I have a feeling that most of the people who don't like the act aren't from WA. On the flip-side I would bet that most WA natives are sick and tired of seeing foreigners come in, develop prime timberland into McMansions, destroy the streams, and then complain that the laws aren't like the place they just left.

Even if we didn't have a corrupt government and let communities decide their own fate you are going to have:

Mr. Newby who bought the land as an investment and not to farm
Against
This land has been in my family for 200 years and it's staying in my family
Against
This land has been in my family for 200 years and F them I'm selling to Mr. Newby and taking the money and running.

Your idea that we can all do what we want but we'll all do the right thing is a fantasy. Look at the water rights battles.

I was born in Wa. and this is the dumbest thing ever passed..

Let me say it was written by Maria Cantwell. She moved here in 1983, after growing up in Indiana.. Things that make you go hummm..

KK I feel so welcomed now! As usual great post..

So why do you oppose the act? Is it because you think developers building a sea of houses will fix the economy or because you think people should have a right to do what they want when they want?

Its the amount of money that it takes to comply with something that simple zoning laws would take care of. As FP described if one was politically connected or understood the proccess you can get rich. Now the citys are all looking for land grabs to annex so they can have a bigger circle, because if they are close to any other city they want their UGB as big as possiable.

Thats just how digruntled grass trimmers are trophy.....

But zoning is run by crooks. I thought it was common knowledge.

The GMA isn't?

I have 5 acres in the city, and they don't want me to develop it further. Go figure. (I don't really wish to develop it, but it would have been nice to be able to split off a separate lot.)

This is a city that had 1 new home built in 2010.

Grays Harbor was right there with Mason County, Marsha.

Grays Harbor and Mason County were nearly last on the west side of the state for both the GMA and the CAO (Critical Areas Ordinance). GH was the last one I belive to adopt their CAO. They were on the verge of getting fined by the State and had pending law-suits from environmental groups.

I went to one of the GMA meetings for Mason county. It was an experience to be sure. During the public testimony a lady got up and said " When are you going to get a clothing store in down-town Shelton? I am tired of driving to Wal-Mart to buy new underwear." The scary part was that there were some other people nodding and giving approval. That was far from the only crazy comment I heard.

Interesting that I see major bits of truth being written in this thread by people from both sides of the street.

I'd like Trophymac and FP to describe what will work, but first I'll allege that FP's imperfect lassiez-faire does also result in corruption and its own form of centralized planning, albeit by the wealthiest, most powerful, and greediest industrialists and developers. Local zoning doesn't do what Trophymac alleges either; local councils and commissions routinely waive requirements, in part because said councils are commonly populated with developers, realtors, and business interests that trump environmental protection. And if private property owners actually were conserving and preserving or otherwise protecting private property, no one would have ever deemed it necessary to legislate such protection. So with these qualifications, please describe a viable alternative to GMA that actually achieve the environmental protection goals of GMA. Show your work; the legislature is in session, and remember, a good idea doesn't care who has it.

Sg

Oh, forgot to ask, how do we avoid having the entire state look like Lacey or Lakewood? Or are those actually desirable outcomes for you?

Sg

Sometimes it's impossible to imagine that you're the same FP posting in every thread! Our values about dogs differ completely, but I share that value of representative government, property rights, and the rule of law. However I've been around long enough to see representative government, property rights, and the rule of law all conspire to destroy the air we breathe for a dollar today and not give a damn about tomorrow, because that is precisely what too many "upstanding businessmen" do. So for me those values don't trump a livable planet. Just the opposite. Bureaucracy and regulation is the price we pay to offset the natural inclination, which at the level of the individual, is to degrade and destroy, the evidence of which is all around us. The track record is self-evident and undeniable, and a planet of Laceys and Lakewoods is not an acceptable alternative to me.

Sg

Good questions FP. It's impossible to say what the state would look like without 21 years of GMA, but I think some areas would have been badly developed or over-developed have remained in better condition. But it's not possible to prove one way or the other.

Sg