Brief Description: Changing concurrency compliance options authorized by the growth management act.

Sponsors: Representatives Moeller, Jarrett, Appleton, Dickerson, McCoy, Chase, Dunshee, Pettigrew and Clibborn.

Hearing Date: 2/7/05

Staff: Ethan Moreno (786-7386).

Background:

Growth Management Act Comprehensive Plan Elements
Among numerous requirements, jurisdictions fully planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA jurisdictions) must adopt internally consistent comprehensive land use plans, which are generalized, coordinated land use policy statements of the governing body. Except as otherwise provided, comprehensive plans must satisfy requirements for the following elements, each of which is a planning subset of a comprehensive plan:

• land use;
• housing;
• capital facilities plan;
• utilities;
• rural;
• transportation;
• economic development; and
• park and recreation.

The economic development and park and recreation elements do not require jurisdictional compliance or action until state funding is provided.

Transportation Element/Concurrency
The transportation element of a comprehensive plan must include numerous sub-elements that address, in part, transportation mandates for forecasting, finance, coordination, and facilities and services needs. A provision of the sub-element for facilities and services needs requires GMA jurisdictions to adopt level of service (LOS) standards for all locally owned arterials and transit routes. These standards are used to measure performance of the transportation system and should be regionally coordinated. The facilities and services needs sub-element must include specific actions and requirements for bringing into compliance locally owned transportation facilities or services failing to meet an established LOS.

GMA jurisdictions must adopt and enforce ordinances prohibiting development approval if the development causes the LOS on a locally owned transportation facility to decline below standards adopted in the transportation element. Exceptions to this prohibition may be made if improvements or strategies to accommodate development impacts 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.

"Concurrent with the development" means improvements or strategies that 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.

Summary of Bill:

The list of concurrency compliance strategies a county or city fully planning under the Growth Management Act may employ to permit development causing levels of service on a qualifying transportation facility to decline below adopted standards is increased to include multimodal transportation districts.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.