Ordinance 2978-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

EVERETT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN serve such activities. The levels of public services and facilities are partially dependent upon the capacity of the Land Use Element to provide sufficient land area for public services. The GMA requires that the Public Utilities Element address the electrical, telecommunications and natural gas utility needs of the Everett Planning Area. Historically, these utilities are generally supportive of land use plans and responsive to the needs of growth, rather than being a limiting factor to growth. Most such facilities do not consume large amounts of land within the Everett Planning Area. However, it is necessary to address both the long term capacity and land use needs of these utility providers, and the land use compatibility impacts of such facilities as electrical substations, transmission lines and easements, and telecommunications towers. The larger public utility facilities must be designated on the Land Use Map. 4. Urban Design and Historic Preservation This element is not mandated by the GMA, but is one that Everett has elected to include in its comprehensive plan for two important reasons. First is that Everett has a rich legacy of historic traditions and properties that the Everett Vision 2000 and Vision 2025 citizen's committees have recommended be preserved and enhanced. The second important reason is that the citizens of Everett have stated a strong desire to preserve the beauty of the natural environment and improve the quality of the built environment. Many of the physical changes that have occurred in Everett over the last 60 years have not contributed to the sense of community that characterized Everett's earlier land use patterns. This is not unique to Everett, as society's desire to accommodate the automobile, which was the major cause of such physical changes, has had a similar impact on cities throughout the country. In the last half-century, Everett, like other communities, has been built to accommodate the convenient use of the automobile, which has diminished the pedestrian friendly human scale of earlier land use patterns. While the automobile will continue to be the predominant form of transportation for a majority of people in Everett, the Urban Design Element addresses how the community can be reclaimed from the land use patterns and development styles of the last 60 years, and identifies potential changes to land use policies and regulations that will enhance Everett's natural setting and promote a more desirable built environment. 5. Economic Development Central to the quality of life in any community is the ability of families and individuals to earn a living. Without jobs there would be no community. Everett is a major employment center, providing an employment and economic base for a population much larger than living within the city limits. Conversely, many of Everett's residents work outside of the city and outside of Snohomish County. The transportation network, linking Everett residents to places of employment outside of Everett, and vice versa, has a critical effect on economic activity and land use patterns within Everett. Everett's economic past is marked by the dramatic swings of a boom-bust cycle of the city's major industries. An important goal in the "guiding forces" for the Everett Comprehensive Plan is economic stability and diversification of the employment base, so that the local economy is not as susceptible to the fortunes of a single employer or industry. Use of Everett's land base is central to economic diversity and strength. The Economic Development Element reviews and updates past economic studies and strategies. It includes recommendations for actions that will foster the desired economic health. LAND USE ELEMENT 4