AN ACT Relating to
providing for the preservation of single-family residential neighborhoods; and
amending RCW 36.70A.070.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 36.70A.070 and 1990
1st ex.s. c 17 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
The comprehensive plan
of a county or city that is required or chooses to plan under RCW 36.70A.040
shall consist of a map or maps, and descriptive text covering objectives,
principles, and standards used to develop the comprehensive plan. The plan
shall be an internally consistent document and all elements shall be consistent
with the future land use map. A comprehensive plan shall be adopted and
amended with public participation as provided in RCW 36.70A.140.
Each comprehensive plan
shall include a plan, scheme, or design for each of the following:
(1) A land use element
designating the proposed general distribution and general location and extent
of the uses of land, where appropriate, for agriculture, timber production,
housing, commerce, industry, recreation, open spaces, public utilities, public
facilities, and other land uses. The land use element shall include population
densities, building intensities, and estimates of future population growth.
The land use element shall provide for protection of the quality and quantity
of ground water used for public water supplies. Where applicable, the land use
element shall review drainage, flooding, and storm water run-off in the area and
nearby jurisdictions and provide guidance for corrective actions to mitigate or
cleanse those discharges that pollute waters of the state, including Puget
Sound or waters entering Puget Sound.
(2) A housing element
((recognizing)) ensuring the vitality and character of
established residential neighborhoods that: (a) Includes an inventory and
analysis of existing and projected housing needs; (b) includes a statement of
goals, policies, ((and)) objectives, and mandatory provisions for
the preservation, improvement, and development of housing, including
single-family residences; (c) identifies sufficient land for housing,
including, but not limited to, government-assisted housing, housing for
low-income families, manufactured housing, multifamily housing, and group homes
and foster care facilities; and (d) makes adequate provisions for existing and
projected needs of all economic segments of the community.
(3) A capital
facilities plan element consisting of: (a) An inventory of existing capital
facilities owned by public entities, showing the locations and capacities of
the capital facilities; (b) a forecast of the future needs for such capital
facilities; (c) the proposed locations and capacities of expanded or new
capital facilities; (d) at least a six-year plan that will finance such capital
facilities within projected funding capacities and clearly identifies sources
of public money for such purposes; and (e) a requirement to reassess the land
use element if probable funding falls short of meeting existing needs and to
ensure that the land use element, capital facilities plan element, and
financing plan within the capital facilities plan element are coordinated and
consistent.
(4) A utilities element
consisting of the general location, proposed location, and capacity of all
existing and proposed utilities, including, but not limited to, electrical
lines, telecommunication lines, and natural gas lines.
(5) Counties shall
include a rural element including lands that are not designated for urban
growth, agriculture, forest, or mineral resources. The rural element shall
permit land uses that are compatible with the rural character of such lands and
provide for a variety of rural densities.
(6) A transportation
element that implements, and is consistent with, the land use element. The
transportation element shall include the following subelements:
(a) Land use
assumptions used in estimating travel;
(b) Facilities and
services needs, including:
(i) An inventory of
air, water, and land transportation facilities and services, including transit
alignments, to define existing capital facilities and travel levels as a basis
for future planning;
(ii) Level of service
standards for all arterials and transit routes to serve as a gauge to judge
performance of the system. These standards should be regionally coordinated;
(iii) Specific actions
and requirements for bringing into compliance any facilities or services that
are below an established level of service standard;
(iv) Forecasts of
traffic for at least ten years based on the adopted land use plan to provide
information on the location, timing, and capacity needs of future growth;
(v) Identification of
system expansion needs and transportation system management needs to meet
current and future demands;
(c) Finance, including:
(i) An analysis of
funding capability to judge needs against probable funding resources;
(ii) A multiyear
financing plan based on the needs identified in the comprehensive plan, the
appropriate parts of which shall serve as the basis for the six-year street,
road, or transit program required by RCW 35.77.010 for cities, RCW 36.81.121
for counties, and RCW 35.58.2795 for public transportation systems;
(iii) If probable
funding falls short of meeting identified needs, a discussion of how additional
funding will be raised, or how land use assumptions will be reassessed to
ensure that level of service standards will be met;
(d) Intergovernmental
coordination efforts, including an assessment of the impacts of the
transportation plan and land use assumptions on the transportation systems of
adjacent jurisdictions;
(e) Demand-management
strategies.
After adoption of the
comprehensive plan by jurisdictions required to plan or who choose to plan under
RCW 36.70A.040, local jurisdictions must adopt and enforce ordinances which
prohibit development approval if the development causes the level of service on
a transportation facility to decline below the standards adopted in the
transportation element of the comprehensive plan, unless transportation
improvements or strategies to accommodate the impacts of development are made
concurrent with the development. These strategies may include increased public
transportation service, ride sharing programs, demand management, and other
transportation systems management strategies. For the purposes of this
subsection (6) "concurrent with the development" shall mean that
improvements or strategies are in place at the time of development, or that a
financial commitment is in place to complete the improvements or strategies
within six years.
The transportation
element described in this subsection, and the six-year plans required by RCW
35.77.010 for cities, RCW 36.81.121 for counties, and RCW 35.58.2795 for public
transportation systems, must be consistent.
