SENATE BILL REPORT

                   HB 1816

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

             Government Operations, April 4, 1997

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 Operations:  4/3/97, 4/4/97 [DP, DNP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chair; Hale, Vice Chair; Anderson and Horn.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.

  Signed by Senators Haugen, Patterson and Swanson.

Staff:  Kathleen Healy (786-7403)

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 GMA.  A county may also bring itself and its cities within the GMA planning requirements by resolution.

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

CA land use element;

CA housing element which 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;

CA capital facilities plan element;

CA utilities element;

CA rural element; and

CA transportation element which 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 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:  None.

Testimony Against:  This opens up housing elements.  It is an unfunded mandate.  This puts suburbs back into permissible use.

Testified:  Dave Williams, AWC (con); Steve Wells, CTED (concerns); Craig Greenleaf, Clark County (con); Mike Ryherd, 1000 Friends of WA (con); Scott Merriman, WEC (con).