New city born from desire to shape community's growth

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Concerns about the effects of rapid growth prompted a move for cityhood during the mid-1990s.

Faced with the likelihood that the area would be annexed by Kent, Black Diamond or Covington, and wanting to do something to slow -- if not stop -- the influx of subdivisions, residents began talking about incorporation. And when the question went before the voters in 1997, they approved the move by a 4-to-1 ratio.

Since then, a lot has happened. The biggest thing, of course, has been a temporary moratorium on big construction projects in the new city.

"The main impact of the moratorium has been on major subdivisions and major new commercial developments," City Manager Mike Cecka says.

Building permits are still being issued for single-family homes on pre-existing lots, but no big subdivisions are allowed until the city completes work on its comprehensive plan, due next spring.

Retaining the rural character of the town is a primary focus of the plan, Cecka says.

"After all, people moved out here for the rural character of the area and the small-town feel," says Cecka, who left his job as city manager in Leavenworth to become Maple Valley's first city manager.

Transportation and street improvements also will be dealt with in the comprehensive plan.

"We've got all of these honeycombs of cul-de-sacs in the subdivisions and no good grid system of roadways," Mayor Laure Iddings says. "It is easy to get lost out here."

The mayor looks forward to the day that getting through and around the city isn't so hard. "We are looking to develop pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined boulevards, sidewalks and bicycle lanes."

Cecka and Iddings also are hoping for a plan that will expand the city's commercial core, making things more convenient for shoppers and creating new jobs for residents. There's not a lot of business development yet.

Maple Valley has few major employers. The Tahoma School District is the biggest. After that come large grocery chains and a couple of gravel pits. Most residents, however, commute to work in other cities.

"I'm hoping we can have a higher percentage of people who are able to earn their living within the community," Cecka says.