Port Blakely Tree Farms owns a 440-acre site, now forested, located west of Kitsap Lake. With their unanimous approval of the plan, the commissioners have created what could become a classic case in the study of sprawl. But most of the hoped-for new jobs created within this development would be filled by newcomers from outside the County, not by currently unemployed Kitsap residents. And the roads and schools needed by the newcomers would be paid for by Kitsap taxpayers, not by Port Blakely developers. Growth does NOT pay for itself.
Taxpayers foot most of the costs for new infrastructure.
Transforming these 440 acres of forest into an urban growth area will show that sprawl is alive and well in Kitsap County. One of the pledges our worldleaders havemade isthat by 2015 all boys and girls will be able to finish primary school. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have persuaded many indebted nations to impose fees for basic services such as health clinics and schools. These user fees generally bring in very little revenue, while excluding the poorest from needed services. An important step in meeting the world leaders' promises can be taken immediately by you and me.