FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 5602

C 333 L 03

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning the accommodation of housing and employment growth under local comprehensive plans.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Land Use & Planning (originally sponsored by Senators Kline, Mulliken, Shin, Reardon, T. Sheldon, Esser, Oke, Sheahan, Hewitt, Prentice, Doumit, Keiser and Kohl-Welles).

Senate Committee on Land Use & Planning

House Committee on Local Government

Background: Counties and cities planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA) are required to accommodate within their urban growth areas designated in their comprehensive plans the amount of projected 20-year population growth that is allocated to their jurisdictions. In some counties, projected employment growth is also allocated to jurisdictions. Counties and cities must also designate and protect critical areas located within their urban growth areas. All GMA jurisdictions are required to update their comprehensive plans and development regulations, including critical areas ordinances, to accommodate projected growth and to protect critical areas.

Summary: A new section is added to the Growth Management Act (GMA) requiring counties and cities subject to the GMA to ensure that, taken collectively, actions to adopt or amend their comprehensive plans or development regulations provide sufficient capacity of land suitable for development within their jurisdictions. The requirement for sufficient capacity refers to accommodating a jurisdiction's allocated housing and employment growth as adopted in the applicable countywide planning policies and consistent with the 20-year population forecast from the Office of Financial Management.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate       40  8

House       89  0    (House amended)

Senate       43  0    (Senate concurred)

Effective: July 27, 2003