By Joshua Solorzano
For the Courier-Herald
Enumclaw is growing, and a need for improved public transport comes with that.
The city invites residents to its “Transportation Open House” at at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at the senior center at 1350 Cole St.
Enumclaw plans to have a comprehensive plan drawn up sometime in 2024. Still, before they present or prepare any initial project ideas, Associate Planner Isaac Anzlovar said they want citizen input on the changes Enumclaw plans to institute over the next 20 years.
This Transportation Open House is Enumclaw’s fourth public meeting on the comprehensive plan. Anzolvar said they plan to have another before the end of the year. This meeting is a chance for the community to share what changes they want to see regarding public transportation and where they want to see it, Anzolvar said.
“It’s not just cars. It’s pedestrian sidewalks, public transport, bikes, and infrastructure as well,” Anzlovar said. Hearing what citizens want, Anzlovar said, helps the city plan what to bring forward. Public transport is part of this comprehensive plan, but specifically, it is part of their six-year transport plan, according to Anzlovar.
At the Transportation Open House, Anzolvar said they’re going to present stats about transport and have a round table canvas of the current state of transport.
Anzolvar said it is too early to tell if the six-year transport plan could bring things such as expanded bus service in Enumclaw, but the transport plan could bring many new additions to the city, such as new bike lanes. It’s all up in the air right now, Anzolvar said.
On its website, the city describes the comprehensive plan as a blueprint to guide decisions for future Enumclaw city officials and staff for the next 20 years. In addition to information on its website, Enumclaws Comprehensive Plan Update Information Handout states that state law requires receiving comments from all parts of the community. The handout said Enumclaw will address existing conditions such as population, housing, and employment through its comprehensive plan. Additionally, they will look at how well things such as parks, water, sewer, public buildings, and services such as fire and police currently serve the community.
The comprehensive plan also looks at how Enumclaw plans to accommodate new housing and jobs, how they will map out land for new commercial and residential spaces, create growth strategies, and what policies they can institute to accommodate the community’s vision.
By Dec. 2024, Enumclaw plans to adopt its new comprehensive plan. Any further questions can be sent to Isaac Anzlovar at compplan@ci.enumclaw.wa.us, according to the Enumclaw Comprehensive Plan Update Information Handout.
