Maple Valley Vision-- What will life be like in the year 2020?
Issues of traffic congestion and growth in the Maple Valley area became a growing concern for residents as more and more people moved to the area. King County was not in a position to address these complex growth issues, so the citizens of Maple Valley voted to take local control of its future.
Maple Valley is in its early stages of drafting a comprehensive master plan. Creating and reaching community consensus on a vision statement is the first step in securing a working comprehensive plan.
Community visioning is essential to develop consensus. From January 16-21, 1998, Maple Valley citizens and business leaders were invited to take part in an important chance to envision a future for their town. More than 120 citizens took part in one or more scheduled activities.
A complex issue faced in this process was identifying what elements people wish to retain. People refer to keeping Maple Valley rural, yet Maple Valley's historic rural past is gone. The quality of life people stated that they moved here for is eroding. The mix of suburban sprawl, rapid growth and resultant traffic congestion has left many residents wondering about their future. Many residents are expressing their dislike for the growth of city and suburbia problems.
|
In the year 2020 will Maple Valley have a strong, interactive town center? Will this center be full of family activities, jobs for residents,, places to shop locally and a strong economic base so that taxes can support desired services? That is the vision of more than 120 people who came to express their needs and wants. In contrast, an unplanned Maple Valley is certain to have nice homes, but wide roads and limited mobility for those not in private vehicles. There will be few jobs or people present during the day, and children will be indoors. Children will wish their parents were home more often. A poor local economy where taxes are much higher than the return in services is likely. |
|
Wilderness Lake is a natural treasure. The gentle scene below is from Olmstead Brothers Lake Washington Park in Albany, New York. This view is also reminiscent of ever popular public spaces in Seattle's Green Lake Neighborhood. This photo was one of the strongest, most favored visions in the Maple Valley charrette. Participants voted in a number of charrette activities to preserve places for peaceful and restful activity. |
![[Green Dot]](../pics/greendot.gif){kind=small}