BILL REQ. #:  S-1154.1 

Read first time 02/05/2003.   Referred to Committee on Land Use & Planning.

     AN ACT Relating to urban industrial land banks in counties with low population densities; and amending RCW 36.70A.367.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 36.70A.367 and 2002 c 306 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In addition to the major industrial development allowed under RCW 36.70A.365, a county planning under RCW 36.70A.040 that meets the criteria in subsection (9) or (10) of this section may establish, in consultation with cities consistent with provisions of RCW 36.70A.210, a process for designating a bank of no more than two master planned locations for major industrial activity outside urban growth areas.
     (2) A master planned location for major industrial developments outside an urban growth area may be included in the urban industrial land bank for the county if criteria including, but not limited to, the following are met:
     (a) New infrastructure is provided for and/or applicable impact fees are paid;
     (b) Transit-oriented site planning and traffic demand management programs are implemented;
     (c) Buffers are provided between the major industrial development and adjacent nonurban areas;
     (d) Environmental protection including air and water quality has been addressed and provided for;
     (e) Development regulations are established to ensure that urban growth will not occur in adjacent nonurban areas;
     (f) Provision is made to mitigate adverse impacts on designated agricultural lands, forest lands, and mineral resource lands;
     (g) The plan for the major industrial development is consistent with the county's development regulations established for protection of critical areas;
     (h) An inventory of developable land has been conducted as provided in RCW 36.70A.365;
     (i) An interlocal agreement related to infrastructure cost sharing and revenue sharing between the county and interested cities are [is] established;
     (j) Provisions are established for determining the availability of alternate sites within urban growth areas and the long-term annexation feasibility of land sites outside of urban growth areas; and
     (k) Development regulations require the industrial land bank site to be used primarily for locating industrial and manufacturing businesses and specify that the gross floor area of all commercial and service buildings or facilities locating within the industrial land bank shall not exceed ten percent of the total gross floor area of buildings or facilities in the industrial land bank. The commercial and service businesses operated within the ten percent gross floor area limit shall be necessary to the primary industrial or manufacturing businesses within the industrial land bank. The intent of this provision for commercial or service use is to meet the needs of employees, clients, customers, vendors, and others having business at the industrial site and as an adjunct to the industry to attract and retain a quality work force and to further other public objectives, such as trip reduction. Such uses would not be promoted to attract additional clientele from the surrounding area. The commercial and service businesses should be established concurrently with or subsequent to the industrial or manufacturing businesses.
     (3) In selecting master planned locations for inclusion in the urban industrial land bank, priority shall be given to locations that are adjacent to, or in close proximity to, an urban growth area.
     (4) Final approval of inclusion of a master planned location in the urban industrial land bank shall be considered an adopted amendment to the comprehensive plan adopted pursuant to RCW 36.70A.070, except that RCW 36.70A.130(2) does not apply so that inclusion or exclusion of master planned locations may be considered at any time.
     (5) Once a master planned location has been included in the urban industrial land bank, manufacturing and industrial businesses that qualify as major industrial development under RCW 36.70A.365 may be located there.
     (6) Nothing in this section may be construed to alter the requirements for a county to comply with chapter 43.21C RCW.
     (7)(a) The authority of a county meeting the criteria of subsection (9) of this section to engage in the process of including or excluding master planned locations from the urban industrial land bank shall terminate on December 31, 2007. However, any location included in the urban industrial land bank on or before December 31, 2007, shall be available for major industrial development as long as the criteria of subsection (2) of this section are met. A county that has established or proposes to establish an industrial land bank pursuant to this section shall review the need for an industrial land bank within the county, including a review of the availability of land for industrial and manufacturing uses within the urban growth area, during the review and evaluation of comprehensive plans and development regulations required by RCW 36.70A.130.
     (b) The authority of a county meeting the criteria of subsection (10) of this section to engage in the process of including or excluding master planned locations from the urban industrial land bank terminates on December 31, 2002. However, any location included in the urban industrial land bank on December 31, 2002, shall be available for major industrial development as long as the criteria of subsection (2) of this section are met.
     (8) For the purposes of this section, "major industrial development" means a master planned location suitable for manufacturing or industrial businesses that: (a) Requires a parcel of land so large that no suitable parcels are available within an urban growth area; or (b) is a natural resource-based industry requiring a location near agricultural land, forest land, or mineral resource land upon which it is dependent; or (c) requires a location with characteristics such as proximity to transportation facilities or related industries such that there is no suitable location in an urban growth area. The major industrial development may not be for the purpose of retail commercial development or multitenant office parks.
     (9) This section and the termination date specified in subsection (7)(a) of this section apply to a county that at the time the process is established under subsection (1) of this section:
     (a) Has a population greater than two hundred fifty thousand and is part of a metropolitan area that includes a city in another state with a population greater than two hundred fifty thousand;
     (b) Has a population greater than one hundred forty thousand and is adjacent to another country;
     (c) Has a population greater than forty thousand but less than seventy-five thousand and has an average level of unemployment for the preceding three years that exceeds the average state unemployment for those years by twenty percent; and
     (i) Is bordered by the Pacific Ocean;
     (ii) Is located in the Interstate 5 or Interstate 90 corridor; or
     (iii) Is bordered by Hood Canal;
     (d) Is east of the Cascade divide; and
     (i) Borders another state to the south; or
     (ii) Is located wholly south of Interstate 90 and borders the Columbia river to the east; or
     (e) Has an average ((level of unemployment for the preceding three years that exceeds the average state unemployment for those years by twenty percent)) population density of less than one hundred persons per square mile as determined by the office of financial management, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and by Hood Canal.
     (10) This section and the termination date specified in subsection (7)(b) of this section apply to a county that at the time the process is established under subsection (1) of this section:
     (a) Has a population greater than forty thousand but fewer than eighty thousand;
     (b) Has an average level of unemployment for the preceding three years that exceeds the average state unemployment for those years by twenty percent; and
     (c) Is located in the Interstate 5 or Interstate 90 corridor.
     (11) Any location included in an industrial land bank pursuant to section 2, chapter 289, Laws of 1998, section 1, chapter 402, Laws of 1997, and section 2, chapter 167, Laws of 1996 shall remain available for major industrial development according to this section as long as the criteria of subsection (2) of this section continue to be satisfied.