After over a decade, Cascadia, the monster planned community to be built just south of Bonney Lake on the plateau above Orting is finally going to break ground in the next few days according to the Business Examiner.

Location of site on Google Maps: Aerial photo of site (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=47.123623,-122.177582&spn=0.083427,0.125313&t=k&hl=en)

Here is an article from the Puget Sound Business Journal in 1998 on the project:

Cascadia dream finally nears reality (http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1998/06/08/focus2.html?page=1)

(man, were they 7 years off with that headline....)

A sprawling undeveloped plateau in eastern Pierce County may soon be transformed into a city unto itself, with housing for 10,000 people, an industrial/commercial complex, and recreational and hospitality facilities.

The dream is for Cascadia, designated an employment-based planned community under the county's comprehensive land-use plan, to rise on the 4,719-acre parcel between Bonney Lake and Orting over the next 20 years. It would become the state's largest planned community ever.

The first phase of construction will include 1,719 single and multifamily homes, an 80-acre business park, additional land for commercial use, and a conference hotel and golf complex with an 18-hole competition-quality golf course.

Cascadia Development Corp. of Bellevue, the project's sole owner, will complete preparation of an environmental impact statement and receive final plat approvals from Pierce County by year's end. It has worked with SWA Group of Sausalito, Calif., on the overall community design and landscaping.

Construction should begin in spring 1999, said Cascadia principal Patrick Kuo.

Two more development phases will follow. Phase II will total about 1,742 acres -- which includes 696 acres for residential use and 319 acres for business. Phase III incorporates the remaining 1,287 acres and will be parceled out similarly, but with more flexibility to match markets and the community's needs at the time of development.

Completing an integrated community of this magnitude from the ground up beckons comparisons with Reston, Va., Disney's Celebration in Orlando, Fla. -- even Brasilia, Brazil, the city carved out of a jungle.

(Click Here (http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1998/06/08/focus2.html?page=1) for rest of article)


From the Puyallup Herald last Friday:

Elementary No. 9 set to open in Cascadia Development by 2007 (http://www.puyallup-herald.com/front/story/6433431p-6312533c.html)

After more than a decade of hype, the promise of a master-planned community that could eventually include 6,500 homes is finally coming to fruition.

...
Cascadia development

* A groundbreaking for the 4,719-acre planned community is planned from 2 to 4 p.m. May 6, 2005 at 14500 198th Ave. E. in Sumner.

* The development will include 6,500 homes; 626 acres for business and industry, a resort-style hotel, conference centers and an 18-hole golf course; a town center with retail and restaurants; 183 acres for schools; 1,280 acres for parks and open space; and several entertainment areas.

^wow.

no no no no NO! :wallbash:
Stuff like this is happening all over the place! Especially in South Hill. Arggh...

Uh oh, more sprawl! I guess that's life. :|

They should at least make it a highrise community, that would cut down the sprawl and look cool growing out of the woods--but that'll never happen outside Seattle now will it!

These kind of projects are happening all over the country. It's part of a nationwide plan to start creating "Smart Growth" communities.

Here in the Twin Cities metro, they're building a brand new city just like the Cascadia project in what two years ago used to be a 4,000-acre soybean field.

Great project!

They should at least make it a highrise community, that would cut down the sprawl and look cool growing out of the woods--but that'll never happen outside Seattle now will it!

Definitely not. It's like a cat and mouse chase with those suburban people. If they were to do that, these people would then run to the exurbs and so forth, thus, more sprawl...unfortunately, they don't like high-rises!

Good grief. I guess some people will never learn.

it's almost like they've been brainwashed into believing that high-rises are anti-american or something...wears me out.

^ Apples & oranges. Why do so many people wrongfully blame suburban deveolpment for lack of urban core development when the blame really belongs on the urban core itself? It isn't the people of Bonney Lake that are voting in wacko anti-growth, anti-business socialists into the Seattle city council that try to to tax, steal, & extort every penny they can for their pet charity which makes building or locating in the city a financial loser for many folks. It wasn't the suburbs that voted to cap building heights in Seattle. It isn't folks in the suburbs trying to block the housing evolution in the city of Seattle the market wants but NIMBY/BANANAs are successfully killing off.

The sooner folks stop wrongfully blaming suburbia & start cleaning house in our urban center rotten cores, the sooner our urban centers recover. If the market had its way, Seattle would already be putting Vancouver BC to shame in the number of high rise residences. Instead, regulation & politics has forced growth into Yelm, Arlington, & other UGB islands while urban socialists try to steal & steal more preventing more growth in our urban core.

The biggest creator of sprawl in the Olympia area is the Olympia city council. They are anti-growth wacko socialists which has driven business, government, & people to the more liberal cities of Lacey & Tumwater. Now Thurston County is a sprawling mess thanks to that, & UGBs which has artificially forced growth upon once rural Yelm & Rochester.

Cascadia Breaks Ground in Pierce County (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050506/sff016.html?.v=8)

-- Largest planned community in state to create 10,000 jobs
-- 5,000-acre site to provide housing, schools, parks, employment and recreation
-- Construction of roads, water and sewer system begins for Phase 1

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Cascadia Development Corp. today officially broke ground in Pierce County on the largest, planned community in the state of Washington, slated to bring an estimated 10,000 jobs to the region.

Cascadia will provide home sites, a business and industrial park, a resort-quality hotel and conference center, up to three 18-hole golf courses, a town center with retail stores and restaurants, seven schools and some 1,280 acres of parks and open space. The new, 5,000-acre planned community is located approximately 12 miles southeast of Tacoma and 18 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Patrick Kuo, president and chief executive officer of Cascadia Development Corp. of Bellevue, Wash., said he started 15 years ago with a vision of creating ideal living in a totally balanced environment, inspired by the world's greatest communities. Cascadia, at the foothills of Mount Rainier, today is classified as an employment-based planned community in Pierce County's comprehensive land-use plan.

"By developing a world-class community, Cascadia will serve as a catalyst for the entire region," Kuo said. "We want a place where people can live, work and walk to schools, the town center, cultural events and recreational opportunities. Cascadia also will become a destination for business conferences as well as a retreat for those seeking the finest hospitality and golf amenities. All of this while preserving and showcasing the site's natural beauty."

Kuo said the community's centerpiece will be the Cascadia Institute, envisioned as a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting dialogue and cooperation among prominent researchers, technologists and scholars from throughout the world.

Joining Kuo at today's Cascadia launch were Sen. Maria Cantwell, Reps. Norm Dicks and Dave Reichert, Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg and Pierce County Council Chairman Shawn Bunney, among other dignitaries.

"Cascadia is not only a great addition to Pierce County, the entire Puget Sound region will benefit from the thousands of jobs and economic development this new community will create," said Cantwell. "Equally important, this development will take special care to protect the environment while accommodating growth."

Dicks added, "Cascadia will bring the next generation of environmentally balanced economic development and housing to Pierce County and the entire Puget Sound region in one of the most breathtaking settings anywhere."

Ladenburg, who also serves as president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, said Cascadia brings needed balance between conservation and growth. "Cascadia is a perfect model for establishing high-tech jobs and economic vitality while remaining committed to the environment and natural resources," Ladenburg said.

Approximately 300 community leaders attended the ceremony, which featured an honor guard from McChord Air Force Base, sculptures by renowned creative artist Doug Granum as well as performances by noted international cellist Jami Sieber and the Sumner High School Jazz Ensemble. Students from Sumner High joined the dignitaries in planting a rhododendron and western hemlock, the state flower and tree, to commemorate the groundbreaking.

About Cascadia and Cascadia Development Corp.:

Cascadia will be the largest planned community in the state of Washington, creating an estimated 10,000 jobs over its 20-year build out. This "totally balanced living environment" covers 5,000 acres and is classified in Pierce County's comprehensive land-use plan as an employment-based planned community, designating a mixture of housing, jobs, services and recreation. Cascadia will feature:

-- 6,500 residences (1,719 in Phase 1)
-- 626 acres of land for a high-tech business and industrial park, of
which 500 acres will have Foreign-Trade Zone designation allowing
businesses to be more effective and competitive in international trade.
Within this area, 219 acres will be dedicated for a resort-quality
hotel, with conference facilities and an 18-hole golf course
-- A pedestrian-oriented town center with retail stores and restaurants
-- 183 acres for seven schools (34 acres in Phase 1)
-- 1,280 acres for parks and open space (460 acres in Phase 1)
-- A state-of-the-art, integrated telecommunications network using "clean
power" to ensure optimal performance and other high-tech capabilities
-- The Cascadia Institute, a non-profit institution designed to promote
international cooperation by hosting gatherings and consortia.
-- A performing arts center to showcase music, dance, theater and other
arts and cultural activities as well as sculpture gardens and art
installations.

Cascadia will be built in three phases, beginning in 2005 with construction of roads, sewer and water systems to support the 1,690-acre, Phase 1 development. Construction of home sites, the school, business park, conference center, hotel and related amenities will begin in 2006. The first Cascadia residents and businesses are expected to take occupancy in 2007; the conference center, hotel and golf complex is slated to open shortly thereafter. Cascadia will be unique in having an elementary school open around the same time that initial residents take occupancy, in contrast to most communities where schools follow much later. Phases 2 and 3 will follow.

Cascadia Development Corp., based in Bellevue, Wash., was formed in 1991 by Patrick Kuo, president and chief executive officer. Key partners and consultants involved in Cascadia's development include: ESM Consulting Engineers, Federal Way; Goldsmith & Associates, Bellevue; Gordon, Thomas and Honeywell, Tacoma; Hayes Construction, Maple Valley; Miles Sand & Gravel Co., Auburn; Pacific Public Affairs, Seattle; Perkins Coie, Seattle; SWA Group, Sausalito, Calif.; Thompson Smitch Consulting Group, Tacoma; Tucci & Sons, Tacoma; Weisman Design Group, Seattle; and Woodworth & Co., Tacoma, among others. Kuo, an attorney by profession, worked for the law firm Perkins Coie in Seattle from 1987 until forming Cascadia.


Source: Cascadia Development Corp.

Big housing-retail project planned in Pierce County (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/223109_cascadia06.html?source=rss)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20050506/Cascadia.gif

Get Patrick Kuo talking about Cascadia, the 4,700-acre planned community he hopes to build near Orting and Bonney Lake in Pierce County, and you'll hear a lot about lofty concepts such as a world-class conference center, a high-tech business park with a foreign-trade-zone designation, environmental protection measures ranging from clean power to water recycling, a pedestrian-oriented town center, an outdoor sculpture park -- all perhaps best summed up in the equally lofty marketing statement, "A totally balanced living environment."

But for any of those things to appear, something much more basic has to occur -- clearing land, laying out streets and installing water and sewer lines.

Which is what Cascadia hopes to launch today, with a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the start of work on a development that has been 14 years in planning and could be 20 years in actual construction.

In the first phase of development, Cascadia will start construction on roads, sewer and water systems this year, and home sites, the business park, conference center and hotel in 2006. The first residents and businesses are scheduled to move in in 2007.

Master planned communities are nothing new in Western Washington. West Campus in Federal Way, Redmond Ridge, Snoqualmie Ridge and Northwest Landing in southern Pierce County are all examples of attempts to combine housing, retailing, businesses and recreation in a single development.

But Cascadia, at least on paper, will be larger than any of those. And each of those planned communities was developed by Quadrant Corp., the Weyerhaeuser Co. subsidiary with a long history of building homes and office parks.


(Cont.: Click here (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/223109_cascadia06.html?source=rss) for full article)

Developer’s vision takes root (http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/4842503p-4447077c.html)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/images/unisys-images/20050507-images/NWS0507_cascadia_G-thumb.JPG

Developers and government officials apparently aren’t the only people eager for the state’s largest planned development to become reality.

During the Cascadia development’s ground-breaking Friday, people cheered Patrick Kuo’s vision to create a thriving community on 5,000 acres in rural Pierce County. The project, which Kuo has envisioned since 1991, is expected to generate 10,000 jobs and 6,500 homes.

But one of his biggest compliments came after the pomp and circumstance, from someone who sported a cowboy hat and jeans rather than a suit.

Derek Henrikson said Cascadia will succeed because Kuo gathered input early from neighbors about the project, which is to welcome its first residents in 2007.

“I’ve lived out here some 20 years, and this is my stomping ground,” said Henrikson, whose family owns property about two miles from the ground-breaking site. “To have him develop and to include us in the process, it means a lot.”

Celebrating Kuo’s years of dedication to Cascadia was the underlying theme Friday during a ceremony that was more festive than formal.

About 400 people were treated to music from the Sumner High School Jazz Ensemble, a presentation of colors from a McChord Air Force Base honor guard and rides in a horse-drawn carriage.

Guests included U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Edmonds), Reps. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair) and Dave Reichert (R-Bellevue), Pierce County Council President Shawn Bunney and County Executive John Ladenburg.

Each praised Kuo’s vision to create a community that’s more than a typical subdivision. Cascadia’s amenities will include a high-tech business and industrial park, a school, a performance hall and more than 1,200 acres of park and open space.

“This new community will be a catalyst for sustained economic stability in this region,” Cantwell said.

(Cont.: Click here (http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/4842503p-4447077c.html) for full article)

...anti-business socialists into the Seattle city council that try to to tax, steal, & extort every penny they can for their pet charity which makes building or locating in the city a financial loser for many folks.

You would have a point there, if it weren't for the fact that Seattle is one of the least taxed major cities in the nation. You always claim that Seattle taxes too much, but that isn't the case, Seattle is WAY below the median at 6.5%(hell even the tri-cities is taxed more than that, same with the so-called pro-growth, pro-business Boise):





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22/don85259/Miscellaneous%20photos/taxburdens.jpg

Oh, and Seattle has over 2,600 units under construction RIGHT NOW in Downtown alone. Give me one other city in the state that has more under construction in that small of an area. I bet you can't. People want to live where it is less expensive, and it is less expensive to live where you work, where you're not a slave of the automobile and oil industry. I'm glad some people can see this, apparently Sounder can't.

Seattle = pro growth. I would love to have Greg Nickels as my mayor.

You would have a point there, if it weren't for the fact that Seattle is one of the least taxed major cities in the nation.

Is development fees, city fees, B&O tax, & other govt related costs included? Nope. Add those costs too to your graph & then let's compare. The extortion in Seattle is sickening which is why the suburbs are booming. Look at Bellevue for a hint.

Oh, and Seattle has over 2,600 units under construction RIGHT NOW in Downtown alone.

There would be more if it wasn't so hard & expensive to build. The demand for Seattle is high however prices & regulation artificially are limiting supply & raising costs. At least the city is trying to be less regressive when it comes to extorting this sort of development but the costs to build in Seattle are still greater for artificial reasons. Eliminate them & the city will grow even faster, at the expense of sprawl.

Give me one other city in the state that has more under construction in that small of an area. I bet you can't.

Nope, they are busy building single units & sprawling apartment complexes. If it were cheaper to live in Seattle, there would be less demand for this.

People want to live where it is less expensive,

Bingo, which is why the special interest & political thieves need to stop extorting developers & empowering BANANAs so Seattle is more affordable.

Seattle = pro growth.

I wish. The pro-growth in this area is being led from outside of Seattle. Nickles is pro-growth by the city council for the most part isn't. If Seattle were truly pro-growth, it would reduce regulations, fees, & extortion costs. Like I said above, Seattle would already have put Vancouver, BC to shame if it weren't for artificial reasons (govt. costs & regulation).

I would love to have Greg Nickels as my mayor.

Nickles is Seattle's best mayor in a long time, which isn't saying much. I'd give him a 'C' for his work thus far. Hopefully he wins in a landslide so he can stop appeasing the wackos. I think he may; he has bigger political interests than mayor of Seattle & leftist Democrats are a dying breed in mainstream politics these days so he needs to become a moderate 'New Democrat' if he has any hope. Seattle's bigger problem is the city council & special interests the use taxes & regulation to empower or finance their iniatives & charities.

^ Apples & oranges. Why do so many people wrongfully blame suburban deveolpment for lack of urban core development when the blame really belongs on the urban core itself? It isn't the people of Bonney Lake that are voting in wacko anti-growth, anti-business socialists into the Seattle city council that try to to tax, steal, & extort every penny they can for their pet charity which makes building or locating in the city a financial loser for many folks. It wasn't the suburbs that voted to cap building heights in Seattle. It isn't folks in the suburbs trying to block the housing evolution in the city of Seattle the market wants but NIMBY/BANANAs are successfully killing off.

The sooner folks stop wrongfully blaming suburbia & start cleaning house in our urban center rotten cores, the sooner our urban centers recover. If the market had its way, Seattle would already be putting Vancouver BC to shame in the number of high rise residences. Instead, regulation & politics has forced growth into Yelm, Arlington, & other UGB islands while urban socialists try to steal & steal more preventing more growth in our urban core.

The biggest creator of sprawl in the Olympia area is the Olympia city council. They are anti-growth wacko socialists which has driven business, government, & people to the more liberal cities of Lacey & Tumwater. Now Thurston County is a sprawling mess thanks to that, & UGBs which has artificially forced growth upon once rural Yelm & Rochester.


ugh...it's not just politics. Why is it that all the new projects in downtown Seattle 2200 westlake, cristalla, avenueone etc. are selling like crazy? I agree with you that to some degree that does effect people's choices on where they live. But we've all grown up with the "american dream" as being a big house in the suburbs with big lawns and well...now long commutes. It all begins when we're young. If we teach our children the differences between different living situations they would make smarter choices. Also, we must teach people not to runaway just because of the lack of good leadership. How is it going to change if people just throw their hands up in the air and give up? it doesn't make sense to whine and complain about it when they're not doing anything about it except running away...

Why is it that all the new projects in downtown Seattle 2200 westlake, cristalla, avenueone etc. are selling like crazy?

Because demand is so high. There would already be greater supply (& higher demand) if costs were lower to construct new high rise housing in Seattle. If the city stopped artificially mucking things up, Belltown would already be putting Vancouver BC to shame. Seattle tries to extort as much money out of people as possible to fund their pet charities & special interest which is pushing development to the suburbs. People want the urban lifestyle, but they want to be able to afford it too, & as long as Seattle keeps extorting money for housing for failing artists (see today's front page of the paper) & other socialist policies, people will choose to make their urban living in Bellevue, or Kirkland, or a number of other potential urban centers.

Also, we must teach people not to runaway just because of the lack of good leadership.

No way. If politicians won't listen to us & keep robbing us with their regressive/socialist policies & extortion, we must be able to vote with our feet.


You do not understand that the push factors of Seattle are a greater cause of sprawl than the pull factors of the suburbs. The demand for Seattle is huge but government in Seattle through regressive/socialist policies is creating a Seattle where only the wealthy & the extreme poor (and drunks & failing artists) can live. If the market had its way, the Seattle skyline would be much greater than it is now.

Want to slow sprawl? End the regressive/socialist policies & extortion in Seattle so normal folks can afford to live the urban, car free lifestyle in downtown Seattle.

I lived in Seattle for 6 years; I had enough of the parasitic theives making it impossible for me to make a living there. If Seattle reformed & became like Bellevue in the way they regulate & run government, I would probably still be living there & the cities population would be hundreds of thousands greater.

People hate being robbed; socialism is a loser & Seattle's demand would be even greater with out the constraints & costs of socialistic extortion going on in Seattle. I just heard a Seattle city council thief defending them using public money to house failing artists this afternoon on KIRO! That culture needs to end if we want to end sprawl. We are fleeing crooks, corruption, & crappy schools. It is easy to see why Bellevue's skyline is soaring; watch other burbs follow its lead as property values push towards the $400,000 mark (the magic # for condo towers around here) & Seattle continues to regulate & steal the dream of living in Seattle from the middle class.

^and you think that $400,000 for a condo is going to be affordable for the middle class? That's not economically viable, Bellevue will turn into a smaller version of San Francisco in terms of how expensive it is to live here. I don't see anything wrong with helping people, artists in this case, develop their potential that can then make a positive impact on inner-city people, and the rest of the communities around them. Something that in a capitalistic society is almost impossible to do because in order to make it in this country you have to succumb yourself to the slave machine that is the corporate world. I think everyone has the right to be happy so because of that, I'm all for helping artist. But I would only support it when I see a great potential and if I see that we trully do have a gifted community of artists. IMO, we do.
your last paragraph contradicts yourself.

Also, I didn't find that story about "failing" artists on KIROTV.com

Sounder, since your so keen on using Bellevue as an example of a good free market...

First, I'd like for you to prove that Bellevue does not have "development fees, city fees, B&O tax, & other govt related costs."

Second, you said that Seattle's politicians pushed you out of Seattle because they were trying to steal, or whatever, from you when I already proved that Seattle is taxed less than most major cities, even less than the likes of Boise and Salt Lake City.

Third, Bellevue's housing cost MUCH more than Seattle's, I believe Bellevue's median home price is over $400,000, while Seattle's is significantly less at $350,000. In fact the whole Eastside is the most expensive residential Market of the entire metro. So I'm not seeing why your claim that Bellevue and Kirkland or where ever east of Lake Washington are a good example of cheap, free market urban living. It's not helping your arguement.

Sounder,
If you want to see a city where the market has had it's way with no constraints, then I suggest you take a little trip to Hong Kong. Then let me know if you'd rather live there or in a 'socialist/regressive' city like Stockholm, or Paris, or Amsterdam. Livability isn't all about tall buildings. I think right wing talk radio is clouding your judgement.

^and you think that $400,000 for a condo is going to be affordable for the middle class?

More affordable than an $800,000 condo. It costs money to build condos & the break even point for most rpjects outside of Seattle is $400,000 a unit; because of the extortion costs in Seatle, it is more there. So if you favor more affordable housing & more urban housing in Seattle, you would be for reducing unneccessary costs.

That's not economically viable, Bellevue will turn into a smaller version of San Francisco in terms of how expensive it is to live here.

Not if supply can keep up with demand.

I don't see anything wrong with helping people, artists in this case, develop their potential that can then make a positive impact on inner-city people, and the rest of the communities around them.

There would be nothing wrong with this if tax money wasn't used. Taking other people's money; making it more expensive to build & live in Seattle to subsideize failing artists is thievery, regressive, & flat out wrong. Start a charity if you believe this is a noble cause.

Something that in a capitalistic society is almost impossible to do

Bulls---. In a capitalistic system, we have even more resources at our disposal. Private citizens should be funding art, especially the art from horrible, failing artists that can't make it on their own because their art sucks.

because in order to make it in this country you have to succumb yourself to the slave machine that is the corporate world.

Bulls---. We are free agents, not slaves. You do not have to work or shop at a coporation, ever.

I think everyone has the right to be happy so because of that, I'm all for helping artist.

Then do it with your own money. Making it more expensive to build & live in Seattle to subsidize these folks in isanity & another cause of sprawl. We folks who do not want to be robbed by Seattle socialist politicians have fled Seattle; even the people who want to live in the theif state of Seattle can't afford it due to all the extortion costs to pay for housing for drunks, failing artists, etc.


Also, I didn't find that story about "failing" artists on KIROTV.com

It was in the P-I.

First, I'd like for you to prove that Bellevue does not have "development fees, city fees, B&O tax, & other govt related costs."

I can't, because they do, but they are a lot less intrusive than Seattle's.

Second, you said that Seattle's politicians pushed you out of Seattle because they were trying to steal, or whatever, from you when I already proved that Seattle is taxed less than most major cities, even less than the likes of Boise and Salt Lake City.

False. Your above graph leaves out many taxes & other govt. costs.

Third, Bellevue's housing cost MUCH more than Seattle's, I believe Bellevue's median home price is over $400,000, while Seattle's is significantly less at $350,000.

Let's just compare high rise condos please so we can stay on topic. Bellevue has no land for single family homes; of course the house prices are going to continue to skyrocket since supply can't change, however the sky is empty, plenty of room to grow up. Compare the costs to build an identical condo tower in Seattle & Bellevue to compare govt. costs.

In fact the whole Eastside is the most expensive residential Market of the entire metro. So I'm not seeing why your claim that Bellevue and Kirkland or where ever east of Lake Washington are a good example of cheap, free market urban living. It's not helping your arguement.

People are fleeing the regressive thivery & extortion of Seattle, hence the demand. Better schools, less corruption, less socialist thief politicians. Just watch the number of high rise residential units grow on the Eastside faster than in Seattle if Seattle's culture doesn't change.

Livability isn't all about tall buildings.

Neither is sprawl.

I think right wing talk radio is clouding your judgement.

If I listen to the radio, I listen to sports radio. Economics & urban geography are my background; I think lack of economic knowledge is clouding up the judgement of many people here.

^we were comparing houses in both Seattle and Bellevue. If you want to compare condos in Seattle and Bellevue, Bellevue is up there with Seattle.

I don't know what kind of condo you found to be 800,000 unless it was close to the top of the building with a huge square footage. You'll find that both in Bellevue and Seattle.

The problem with the supply and demand is that there are too many hurdles developers have to go through in Seattle compared to Bellevue. Bellevue has a way of speeding things up something Seattle doesn't seem to have. Seattle wants to study everything before doing it. Case in point, the viuduct. They want to study if it would indeed bring more money to the city or not. Wouldn't it be faster and better if they just build the tunnel, open up the waterfront and make the waterfront work to help bring money? I mean instead of spending money on some study that will tell us something we already know and wasting time on top of that too.

That's the reason why Bellevue is booming right now. They know that growth is happening fast and they need to figure out and accomodate that growth in a manner that will help the economy instead of just ignoring it and using the "let's discourage people from moving here approach" because we all know that's never going to work. Something Seattle seems to feel confortable with. IMO studying every single thing is a waste of money and time. I think it's easier and faster if you just DO IT and work with it along the way to figure out the niche that will help improve it if necessary.

I have trouble seeing these giant new urbanism projects working out in the long run.

at least I think it's new urbanism, I didn't read the article. :D

And they need a different name, Cascadia should remain a regional title.

^we were comparing houses in both Seattle and Bellevue.

You are, not me. This whole topic is about the thivery & extortiion in Seattle that is making it more expensive & less affordable to build * live in Seattle which contributes to sprawl.

Did you read today's P-I? City loves to extort developers (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/223769_downtown11.html)

If you want to compare condos in Seattle and Bellevue, Bellevue is up there with Seattle.

How much are the govt. related costs in Seattle vs. Bellevue when it comes to building a high rise condo?


The problem with the supply and demand is that there are too many hurdles developers have to go through in Seattle compared to Bellevue.

MY WHOLE ENTIRE POINT! Seattle's regressiveness, thivery, & extortion has made it more expensive & more difficult to build in the city which contributes to sprawl.


Seattle wants to study everything before doing it.


...and want to extort as much money as possible for pet projects.




Today's P-I -

For the first time, developers who go above a certain height limit would be required to build "green buildings" with environmentally friendly features, such as rainwater collection systems or recycled building materials.

Residential developers would now have to contribute to an expanded program that builds affordable housing, potentially increasing that pool of money by $35 million over the next 15 years.


If you want to slow down sprawl, end the thivery & extortion in Seattle.

Did any one of these articles mention how roads are going to be made to get to this place? If so I missed it.

I was just up in another "masterplanned community", Lakeland hills in Auburn, and the traffic was horrendous! 167 to the Algona Pacific exit, a disaster. Then crappy, congested surface streets to a brand new Lake Tapps parkway. I can't imagine why anyone would want to live so far out with out the question of transportation being addressed.

If it weren't for the free dinners I would never go back.

Did any one of these articles mention how roads are going to be made to get to this place? If so I missed it.

410 is due to be upgraded & expanded. Eventually, it may become the western part of I-82 from Yakima if a Naches Pass tunnel is ever constructed.


I can't imagine why anyone would want to live so far out with out the question of transportation being addressed.

Don't think of this with a Seattle perspective, think about this development from a Tacoma-Puyallup perspective.

I live in Kent so I am totally not thinking of it from a Seattle perspective. However....I didn't see if from a Tacoma one either. That would still be on hell of a commute though.

Why would you think of this from a Puyallup perspective? Most of the people here are going to be working in Tacoma. Puyallup has a lot of people, but is far from a commercial hub.