Compact Boundaries Better, WSU Study Concludes

If Spokane County wants to meet the goals of the state’s Growth Management Act, the urban area should be compact, says a Washington State University study.

“The more compact urban area meets the state’s goals best,” said Marvin Wolverton, a professor of finance, insurance and real estate at WSU. “But if you’re going to be compact, you need to accommodate growth within that area.

“Otherwise, there will be price effects.”

The Growth Management Steering Committee paid WSU $10,000 to study the economic impacts of four proposed urban growth boundaries, which range from tightly drawn boundaries to widely drawn ones.

Wolverton detailed his conclusions to the steering committee Friday.

His study involved reviewing research done by land-use planners and universities across the country to see how Spokane could best match the state’s goals, which include promoting economic development and providing efficient transportation.

While Wolverton concluded that a compact urban area is preferable, the steering committee has to find a balance, he said.

“You don’t want to lock yourself into a situation where you run out of land,” he said.

Huckell/Weinman Associates Inc. of Seattle is studying how government revenues would be affected by the four alternative boundaries, but hasn’t concluded its work.

Richard Weinman told the committee it was too early to calculate dollar impacts of the boundaries.

But he urged that committee members not immediately assume that denser land uses make providing services cheaper.

“Higher density may increase costs because residents demand more services,” Weinman said.

Stuart Deysenroth, a private land-use planner, said he was disappointed by the study results.

“They were directed from the government’s viewpoint as to what effect this would have on government,” he said. “Where is the component of the study that would deal with you and me as private landowners?”

, DataTimes