9 of 15 say Lopez can't support growth

Fifteen readers responded to the islandsweekly.com Question of the Week — “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The Lopez Village area has enough resources and services to support an Urban Growth Area?”

Three said they agree, nine said they disagree, three had no opinion.

The Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board ruled in 2000 that the county did not comply with state planning guidelines when it designated Lopez Village an Urban Growth Area. The board ruled the county did not account for the costs of developing services like water and sewer for a densely populated area.

“A local government may not adopt an expansive (Urban Growth Area) without recognizing and providing for the expansive costs of infrastructure,” the hearings board stated in its decision.

Nearly two years after that ruling, the problem of providing services has not gone away. County officials are grappling with how to reduce sprawl, allow for growth, provide for affordable housing and protect the island’s rural character.

Current plans call for about 600 new homes on Lopez Island — half in the village — to accommodate future growth. If the Urban Growth Area is scrapped, county planners must devise another plan and new options for projected growth.

William Nielsen, former chairman of the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, has said Lopez Village can’t grow without water and sewer service. Doris Aitken of the Fisherman Bay Sewer District said her agency may be able to accommodate future growth.

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