Ord-2019-010 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

These improvements will continue to increase the number of recreational users coming to the Pass area for the foreseeable future. 5. Regional Growth Trends The Snoqualmie Pass area, with its proximity to the rapidly growing Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area with an estimated King County 1998 population of approximately 1.67 million, is situated in the "path of progress", and will provide both second home and year-round housing opportunities over the next ten to fifteen years. Development pressure has increased significantly along the 1-90 corridor in east King County, with Issaquah and North Bend growing significantly throughout the 1990s. Development pressures have already begun to unfold in rural Kittitas County as a result of spillover demand from Seattle. The 1998 population of Kittitas County was estimated at approximately 31,400 and is growing at the high end of the State's projected growth rate. It is currently estimated that up to 2,000 persons are commuting from Kittitas County to King County and this number will expand considerably over the next fifteen years time frame. The increasing ability of the work force to telecommute, especially within the high tech sectors prevalent in the Seattle-Tacoma region, will further enable the resident labor force to find high quality environments in which to live somewhat remote from their places of employment. The capacity of East King County, including Issaquah and North Bend, to absorb the anticipated growth over the decade will be limited. The Snoqualmie Pass area, and communities to the east, represent the next logical steps along the 1-90 corridor, and are already being impacted by development pressures emanating from the Greater Seattle- Tacoma metropolitan area. It is, in part, these regional growth pressures that are motivating the Snoqualmie Pass community to protect the scenic and environmental quality of the Pass by planning for this growth. 6. Summer Recreational Growth While the Pass area has an established base of winter recreation and tourism, the summer season has not matured to its potential. Although the area is quite scenic, and offers a diversity of hiking, biking and passive recreational functions and activities for current owners and visitors, there is a shortage of other developed recreational facilities, such as golf, tennis, play fields, and equestrian facilities. As efforts are made to promote and utilize this resource, additional; demands will be made on Pass infrastructure and facilities. 7. Community Expectations. Surveys conducted among the current property owners and residents, as part of the planning effort, document the desire to improve the total year- round recreational environment within the area. The residents also desire other facilities that may be used year around, including a community center (which may include meeting and performing arts space), as well as a new visitor center. 3.2 Review of Land Use Demand & Capacity One of the objectives of the planning process was to inventory the residential and commercial development capacity and demand of the Pass area. First, existing developed rental units and Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan December 2016