 there were 7006 hookups ( X 2.69 = 18,846 people) for a 4.9% increase over 2 years **
- In 2002 there were 4169 hookups ( X 2.69 = 11,215 people) for a 3.15% increase.
- In 2003 there were 4150 hookups ( X 2.69 = 11,164 people) for a 2.75% increase.
That averages a 2.7% average annual growth rate for the same period in Clark County, compared to 1.47* for the metro area. (FYI: There were 4,355 hookups X 2.69 = 11,715 people for a 2.8% increase in 2004.)
JOBS. Every day more than 60,000 Clark county residents cross a bridge to work in Oregon. The jobs growth in our community has generally been in the retail and service sectors that do not provide family wage jobs.
For example, every year more than 2,000 new homes are built in Clark county. But few, if any, of the construction workers building these homes can afford to buy one.
CONCLUSION. In general, people move because of their jobs. But there is no link between job creation and housing construction in the county comprehensive growth plan. The new plan simply continue the conditions that create the housing/jobs imbalance.
* SOURCE :
http://www.upa.pdx.edu/CPRC/publications/annualorpopulation/2003%20Population%20Report.xls
** CPU records do not separate 2000-2001 statistics.
|
