A trip to Taipei: Mixed-Use Gone Wild!

Every time someone wants me to change a code to allow a larger development, they utter three letters G-M-A, The Growth Management Act.

Folks say that the goal of the GMA is to force us into living in urban centers. I couldn’t disagree more. I see the GMA doing what it's title implies, managing growth smartly.

In 2004, I got to go on a business trip to Taipei. I enjoyed the trip, and not just because of the sights. I learned a little bit about growth, and I think of Taipei when I think about land-use decisions on the city council.

While Taipei has many beautiful areas, the city councilman in me could not help but notice that Taipei’s principle form of development is mixed use. In fact, I would call it mixed-use gone wild!

I remember standing on the viewing deck of a 500 foot tall building, and not being able see the end of the city. No single family neighborhoods to be seen, anywhere. We’re talking horizon to horizon of mixed use or commercial buildings.

This is what happens when a lot of folks cram into a little space. It’s the ultimate end game of no-growth; that is, a policy that fights sprawl to such an extent that smart growth cannot occur, and we all get crammed into a small space.

A friend in Taipei made me feel very welcome and he showed me some of the greatest sights of the city. The coolest traveling trick about Taipei is the subway. Do not take the cabs! (Life does not need to be shorter). Take the subway. It’s easy to pay for with coin machines and it feels VERY safe (much more safer than the cabs.). Just make sure you stay to the right on the escalators, so that folks who want pass you can do so. They are picky about that kind of stuff there.

They’re certain advantages to their life style, the most obvious being they don’t need a car, because public transportation is awesome. They also save their money, and take long trips periodically, but most of the time they live in condos above businesses.

While Taipei was fun to visit, I wouldn’t want to live there. I like my single family home.

The GMA does NOT mean we have to turn Edmonds into Taipei. For Edmonds, the GMA means we will accept some population growth and we will have some areas that have mutlifamily housing, some areas that have single family housing, and areas that are completely open. We will have housing choices, but we’re not going the route of Taipei either. The single family neighborhood is still very much a part of our future.

What’s funny about some of the folks who continually point to the GMA as a reason to allow more condos is that the city already meets its GMA goals. That means Edmonds already has adequate growth going on and plenty of housing choices. Edmonds can meet its growth targets without changing a single code.

So the GMA arguments are really mute. Edmonds meets its goals. GMA arguments may mean something to the folks who want us to become Taipei, but these arguments don’t count much in my book.

Taping Executive Sessions (update)

The council talked about the issue yesterday, and we are letting Scott Synder work with the issue. There is some concern expressed by Scott that the city may not be able to authorize recording of executive sessions without the aid of the state legislature. I find this point counter-intuitive so I am doing my own research on his legal points. I will keep you updated.

Taping executive sessions

This week, the Edmonds city council will discuss taping executive sessions. In our legislature, HB 3292, which required councils to tape executive sessions, failed to get even a vote in our legislature, largely due to the efforts of the Association of Washington Cities, who lobbied against the bill. I am hoping the Edmonds city council will break with the AWC on this issue and decide to tape its own executive sessions.

There is a lot of information on HB 3292 out there. Here are some links that can provide some more info.

http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2008/03/03062008_In-our-view-Tape-sessions-anyway.cfm

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/17/editorial-record-closed-meetings/

http://washingtonpolicyblog.typepad.com/washington_policy_center_/2008/02/taping-of-execu.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004178737_seaopened13.html

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080207/OPINION01/430990090/-1/opinion

An extraordinary cat

Just when you thought the cat issue was over, here I am talking about cats.

My allergies prevent me from owning a cat (I own two scoundrels that are lab mixes), but I do think cats are very cool.

My favorite cat in the whole word has a cat named Bean, which Martha had the privledge of baby sitting. Bean was a VERY big and very docile cat, with mostly white fur with black splotches. If you laid on the floor while watching TV, Bean would always come and lay on you and make it very difficult to breathe. Bean liked the company of humans and enjoyed being scratched.

An artist named Simon Tofield has managed to capture the playful and mischievious nature of his cat, which has some extraordinary abilities. Take a look at Simon's Cat.

Health and Death

How do you prioritize the spending of public health dollars? One way is to look at death. I can’t speak for the whole board, but I am pretty sure, the board unanimously wants to postpone (perhaps even eliminate) death for folks in Snohomish County (and everywhere for that manner).

Our health officer, Gary Goldbaum, gave a great talk today on death rates, and how they affect funding priorities for the Snohomish County health district.

First, he compared the leading causes of death in 1904 to the leading causes of death today. Communicable diseases like the influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis were the leading causes of death in 1904, but today, cancer and heart disease are the leading cause of death. This is no coincidence. Health districts all over the country have done an excellent job at controlling and eliminating communicable diseases, which is the major reason why today’s average life expectancy is now over 70.

However, to get the whole health story, we need to look at death rates a different way: a way that examines death rates for the younger generations. In an analysis called “Years of Potential Life Lost”, folks who die after 65 are not counted, and younger folks are given greater weight than folks who die closer to 65. This analysis shows that younger folks are primarily killed by unintentional and intentional injuries.

Another very glaring fact is that chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer, dominate the death charts no matter how you look at them. Goldbaum also cited a study showing that adverse childhood experiences can be very detrimental to an individual’s long term health. Many of the chronic diseases are also attributable to the decisions that folks make, like smoking, drinking, and over-eating.

Goldbaum concluded that the health board should have four priorities:

1) Communicable disease control and prevention (we don’t want go back to the days of 1904).
2) Chronic Disease Prevention (Heart Disease and cancer dominate the death charts no matter how we look at them, and these diseases can be prevented by good life choices.).
3) Emergency Preparedness (a way to reduce unintentional injuries and insure that the work for public health can still be effective despite a sudden massive demand for services).
4) Early Childhood Development (so we can get folks off to a good start, making good decisions for their long term health)

Thanks goes to Gary Goldbaum for a very good talk.

Deciding against Boeing.

It’s time for me to weigh in on the Boeing-Airbus tanker debacle.

I think that Boeing should build the next tanker because:

• More jobs stay in the U.S. if Boeing builds the tanker. Yes, Alabama gets some jobs, but at the expense of many more in Washington.
  
• France does not deserve our military business. In fact, countries who do not help us in Iraq will benefit from the deal. Yes, Boeing builds parts of the tanker overseas, but again more of the tanker is built in the U.S.
  
• Airbus enjoys many subsidies that Boeing doesn’t. I think it’s time to level the playing field.
  
• The economy and our military our married. One cannot exist without the other. If the military can’t legally factor in jobs into their contract decisions, the law should be changed.

Since this deal, there have been many leaks about why Boeing did not get the contract. “Boeing blew it,” some would say. Others claim the Air-Force experts should make the decision.

I would say that one of the duties of a legislator is to examine and challenge the opinions of so-called experts. Norm Dicks fulfilled this duty by claiming the Air-Force pulled a bait and switch during contract negotiations.

In short, it’s the duty of the legislative branch to check the power of the executive branch. I hope that is what happens with this deal. I hope Congress uses their power of the purse to persuade (or pressure) the Air-Force to change its mind.

Are you a Nuisance?

The city council will soon be examining the nuisance ordinances. Last Tuesday, the council got to see the new language, and I think everyone should look at. The language was drafted by staff in response to complaints that they have received about other properties.

No one wants to live to next to an ugly property, but remember, when it come to the law, what goes around, comes around.

Below is a section of the proposed language. The complete language can be found here. Ask yourself a few questions as you read it:

Do you think the language describes a true “nuisance”?

Could the language apply to something that isn’t a nuisance?

Can you live by the standards imposed?

Your opinion is really important here. I am sure council members will definitely want to hear from you if you have compliments or concerns.


6.20.040 Types of nuisances.
The actions and conditions enumerated as public nuisances pursuant to Chapter 7.48 RCW are hereby designated as public nuisances for purposes of this chapter. Each of the following actions and conditions, unless otherwise permitted by law, is additionally declared to constitute a public nuisance:

A. Any junk, trash, litter, boxes, salvage materials or lumber not neatly stacked in any front yard, side yard, rear yard or vacant lot.

B. Any attractive nuisances dangerous to children, including but not limited to the following items when located outside of a fully enclosed building:

1. Abandoned, broken or neglected equipment;
2. Rusted, jagged, sharp or otherwise potentially dangerous machinery;
3. Household or commercial appliances, including but not limited to refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ovens, hot water tanks or toilets;
4. Unpermitted excavations; and/or
5. Unprotected or open wells or shafts.

C. Any broken, soiled or discarded furniture, household equipment or furnishings.

D. Any graffiti on the exterior of any building, fence or other structure in any front yard, side yard, rear yard or on any object in a vacant lot.

E. Any vehicle parts or other articles of personal property which are stored, discarded or left in a state of partial construction or repair in any front yard, side yard, rear yard or vacant lot.

F. Any hazardous trees, or any other vegetation which is dangerous to the general public health, safety and welfare, located in any front yard, side yard, rear yard, or vacant lot.

G. Any structure or other constructed object not governed by the International Building Code that is decayed, damaged, or in disrepair and poses a substantial threat of collapse, structural failure or falling.

H. Any accumulation, stack or pile of building, landscaping or construction materials which are exposed to the elements or are in disarray and which are not directly associated with a project on the premises for which a current building permit has been obtained; or, with respect to a project which does not require a permit, that is in progress or which is scheduled to begin within ten (10) business days. Construction materials include but are not limited to metal, wood, wire, drywall, electrical components, and any supplies, equipment or other items utilized for painting, landscaping, logging, roofing, masonry or plumbing.

I. Any stacks or accumulations of newspapers, cardboard, or other paper, cloth, plastic, or rubber left or stored in a manner which poses a substantial risk of combustion, a threat of fire, or that may harbor, serve as an attraction for or promote the infestation of mold, insects and/or vermin.

J. Any storage or keeping of any toxic, flammable, or caustic substance or material except in compliance with applicable requirements of state or federal law.

K. Any accumulations of perishable matter, including but not limited to food stuffs, that may harbor or attract the infestation of mold, insects and/or vermin.

L. Any stagnant, pooled water in which mosquitoes, flies or other insects may reproduce.

M. Any garbage stored outdoors that is not kept in a fully contained receptacle with a tight-fitting lid.

N. Any recyclable materials which are stored outside and which are not regularly disposed of on a scheduled disposal cycle not to exceed thirty (30) days.

O. Any compost kept in a manner which attracts infestations of insects or which emits foul odors detectable at or beyond the boundary of the underlying property.

P. Any shopping carts located in any front yard, side yard, rear yard, vacant lot, or rights-of-way, except where such shopping carts are owned and/or utilized for their designated purpose upon the underlying premises.

Q. Any uncultivated berry vines and Class B or Class C Noxious weeds (as classified by the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board) which exceed an average of three feet in height within five feet of an adjacent property.

R. Any violation of the noxious weed regulations contained in Chapter 6.30 ECC.

S. Any unpermitted obstruction of any street, alley, crossing or sidewalk, and any unpermitted excavation therein or thereunder.

T. Any garbage receptacle, recycling bin or compost container located within the front yard setback unless screened from view.

Hike at Lime Kiln and Robe Canyon

Dad and my son joined me on a hike to Lime Kiln in Robe Canyon. You can find this hike near Granite Falls and you can hike it all year round. It's also a good hike for those of us who are out of shape, with very minor elevation gains.

What struck me most were the trees completely covered in moss. There are whole forests of these green trees, which contrasted well with the milky white Stillaquamish river.

The hike is also filled with historical artifacts. Very interesting stuff.

I found this hike in a publication from the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau called "Hiking Snohomish County".