Growth Management Act. The Growth Management Act (GMA) is the comprehensive land use planning framework for counties and cities in Washington. The GMA establishes land-use designation and environmental protection requirements for all Washington counties and cities. The GMA also establishes a significantly wider array of planning duties for 28 counties, and the cities within those counties, that are obligated to satisfy all planning requirements of the GMA. These jurisdictions are sometimes said to be fully planning under the GMA.
 
The GMA also directs fully planning jurisdictions to adopt internally consistent comprehensive land use plans. Comprehensive plans are implemented through locally adopted development regulations, and both the plans and the local regulations are subject to review and revision requirements prescribed in the GMA. Comprehensive plans must be reviewed and, if necessary, revised every ten years to ensure that it complies with the GMA. When developing their comprehensive plans, counties and cities must consider various goals set forth in statute.
 
State Environmental Policy Act. The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) establishes a review process for state and local governments to identify environmental impacts that may result from governmental decisions, such as the issuance of permits or the adoption of land-use plans. The SEPA environmental review process involves a project proponent or the lead agency completing an environmental checklist to identify and evaluate probable environmental impacts. Government decisions identified as having significant adverse environmental impacts must then undergo a more comprehensive environmental analysis in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement.
 
Limits on Minimum Residential Parking Requirements. For affordable housing units that are affordable to very low-income or extremely low-income individuals and located within 0.25 miles of a transit stop receiving transit service at least two times per hour for twelve or more hours a day, minimum residential parking requirements may be no greater than one parking space per bedroom or 0.75 space per unit.
 
For housing units that are specifically for seniors or people with disabilities and located within 0.25 miles of a transit stop receiving transit service at least four times per hour for twelve or more hours a day, a city may not impose minimum residential parking requirements for the residents of such housing units. A city may require a developer to record a covenant that prohibits the rental of a unit subject to this parking restriction for any purpose other than providing housing for seniors or people with disabilities.
 
For market rate multifamily housing units that are located within 0.25 miles of a transit stop that receives transit service from at least one route that provides service at least four times per hour for twelve or more hours per day, minimum residential parking requirements may be no greater than one parking space per bedroom or 0.75 space per unit.
 
A city may establish a requirement for the provision of additional parking space per bedroom or per unit if the jurisdiction has determined particular housing unit to be in an area with a lack of access to street parking capacity, physical space impediments, or other reasons supported by evidence that would make on-street parking infeasible for the unit.

Minimum Residential Parking Requirements. Counties and cities planning under the GMA may not impose minimum parking requirements for new residential or commercial developments in the following circumstances:

• within 0.5 miles of a transit stop that receives level 1 or 2 transit service; or
• within 0.25 miles of a transit stop that receives level 3 service.

 
Cities and counties planning under the GMA may impose minimum parking requirements on an individual project described above provided that the jurisdiction makes written findings that not imposing or enforcing minimum parking requirements on the development would have a substantially negative impact on existing on-site residential or commercial parking within 0.5 miles of the development project. The findings must be provided within 30 days of the receipt of a completed application and must be supported by a preponderance of the evidence in the record.
 
A housing development that meets either of the following criteria is exempt from minimum parking requirements established by this act:

• the housing development dedicates a minimum of 20 percent of the total number of the housing units to very low-income, low-income, or moderate-income households, students, the elderly, or persons with disabilities. Housing units dedicated to very low-income, low-income, or moderate-income households must remain dedicated to these populations for a minimum of 12 years; or
• the housing development contains fewer than 20 housing units.

 
The provisions prohibiting cities and counties from imposing minimum parking requirements under certain conditions are intended to encourage transit-oriented development. Therefore, if a project permit application does not provide parking in compliance with the conditions described above, such a fact may not be treated as a basis for the issuance of a determination of significance under SEPA.
 
Definitions. Levels of transit service are defined for purposes of this act. Level 1 transit service means the level of transit service provided at a location that receives transit service no less frequently than:

• every 12 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays;
• every 15 minutes between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., on weekdays;
• every 15 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekends; and
• seven days per week.

 
Level 2 transit service means the level of transit service provided at a location that receives transit service no less frequently than:

• every 15 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays;
• every 30 minutes between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., on weekdays;
• every 30 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekends; and
• seven days per week.

 
Level 3 transit service means the level of transit service provided at a location that receives transit service no less frequently than:

• every 30 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays;
• every 60 minutes between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., on weekdays;
• every 60 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekends; and
• seven days per week.

 
Level 4 transit service means the level of transit service provided at a location that receives transit service no less frequently than:

• every 60 minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays; and
• five days per week.

 
Level 5 transit service means the level of transit service provided at a location that:

• receives transit service no less frequently than six times per day; and
• receives transit service no fewer than five days per week.

 
Level 6 transit service means the level of transit service provided at a location that receives transit service no less frequently than:

• two times per day; and
• five days per week.