Vancouver continues to grow and grow and grow...

[Waterbuffalo]

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/07/07102008_Vancouvers-growth-states-fastest.cfm

Thursday, July 10, 2008
By The Associated Press, The Columbian

Vancouver remains the fastest-growing large city in Washington since the turn of the century, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates.

Vancouver grew 11.5 percent from 2000 to July 1, 2007, adding 16,592 residents to reach a population of 161,436.

But that was only enough to rank 67th among the fastest-growing cities in the United States of more than 100,000 people over the period; no large Washington cities have been experiencing explosive growth.

Although Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard said he doesn’t “sit around and worry about it,” he conceded that size matters when it comes to having the city’s voice heard in business and political circles. Pollard served on the city council when Vancouver added 58,000 people with the annexation of Cascade Park in 1997.

“When we were a city of 69,000 people, (leaders) from Vancouver couldn’t even get in to see anybody,” he said. “People know who we are now. We don’t get a staffer when we go to Washington, D.C. We get quality time with the principals.”

Pollard said he harbors no grand aspirations beyond Vancouver’s place as a “good-sized” American city.

“You have to be careful,” he said. “You can become too big. We’re not there yet.”

Seattle (594,210), Spokane (200,975), Tacoma (196,520) and Vancouver remained the four largest cities in the state, according to the Census Bureau.

Bellevue was second in growth rate, up 7.8 percent, or 8,790 residents, to reach 121,347 and was the state’s fifth-largest city behind Vancouver.

Between 2006 and 2007, Bellevue was the fastest-growing city in the state, up 2.7 percent by adding 3,161 people.

Since 2000, Seattle has added the most people, 30,835, a growth rate of 5.5 percent. That made the Emerald City the 24th largest in the nation, just behind Boston and just ahead of Nashville, Tenn. Oklahoma City, which recently landed the Seattle SuperSonics, is the 31st largest city at 547,274.

Spokane grew 2 percent and Tacoma 1.5 percent since 2000, the Census Bureau said.

After the five cities of more than 100,000 residents, the state’s largest cities, with 2007 population estimates followed by 2000 Census numbers, were:

Everett, 98,295, up from 91,488.

Spokane Valley, 85,013, did not exist in 2000.

Federal Way, 84,819, up from 83,259.

Kent, 84,474, up from 79,524.

Yakima, 82,974, up from 71,845.

Bellingham, 77,503, up from 67,171.

Nationally, New Orleans was the fastest-growing large city in the nation between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, as people continue to move back after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

New Orleans’ population rose by 13.8 percent to 239,124 during the one-year period, to lead all cities with populations of 100,000 or more in rate of increase.

New York remained the nation’s most populous city, with 8.3 million residents.

[Waterbuffalo]

If you review the numbers listed, how many of these are in the West Cascadian Foothills? Now I do understand that some of the numbers are related to Spokane and Yakima as they are growing.

But if you look at most of this article, its is showing that the whole area is growing from Bellingham to Eugene Oregon as I have been surmising. That will put a huge amount of stress from the new folks moving into the area would it not? From Seattle to Portland?

And Portland is talking about cutting back the amount of new lanes on the Columbia River Crossing, yet the statististical analysis I would love to see on the bridge is how much of the bridge traffic is freight, commuters and how many are just passing through Portland on their way to jobs.

I'll leave more of the columbia river crossing discussion to that forum and threads.

But I want people to understand from my perspective of living along the Interstate 5 corridor. We're not losing any population and "will" be losing farm, forest and major park land to development whether we like it or not.

Some one from futurewise, 1000 friends of Washington or the environmental community of Clark County please tell me I'm not a foolish blanderer of what I'm seeing in my 30+ years?

[Chief]

If Vancouver grew, it was because of annexations. City Counil spends over 1/3rd of their time annexing new pieces of County property.

When the City annexes a group of properties, they then get Property Taxes on those properties. How can the City be out of money in those circumstances??

Part of the reason is that many of us still shop across the River and skip out on Sales Tax. I'll be more TV's have been sold at Video Only in Jantzen Beach and Costco on Airport Way, than anywhere in Clark County combined.

This demonstrates why trying to pay for anything (Like the Columbia Crossing Project) based on Sales Taxes is misguided and doomed to starve for money, because people will avoid the taxes they don't want to pay, any way they can.

[Waterbuffalo]

If you do not also add Ikea, Best Buy (Cascade Station) Circuit City (Jantzen Beach) and a longer list that people here are feeling that the Washington state taxes are too high, so they try to find ways to justify avoiding paying the taxes that are really due,

I can remember stories about the Washington State Patrol sitting on the ramps nailing people for tabs. But do you hear about stories about DNR in Clark County going after tax dodgers?

As to the annexations, they're still doing them. If you look at 112th Avenue-Gher Road, there is a huge amount of annexations that were going on even during the time Clark County was having a tiff with the City.

Now that there is some version of it getting sped up, I think there is also increased costs to serve those new areas that are being brought into the City.

So I have a feeling that there is some form of feeling that there some form of non cost or no increase of money that is being brought into the City. Its going to cost more later when some of these areas are destined for increased density, new or redeveloped roads, etc.

If you need examples of this, go look along 112th from 18th, 28th and 49th Avenues. Go down the road and see how many of them are being infilled with new housing tracts, major road improvements, sidewalks, etc.

Look around in the areas of Salmon Creek, Hazell Dell, Saint Johns, Orchards, Heisson, Brush Prairie, any piece of land that is south of 78th street is a target in the next 20 years or under for annexation into the City of Vancouver.

Please tell me from the Comprehensive Master Planning efforts, I'm not a fool?

[Chief]

Like I said, if you look at what Council really considers, nearly a thrid of their time is spent on annexations, yet they are claiming poverty at biannual budget time, and reporting serious sales tax under collections on a regular basis.

I know that my property tax statement for next year's taxes is down. The land stayed at the same value but the house value dropped almost 5 percent. That eans the overall taxes will likely go down simply because there are fewer thousands to tax. In theory, the rates should be adjusted so that the taxes don't fall, but they do.

[Waterbuffalo]

So going over to Portland to buy things over theres is just to Spite the City of Vancouver and Clark County or is it to your real arch enemy, Metro and the City of Portland?

I'm looking for some fairness on the subject of the taxation issue. You and I both have differing opinions on that and how to accomplish. But this thread is about Vancouver and Clark County growth, not taxation. (Which I do know is one of your MAJOR HELL BENT peeves. Should I not say?)

So we have a lot to do. Reminds me, I need to get back into RTC and some other regional transportation things. May be my opinion might help get some new initiatives going. And if I remember some where, there is a new opinion survey on HCT going out?

[Chief]

As to growth, keep in mind that about two years ago the City of Vancouver tried to push through another massive annexation out here in East County, and were shot down in flames by the County when they disbanded the Boundary Review Board. Remember all of that?

Since that time the City has been busy annexing in that area in smaller bites. They will accomplish much the same thing soon that they set out to do then, and that is to make Vancouver the second largest city in Washington. Never mind that the only focus in Vancouver is developing Downtown from nothing, they want the prestige that comes with size, and the base of residential properties to borrow and bond against in order to pay for things like the underpasses at Grant and Ester Streets into the Boise site, or maybe cost over-runs at River West when it finally breaks ground, or perhaps to pay for a "cap" over I-5 to "Heal the wound inflicted on Downtown Vancouver by the Eisenhower Administration".

That is the City's idea of planned growth, and everyone else can damned well take care of themselves.

cewl

[Waterbuffalo]

Well I can say that I can see some of what your proposing from working in the Downtown lightyears ago. And living in the Southern Orchards area for near 3 years.

It looks like things are done in a piece meal-phased fashion. If you add this fact to your comments above, you'll have a more complete picture.

Do I think you tax ideas are out of line as a lot of people might want to think from the offices and city hall of Southwest Clark County? Doubt its just ideas that need to be implemented at the state constitutional level, so they cannot be pulled out by legislative edict.

If they pulled some of your ideas and had them implemented as much as the LIFT, TIP and many others that are advocated by lobbyists. Why should other sides have an unfair competitive advantage?

If you read my post from state senator Margarita Prentice, you will see that she is willing to give tax breaks to keep or bring businesses to areas? Is there not other "natural" reasons why technology, biomedical and many other companies might want to come to our state? To Clark County or Puget Sound, Spokane areas, than cash handouts?

One of the biggest was to keep a 787 built here in Washington state?

Ok, folks from Clark County, how do you feel about how you taxes are being used? I'd love to hear from some others than Chief and I rambling on....