Vision Statement

The City of Arlington will meet its challenge to accommodate regional growth by preserving the best a small city has to offer and by extending this “best” into new development and growth plans. The City will strive to balance growth by safeguarding our standards and values as we encourage economic growth to safeguard our future.

Even as the City evolves into a stronger commercial center, it will continue to retain the feel of its small town rural heritage. To this end, our vision focuses on the City’s setting, its economy, social fabric, mobility and housing.

The Setting: Arlington is located where the north and south forks of the Stillaguamish River join. The City’s northern/northwestern edge overlooks the Stillaguamish River Valley; its eastern side looks toward the Cascade foothills; and we border I-5 on the west and Marysville on the south.

The Economy: Arlington’s future depends on its economic base keeping pace with other development. Citizens thrive when jobs are available and the necessary amenities are in place to improve their quality of life. To pay for this quality of life, our retail base must be secure and growing. It must also be able to pay for the infrastructure needed to fuel industrial growth.

The Social Fabric: Citizens establish the City’s values, sense of place, and quality of life. In return they need cultural opportunities, recreational activities, educational resources, and entertainment for a full life.

Mobility: Our goal must be to provide mobility within the City and access to our county, state and federal transportation systems.

Housing: Arlington values its neighborhoods and hopes to pass on these values as new developments are built. We recognize the need to provide housing for all income ranges.

Summary: Because of Arlington’s proximity to population centers and the freeway, growth is inevitable, but not necessarily as a bedroom community. Arlington will strive to maintain a small city identity, a high jobs-to-housing ratio, thriving commercial districts, safe neighborhoods, an expanding airport, a
healthy hospital, a beautiful environment, great services, ample recreational opportunities, and a pride that most cities seldom experience. We want our citizens to continue to see Arlington as a caring community.

The principal theme of the Vision Statement is that the City of Arlington would like to maintain its character and identity – the "small town" atmosphere. The overall goals listed in Section 3.2 essential in maintaining a satisfactory quality of life for Arlington. These goals will endure as the Comprehensive Plan is implemented. As the Comprehensive Plan is updated to account for changing conditions the goals in the Vision Statement will provide direction for such revisions.

What We Would Like to Achieve

In the 1995 Comprehensive plan the City Council adopted a vision statement as presented by the Select Committee established to write the plan. The Vision Statement, above, is still as appropriate today as it was when it was first adopted. The principal theme of the Statement is that the City of Arlington would like to maintain its character and identity, or simply put, a “small town” atmosphere. The overall goals found in the third chapter of the plan are essential in maintaining this atmosphere and a fine quality of life for our citizens. As the Plan is implemented the goals will provide direction and guidance.

We would, as a City, would like to remain the same, but on a larger scale with the same amenities now treasured by our present citizens granted to the new. We want to preserve our community-oriented character. We want our citizens to be able to find the type of housing they want and can afford and insure that they be able to work and shop locally. Excellent municipal services, facilities, and infrastructure need to be provided without overtaxing our citizens.

To the West and North of our city limits lies the Stillaguamish Valley. It is fertile farmland within the flood plain of the Stillaguamish River. As an awe inspiring entrance to our City it is unequalled. It is there that a major policy shift in our Comprehensive plan takes place as we adopt a pilot-program that will transfer development rights from the Valley to a designated area east of us. Owners of property in the Valley will gain by selling rights and purchasers in the receiving area will be allowed to come into the UGA and develop to urban densities.

We will be tested at times during the next twenty years as we fit more citizens into less space. But the rewards will be great as we look westward at a preserved Stillaguamish Valley and eastward to a master planned community.

Safe, well-kept neighborhoods and commercial areas are the ultimate goal of this plan and will continue to be so as we step forward into a bright future.