Today is the last day of the official commenting period for their three planning alternatives. Theywant to hear your thoughts on how and where Seattle should grow. You can comment on their site or send an email at 2035@seattle.gov.

Reblogged from post: 4/21/2013

By 2035, we expect 120,000 people, 70,000 households, and 115,000 jobs to come to Seattle. That’s an increase of about 20% from what we currently have today. How should we plan for that growth? We want your ideas.

Washington State has a law called the Growth Management Act that requires cities to anticipate and manage growth and steer it to already developed areas in order to protect natural resources. Seattle does this through its comprehensive plan, a 20-year roadmap for the city’s future. The plan promotes a development pattern called the urban village strategy, which encourages new jobs and housing to the designated urban centers and urban villages in the city. There are six urban centers (like Northgate, University District, Downtown, and Capitol Hill) and 24 urban villages (like Columbia City, Lake City, Morgan Junction, and Fremont). This approach strengthens neighborhood business districts and lets make the most out of the roads, transit, and utilities we already have.

So how do we plan for the next 20 years? That’s the central question we’re asking with Seattle 2035, a citywide conversation about how and where to accommodate new households and jobs within the city. Where should growth be focused? What investments do we need to make in things like parks, transit, and infrastructure to maintain a livable city and healthy economy? How can we protect the vital natural resources that sustain us? How do we work towards greater racial and socioeconomic equity? Our goal is to leverage growth to build better neighborhoods, create jobs, and work towards a more sustainable Seattle.

Over the next year, we will discuss and study a full range of topics: land use, transportation, housing, economic development, environment, services, infrastructure, and more. There are nine guiding principles shaping our work, and we’re asking a wide range of stakeholders and communities how we can plan for a better city. What matters to you? What are the most pressing issues facing Seattle as it plans for the future? How can we capitalize on population and job growth while maintaining our quality of life? We want to hear from you as we think about Seattle’s future.

To learn more about the plan, visit 2035.seattle.gov or follow us on Twitter andFacebook.