MRSC Insight Blog

Posts by Sue Enger

Looking Back and On to the Next Chapter – Sue Enger Retires

December 18, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category:

In this month’s Planning Advisor column, Joe Tovar heralded the advent of GMA at 25. Really? It’s been almost 25 years? That should not have been a revelation to me since I arrived on the MRSC scene the year after the Growth Management Act (GMA) was adopted in 1990. In fact, I was hired to write six...

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Cooperative Senior Housing: An Alternative to Meet the Needs of Today’s Senior Citizens

November 14, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Housing

A tsunami of baby boomers (some 75 million strong) are joining the ranks of America’s senior citizens. The boomers’ different life expectancy, ethnic diversity, lifestyle preferences, and attitudes are changing the complexion of our aging population. The needs of retirees who preceded the boomers continue to change as they age. Addressing these needs will require s...

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What’s Not to Like? – Pre-Approved Plans Offer Faster Permitting, Cheaper Housing, Quality Design

July 3, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Land Use Administration

It is probably fair to say that most homeowners or builders who visit city hall (or the county) for a single family or small project permit, have less than fond memories...

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Oso “Extreme Event” Prompts New Look at Landslide Hazards Regulation

May 14, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Emergency Management

March 22, 2014 is a day that will be etched in the minds of many Snohomish County residents. On that day, the massive, muddy Oso landslide sped down a mountainside...

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Blitzkrieg-Style Community Assistance Teams Help Build Consensus and Generate Energy

March 25, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Tools for Planners

What’s a community to do when faced with a difficult, multi-faceted issue that has stymied the community, perhaps for years? It may be a question about how to best renew a downtown core area, redevelop a key corridor...

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Can You Hear Me Now? Reaching Out to Engage Increasingly Diverse Communities

February 6, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Public Participation

According to the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Planning Association, “when it comes to effective communication … the ‘general public’ doesn’t exist.” Rather than...

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Biggert-Waters Act—Build Safer and Smarter; Sticker Shock Ahead for Floodplain Homeowners

April 29, 2013 by Sue Enger
Category: Emergency Management

In addition to April flowers and showers, floods are too often a harbinger of spring. Recent federal legislation significantly impacts local floodplain programs and future National Flood Insurance...

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It Takes a Community (and Some Smart Investing) to Create the Shining City on a Hill

January 16, 2013 by Sue Enger
Category: Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management

To become that shining city (or county) on a hill, or to make that "Best-Places-to-Live" list, communities must successfully implement a vision. This...

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Not Your Grandfather’s Town Meeting

August 15, 2012 by Sue Enger
Category: Legislative Body

Formal public hearings have their place – They are often required, after all, and they assure the basic, minimum rights of interested citizens to know what’s going on and to make their views known. They’ve been around for some time, and they likely will continue to be a part of the public involvement landscape. But I think it would be a rare event to hear someone say they relish the thought of...