HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1816

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                Government Reform & Land Use

                       Appropriations

Title:  An act relating to comprehensive plans under the growth management act.

Brief Description:  Changing the mandatory elements of comprehensive plans under the growth management act.

Sponsors:  Representatives Reams and Sump.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Government Reform & Land Use:  2/17/97, 2/26/97 [DP];

Appropriations:  3/7/97, 3/8/97 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM & LAND USE

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 7 members:  Representatives Reams, Chairman; Cairnes, Vice Chairman; Sherstad, Vice Chairman; Bush; Mielke; Mulliken and Thompson.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 4 members:  Representatives Romero, Ranking Minority Member; Lantz, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Fisher and Gardner.

Staff:  Joan Elgee (786-7135).

Background:  The Growth Management Act (GMA) was enacted in 1990 and 1991.  A county, and its cities, meeting certain population and growth criteria is required to plan under the GMA.  A county may also bring itself and its cities within the GMA planning requirements by resolution.

The primary planning requirement under the GMA is the adoption of comprehensive plans.  A plan must include the following elements and subjects:

-A land use element;

-A housing element.  The housing element must include 1) an inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs; 2) provisions for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing; 3) an identification of sufficient land for housing; and 4) adequate provisions for existing and projected needs of all economic segments of the community;

-A capital facilities plan element;

-A utilities element;

-A rural element; and

-A transportation element.  The transportation element must include a number of sub-elements.  These include an inventory of air, water, and ground transportation facilities and services, including transit alignments and general aviation airport facilities.

A comprehensive plan must also include designations of urban growth areas within which urban growth shall be encouraged and outside of which growth may occur only if it is non-urban.

Counties and cities must also designate three types of natural resource lands:  agricultural, forest, and mineral resource lands.

Summary of Bill:  As part of a comprehensive plan adopted under the GMA, counties may include a transition zone including lands located outside any urban growth area that are not designated as urban growth, rural, agricultural, forest, or mineral resource lands.

Language is added to the housing element to include provisions for affordable housing and adequate housing located within reasonable commuting distances to employment centers.

The inventory of  transportation facilities and services required in the transportation element is expanded to include freeways and freeway exits, ferry terminals, and railways.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  We have urban growth areas and the Land Use Study Commission has fleshed out the rural area.  Now we need a third zone.  The facilities are there.  What may work in one area may not work in another area.

Testimony Against:  We already have transition zones because we are planning for 20-year population growth.  Cities and counties will need resources to do this.

Testified:  Representative Reams, prime sponsor (pro); Dave Williams, Association of Washington Cities (con); and Scott Merriman, Washington Environmental Council (con).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 18 members:  Representatives Huff, Chairman; Alexander, Vice Chairman; Clements, Vice Chairman; Wensman, Vice Chairman; Benson; Carlson; Cooke; Crouse; Dyer; Lambert; Lisk; Mastin; McMorris; Parlette; D. Schmidt; Sehlin; Sheahan and Talcott.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 13 members:  Representatives H. Sommers, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Doumit, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Gombosky, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Chopp; Cody; Grant; Keiser; Kenney; Kessler; Linville; Poulsen; Regala and Tokuda.

Staff:  Jim Lux (786-7152).

Summary of Recommendation of Committee on Appropriations Compared to Recommendation of Committee on Government Reform & Land Use:  No new changes were recommended.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  None.

Testimony Against:  Local governments are sensitive to new additions to comprehensive plans.  This is especially true when the plan updates or amendments are required by the state.  Local governments don=t have the money to make these changes and need state funds to pay for state mandated plan amendments.

Testified:  Dave Williams, Association of Washington Cities.