A Tale of Two Cities
Consider the differing circumstances facing these two cities and their citizens in regard to expansion.
Of all the cities, Ridgefield has proposed the most aggressive Urban Growth Boundary expansion. Through 2025, Ridgefield is planning to accommodate a 15% average annual growth rate.
Under the September 2004 plan, Ridgefield added 550 acres for employment and 245 acres for housing.
The 2005 proposal requests another 2,522 acres for single family residential, 538 acres for multi-family residential, and 1,020 acres for employment (mostly along I-5 and including the Cowlitz mega-casino).
The current city limit covers 3,524 acres. The two numbers above add 4,875 more acres for growth.
In contrast, when asked, property owners submitted requests for inclusion of 1,020 acres. That includes 760 acres for housing, 53 acres for employment, and 207 acres for unspecified zoning.
However, to meet tight deadlines imposed by the BoCC, this plan was devised by staff. There was little time for public input. The amount of land requested to come into the UGB may change as citizens become aware of this proposal.
Click here for a schedule of public hearings on the Ridgefield UGA expansion.
Vancouver requested a reduction in their UGB while they work on land already within their boundary.
However, property owners submitted requests for inclusion of 3,612 acres. That includes 2,131 for housing, 150 acres for employment, 561 for unspecified zoning and a 5th Plain Master Plan development encompassing 720 acres.
Why is there such a huge number of landowner requests to be included in the Vancouver Urban Growth Boundary? Is this a plausible explanation?
On May 17, a developer blanketed every resident in the Vancouver Urban Reserve area near the fairgrounds with extremely generous earnest money agreements.
As best we can establish, every landowner north of 179th Street to 199th Street and from NW 11th Avenue east to NE 58th Avenue was included.
The offers were based on the landowner's agreement to meet the June 7 deadline to ask for their parcel to be brought into the Vancouver UGB.
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