Media Story

County expected to see more residential growth

By DAVE RANK - Daily News Staff
January 13, 2005

Expect more neighbors and even more neighborhoods for the next 30 years here in Washington County .

"You're one of the fastest growing counties in the state," said Phil Evenson, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, speaking before the Washington County Board this week.

(This county has been among the top five counties for percentage annual population growth rate for more than the past decade.)

And for the foreseeable future, Washington County should see a 34 percent growth rate in its population, he said.

"That's faster than our (seven-county) region," Evenson said, which expects to see an 18 percent increase in population, 24 percent increase in households and 12 percent increase in jobs.

By 2035, SEWRPC projects, this county will have a population around 157,300, which is 39,800 more than the county had in the 2000 census. Think of another city of West Bend and town of Richfield to accommodate that growth.

As of 2003, the county had a population of 121,929.

"The average household size is expected to decrease from 2.65 people in 2000 to 2.45 in 2035," he said.

"Nobody has a crystal ball, but looking ahead, that's where you likely will be in 2035," Evenson said.

SEWRPC, based in Waukesha , is a regional planning agency that assists communities in the counties of Ozaukee , Washington , Waukesha , Milwaukee , Racine , Kenosha and Walworth with planning for transportation, land use, floodland and stormwater management, water quality and lake management, water supply, telecommunications and local assistance projects.

The future of Washington County

Source: Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission