Lakewood, Washington

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 District. The Pierce County Regional Council’s Vision 2050 growth management plan states the city should plan another 9,000 units to accommodate a projected population of 86,000. Mayor Whalen emphasizes, “Lakewood needs to maintain its characteristic as a vibrant residential area with beautiful homes around the various lakes in Lakewood that people very much enjoy. But we have to grapple with the concept of density and the way we have done that, for example, is to plan the Station District and the Central Business District as indicated, but also to allow increased density in certain residential zones using concepts such a cottage housing, accessory dwelling units, some density bonuses and the like. What Lakewood probably won’t be seeing is the abandonment of single family residential zones in the city.” The fairly new city thrives on partnerships to keep things moving smoothly and although it doesn’t own any of its utilities, it has big plans and makes use of its outstanding relationships.