Current state of affairs
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1/10/2008
I've lived in Vancouver/Clark Co for 36 years. At one time it was beautiful. Vancouver is attractive to many because no income tax, reasonable sales tax, property tax better than Oregon..excellent schools (Vancouver School District).The proximity to Portland is a plus. Truly CAN be skiing, at the beach, in the desert, hiking, in 1 1/2hrs.. However...the growth here in Vancouver is ill-planned, regardless of how many times Vancouver and Clark Co redo the growth plan..since with the pathetic zoning and poor design it looks like a patchwork quilt...flag lots, tiny infill lots...revised traffic standards which allow traffic to idle at intersections & crawl at a pace that just adds polution...There are some very nice neighborhoods..Downtown Vancouver is being "revitalized"...great park & trail system within Vanc. & Clark Co...but much of it is very ugly...who builds townhomes in a old field...nothing within walking distance...not a coffee shop, not a grocery store...everything requires driving...though the urban growth plan that forced infill on tiny ugly lots was suppose to control urban sprawl..developers have gotten rich...Also even though I am a Wash. native, I as so sick of grey sky...Years ago we voted down light rail...Portland has a great system that connects the community...we sit here stuck in traffic trying to cross the bridge into Oregon..at a cost of millions, the interstate bridge will be rebuilt, some type of mass transit will be incorporated & we are slowly being force fed the idea tolls will be necessary to pay for all this......I will relocate when I retire next year...to a place with better urban planning & fewer cloudy, grey days.
Barbara | Hazel Dell, WA