SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 1825

As Reported by Senate Committee On:

Government Operations & Elections, March 26, 2009

Title: An act relating to identifying specific facilities planning requirements under the growth management act.

Brief Description: Identifying specific facilities planning requirements under the growth management act.

Sponsors: House Committee on Local Government & Housing (originally sponsored by Representatives Rodne and Anderson).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/03/09, 95-0.

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 3/26/09 [DP].

Majority Report: Do pass.

Signed by Senators Fairley, Chair; Oemig, Vice Chair; Roach, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, McDermott, Pridemore and Swecker.

Staff: Edward Redmond (786-7471)

Background: The Growth Management Act (GMA) establishes a comprehensive land use planning framework for county and city governments in Washington. The GMA requires all local governments to comply with specific provisions for natural resource lands and critical areas, and establishes additional substantive and procedural compliance requirements for counties and cities meeting population and growth criteria. Counties not meeting these criteria may choose to adopt a resolution requiring the county and the cities within to comply with all major GMA requirements. Currently, 29 of 39 counties, and the cities within those 29 counties (GMA jurisdictions), are required to or have chosen to plan under the major requirements of the GMA.

The GMA establishes a list of planning goals to be used exclusively for guiding the development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations by GMA jurisdictions.

The legislative authority of each county fully planning under the GMA must adopt a "county-wide planning policy" (CPP) in cooperation with the cities located in whole or part within the county. A CPP is a written policy statement used for establishing a county-wide framework from which county and city comprehensive plans are developed and adopted. A CPP must address certain planning and analysis provisions, including policy considerations pertaining to (1) implementing urban growth area requirements; (2) affordable housing needs; (3) county-wide economic development and employment; (4) siting public capital facilities; and (5) transportation needs.

Counties and cities also must satisfy specific planning requirements pertaining to urban growth areas (UGAs). Using population projections made by the Office of Financial Management, and subject to statutory requirements, GMA counties and each city within those counties must plan for population densities in UGAs so as to accommodate the urban growth that is projected to occur during the succeeding 20-year period.

Summary of Bill: As part of the planning process for UGAs, each city within the county must explicitly identify areas sufficient to accommodate the full range of needs and uses that will accompany projected urban growth. The land uses that must be explicitly considered as part of the planning process include those pertaining to facilities for medical, governmental, institutional, commercial, service, retail, and other nonresidential uses, when appropriate under the circumstances faced by the planning jurisdiction.

Policies for county-wide economic development and employment must include consideration of the future development of commercial and industrial facilities.

The requirement that amendments to GMA comprehensive plans provide for sufficient land capacity to accommodate projected housing and employment growth is expanded to require the inclusion of the land needed for specified categories of facilities. Specifically, such amendments must include sufficient land capacity to accommodate medical, governmental, educational, institutional, commercial, and industrial facilities related to such growth, when appropriate under the circumstances faced by the planning jurisdiction.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: None.

Persons Testifying: No one.