Planning for the Future of Snohomish

BY LINDA REDMON, MAYOR

Have you ever wondered how city planning happens? How your elected officials and City staff know when to move forward on building infrastructure and facilities? What kind of thought goes into the needs of current and future residents?

How we make sure that we have a good foundation for handling changes that we see coming? The Comprehensive Plan is the answer!

As defined by the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, “Comprehensive plans are the centerpiece of local planning efforts. A comprehensive plan articulates a series of goals, objectives, policies, actions, and standards that are intended to guide the day-to-day decisions of elected officials and local government staff.” Comprehensive plans encapsulate planning looking forward 20 years, considering our current and future needs and resources, and predicting as best as possible what reality will look like two decades from now. You’ll find the specific elements needed for the City’s Comprehensive Plan on pages 8-9.

I’ve heard, “Why do we need to plan for growth? I want Snohomish to stay the same!” Well, anyone who has had children or brought a partner into the community has contributed to growth. Growth is inevitable and we need to accept and plan for it.

The comprehensive plan is the document that the city must, by law, follow in making development regulations and capital budget decisions. That's why it's important that a thorough review is conducted, and that the community has multiple opportunities to provide input for the update.

The review process involved in updating the comprehensive plan is also a good opportunity for assessing and identifying level of service standards to better serve the needs of the community. Transportation levels of service, typically focused on traffic flow through intersections, is the only level of service standard required by law, but the City is also working on standards for levels of service for parks and multimodal transportation. We will be seeking as much public input as possible on all of these elements because they are really important for the quality of life of our community. Please make your voice heard by going to https://www.snohomishwa.gov/ 184/Comprehensive-Plan. Help us plan the future of Snohomish!

Linda Redmon, Mayor redmon@snohomishwa.gov 360-282-3154