MRSC Insight Blog

Posts by Sue Enger

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

New Chapters in People-Centered Placemaking

December 6, 2013 by Sue Enger
Category: Development Types

Notions about the importance of placemaking to the quality of community life are not new. The virtues of special spaces/gathering places were championed by no lesser luminaries than Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, and...

GMA Plan Makeover for the Twenty-First Century

September 27, 2013 by Sue Enger
Category: Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management

Time flies when you are having fun. It may seem like just yesterday when you put a wrap on some aspect of the comprehensive plans and development regulations required by the Growth Management Act (GMA). And...

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...

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...

The Density/Transportation Connection

December 4, 2012 by Sue Enger
Category: Transportation and Land Use

Density is an issue that has stirred great controversy and heated emotions in many a community. While some advocate added density as the fix to our transportation woes and as an essential element of vibrant, full-service communities, others see it as a threat to the quality of community life with few compensating rewards.
I recently updated the MRSC page, Transportation Efficient Land Use:...

More Variations on the Public Meeting Theme

September 27, 2012 by Sue Enger
Category: Public Participation

In my August 15, 2012 blog post (Not your Grandfather’s Town Meeting), I described several interesting technological tools that can create buzz, boost meeting participation, quickly gauge the views of those who attend, and even make the process more fun - the telephone town hall meeting (TTH) and polling devices. ...

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...

Infill Development in My Back Yard? Strategies for Winning Infill Development Support

June 27, 2012 by Sue Enger
Category: Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management

Infill development, by definition, brings change to its neighborhood. It may be an understatement to say that existing residents often view any proposed changes next door with suspicion. But a number of...