As a benchmark report for how King County is managing growth, King County Executive Ron Sims today released the 1997 Annual Growth Report, which shows the local economy growing rapidly, with unemployment declining while housing prices are escalating. That economic boom also spurred a boom in commercial and multi-family construction, according to the report. So the majority of our new construction is going where there is already existing density. That's just what was envisioned by the Growth Management Act. The region's economic turnaround also points to some challenges ahead.
More people means more demand for services.
Low unemployment means a shortage of skilled labor in software, aerospace, and construction. At the same time, population growth is making it more difficult to move freight around the region, increasing the need for more roads, and expanding need for an adequate water supply. On the environmental front, there is generally good news in the trends. Regional air quality continues to improve. Water consumption has remained stable since 1992.