King County, Washington Won't Budge on Rural Developments

King County curtails development by zoning large portions of its boundaries as rural. While some have sought to expand urban land uses into those rural areas, the county has maintained its stance on sprawl. "In the city of Snoqualmie, the city wanted to move the line a little, to make space for hotels, shopping and affordable housing right next to I-90," writes Joshua McNichols for KOUW.

Matt Larson, mayor of Snoqualimie, argues that areas designated as rural in King County are far from a pristine wilderness. Larsen told McNichols, "Tasteful hotels on this parcel near Interstate 90 would help stimulate the tourist economy in Snoqualimie and bring in sales tax revenue." Still, the county sees the advantages of limiting development to within the urban zones as outweighing the advantages of building up the forested land.