Bridges across the sound?!

[cjg5]

Also nice to know that you care not for the people who prefer to live rural or country lives. I bet if they moved away from further development and gentrification into a previously wild area, the only loser there would be nature, right?

[civic94]

coming from a even more expensive place than seattle and living here now, i am for it. i mean, as of right now its ok not to have a bridge, but how about your next generation and next, and so on? its slowly getting too expensive to live in this area, ive seen families of 6 live in a 500 sf studio before because rent is too high. the seattle area still have some options out there, such as light rail and the west side of the sound. quality of life here is good, but its slowly getting worse.

its not impossible to build a tunnel, as tunnel in japan was built at around 700 feet under, and of course, this was decades ago. i think new technology will greatly surpass that.

as for light rail, even right now its not that much of a success, but once its all stretched out and more folks move to this area/people have kids, it will make a difference. most transit in major cities are loosing money, but without them it will be 10x worse. what ST is doing is planning for the future. i hope people right now plan for the future, and think about their kids and their grandkids. when cost of living becomes so high, people leave, commit crimes out of desperation, live in shoeboxes for 1600 a month, well you get the idea.

[sean98125]

Even if we build up east of the sound, there are still going to be tons of people moving to Key Peninsula. It's going to change - population in this area is not going to go down. Key Peninsula is less rural than it was ten years ago and there will only be new subdivisions and neighborhoods and more people in the years ahead.

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by cjg5

Urban and suburban sprawl needs to end. We need to build up, not out. The world would be hell if all areas were either city or suburb. If you want Peninsula access you have three easy ways of getting it. Ferry over, take the Tacoma Narrows bridge, or drive around the bottom of the sound. There is no need for anything else.

Thats impossible at the moment, There is no room to build up! Cities in the south sound have over expanded already and lined with low rise apartments and condos which are a breeding point for crime. Sprawl will never go away so you need to do smart development. Make already dense areas like Seattle, Bellevue, and Dense. For already sprawling areas like in the south sound, you need to maintain that community aspect your were founded on while trying to move from a suburb to a sufficient city with NICE mid rise condos, shopping centers, and business in the city centers. While new growing or recently rural cities can go many directions depending how they zone and prepare for growth that is certain to happen. The Ferry is hopelessly slow, out of date, and expensive; serious waste of money by the state. Driving over the narrows is only beneficial if you live in gig harbor and driving around the sound is a pointless tedious gas guzzling task.

Originally Posted by cjg5

Also nice to know that you care not for the people who prefer to live rural or country lives. I bet if they moved away from further development and gentrification into a previously wild area, the only loser there would be nature, right?

Yeah, I totally hope the governments go and take away all the rural land from those greedy town folk! The point is the make better use of the area around a major metro area like Seattle. The Key Pennisula is only 15 miles or less from Seattle as the crow flies. Do you think area that close to the city should remain rural forever? Bremerton has proposed High Rises and urban development for years as they want to become more attractive for growth. not everyone there wants to be isolated from the urban centers.

Originally Posted by civic94

coming from a even more expensive place than seattle and living here now, i am for it. i mean, as of right now its ok not to have a bridge, but how about your next generation and next, and so on? its slowly getting too expensive to live in this area, ive seen families of 6 live in a 500 sf studio before because rent is too high. the seattle area still have some options out there, such as light rail and the west side of the sound. quality of life here is good, but its slowly getting worse.

its not impossible to build a tunnel, as tunnel in japan was built at around 700 feet under, and of course, this was decades ago. i think new technology will greatly surpass that.

as for light rail, even right now its not that much of a success, but once its all stretched out and more folks move to this area/people have kids, it will make a difference. most transit in major cities are loosing money, but without them it will be 10x worse. what ST is doing is planning for the future. i hope people right now plan for the future, and think about their kids and their grandkids. when cost of living becomes so high, people leave, commit crimes out of desperation, live in shoeboxes for 1600 a month, well you get the idea.

Exactly! This is why this should happen. I'm still a young person in the community (college aged) and think this is perfect from growth in the area. This area isn't getting smaller so we need to find ways to maintain growth in this area with become, well New York! I understand why some people don't understand that. This is all about the future! Nearsighted thinking, and stubbornness is the reason why this country has so many problems. If you wait for problems to happen, you will face the consequences. If you solve a problem before it becomes a problem, you have now taken the concern off the shoulders of the next generation.

Kitsap is growing regardless as Sean said. It's not the rural backwoods, community that some people still think. It will grow regardless, but we can make that growth more economically beneficial for everyone if we can connect then to the center of the sound.