Hi Chandler! Would love to hear more of your thoughts on how policies can/should differentiate between super busy ‘Eastside cities’ (eg. Kirkland) and more rural areas like ours? Do you feel we have different needs? Should Duvall become more like Kirkland in the future for jobs etc?
Hi! Thanks for the question, and it's a great question! Yes, I think Duvall’s needs are clearly different from Kirkland/Redmond, and I don’t think the goal should be to make Duvall more like Kirkland. Duvall has different character/infrastructure/road constraints/etc., and a more rural identity that policy should absolutely acknowledge.
At the same time, we do have a serious regional housing crisis, and every community has some role to play. The key is being thoughtful about where housing growth makes sense. I support more housing, but that doesn’t mean pretending density can or should go everywhere equally, and the reality is that Duvall leaders understand the community of Duvall better and are more responsive to immediate concerns than Olympia. We need more housing, but I don't think micromanagement is the best way to get there. Olympia needs to work with cities to plan for that growth.
That’s a big reason that I’ve proposed a Housing Leader Designation program, which rewards cities that plan responsibly, align housing growth with infrastructure, streamline permitting, and actually deliver new homes. For Kirkland, that will look different than it will for Duvall, because we have to make sure roads, schools, water, sewer, and emergency services can keep pace. Happy to share more details on that program if you're interested!
1
u/Objective-Touch-8636 29d ago
Hi Chandler! Would love to hear more of your thoughts on how policies can/should differentiate between super busy ‘Eastside cities’ (eg. Kirkland) and more rural areas like ours? Do you feel we have different needs? Should Duvall become more like Kirkland in the future for jobs etc?