Thoughts from the Mayor of Gig Harbor

I was reading "Gig Harbor MATTERS" and came across an article written by the mayor. I found it informative and thought it was worth posting. Here it is:

Gig Harbor’s Trees
Comments From The Mayor.

By the time you read this I will be starting my third year in office. It seems like yesterday that I became mayor. There certainly hasn’t been a lack of large projects in 2007:

St. Anthony Hospital
Wastewater up-grade that must be completed to accommodate our rapid growth
Burnham/Borgen/Highway 16 (BB16) long term fix

The BB16 solution will have an impact on our community for the next 30 years or more and is under review with careful and thoughtful consideration. Growth will continue to impact the Gig Harbor area because the second Narrows Bridge provides easy access. Our unique character attracts people and new development.

The Growth Management Act (GMA) adopted in 1990 continues to put pressure on the city in both our residential and commercial zones. GMA is a mandate from the state that requires cities to allow higher density project within the city in order to reduce urban sprawl. As a result and within existing city limits, Gig Harbor is required to make provisions for 11,675 citizens by the year 2022. This means we must adopt zoning regulations to accommodate this expected growth. We must provide an additional 2500 dwelling units which equals 4 to 8 units per acre. Failure to meet these requirements means a loss of state funding for improvements to our water supply and wastewater treatment capacities.

The net result for Gig Harbor is that our historic standards that allowed fewer lots per acre and open space to preserve existing stands of trees and maintain natural topography are at odds with GMA regulations. Population growth means that new roads must be improved within right-of-ways. Wider roads mean fewer trees.

Our Planning Department and Planning Commission are presently investigating ways to maintain mature stands of trees along the front setbacks of new residential developments. We are also looking at buffers between developments and ways to supplement them when existing trees are not adequate or likely to survive. In addition, streetscape landscaping within new developments should include native evergreen trees.

As a community, we value our trees. As a city, we must take measures to protect them.

I value your input. If you have any comments, e-mail me at hunterc@cityofgigharbor.net

3 reasons to sell your home during the holidays.

What is the best time to sell a home? Most people think spring is the best time because the flowers are blooming and the kids are out of school. Well spring probably would be the best time if everyone else didn’t put their home up for sale.

Here’s the thing; Supply and demand is what makes the market flow in the direction of buyers or sellers. Historically, spring has the highest inventory of homes and the holiday season has the lowest. People don’t like having their homes on the market during Thanksgiving and Christmas so homes start coming off the market towards the end of November.

There are always people that need to buy for some reason and they will consider the homes for sale at that time. The other thing about these buyers is they are serious. There are lots of tire kickers in the spring because it is a fun time to look at other peoples’ homes. In the winter it is cold and people are very busy – I’ll say it again; the buyers that look at your home are serious. Doesn’t it make sense to try and sell your home at the time that you have the least competition and the best buyers?

Here are the top 3 reasons to sell your home during the holidays and into the first quarter of the year:
1) There are fewer sellers (this means less inventory).
2) The buyers are highly motivated.
3) You can use your home for sale as a reason not to have Christmas dinner at your place.