1998 King County Benchmark Report Background In 1990 the Washington State Legislature passed the Growth Management Act (GMA). For the first time in the State’s history, all urban counties and their cities were required to develop and adopt comprehensive plans and regulations to implement the plans. To achieve an interjurisdictional coordinated countywide plan, GMA further required that King County and its 35 cities first develop framework policies, the King County Countywide Planning Policies, to guide the development of the jurisdictions’ plans. The Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) define the countywide vision for the county and cities’ plans. The policies were developed by the Growth Management Planning Council, a group of 15 elected officials, representing all King County citizens, adopted by the Metropolitan King County Council and ratified by the cities in 1994. Purpose The Countywide Planning Policies are primarily goals that, if properly implemented, should improve the quality of life in King County during the next twenty years. When the members of the Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) approved the policies, they expressed an interest in creating a system that would tell future decision makers whether or not the policies are achieving their intended outcomes. The 1998 Benchmark Report is the third annual account to monitor the CPPs. The purpose of creating a benchmark system is to provide the GMPC, other policy makers and the public with a method for evaluating jurisdictions' progress in implementing the Countywide Planning Policies. The system for the Benchmark Report was established by stating the outcomes of the CPPs; selecting relevant Indicators for each outcome, and then identifying quantifiable levels of achievement, or targets, for some of the Indicators. Table of Contents Note: The 1998 Benchmark Report is presented in Adobe Acrobat Format. The Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or greater is required to read this document. For more information, look here. Introductory Materials (36 KB Acrobat file) Mission Table of Contents The Benchmark System Map: King County 20 Year Growth Plan (97 KB Acrobat file) Economic Development Summary and Indicators (88 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #1 Real wages per worker #2 Personal and median household income: King County compared to the United States #3 Percentage of population below the poverty level #4 New businesses created #5 New jobs created by employment sector #6 Employment in industries that export from the region #7 Educational background of adult population #8 High school graduation rate Environment Summary and Indicators (188 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #9 Land cover changes in urban and rural areas over time #10 Air quality #11 Energy consumption #12 Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per year #13 Surface water and groundwater quality Map: Tri-County Watersheds and Major Streams (113 KB Acrobat file) #14 Water consumption #15 Change in groundwater levels #16 Change in wetland acreage and functions #17 Continuity of terrestrial and aquatic habitat networks #18 Change in number of salmon #19 Rate of increase in noise from vehicles, planes and yard equipment #20 Pounds of waste disposed and recycled per capita Affordable Housing Summary and Indicators (164 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #21 Supply and demand for affordable housing #22 Percent of income paid for housing #23 Homelessness #24 Home purchase affordability gap for buyers #25 Home ownership rate #26 Apartment vacancy rate Map: Rural and Urban Subareas of King County #27 Trend of housing costs vs. income #28 Public dollars spent for low income housing #29 Housing affordable to low-income households Land Use Summary and Indicators (119 KB Acrobat file) Map: Parks, Rural and Resource Lands (282 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #30 New housing units in Urban Areas and Rural/Resource Areas, and in Urban Centers Maps: Urban Centers #31 Employment in Urban and Rural/Resource Areas, Urban and Manufacturing/Industrial Centers #32 New housing units built through redevelopment #33 Ratio of land consumption to population growth #34 Ratio of achieved density to allowed density of residential development #35 Ratio of land capacity to 20-year job and household targets #36 Land with 6 years of infrastructure capacity #37 Acres of urban parks and open space #38 Ratio of jobs to housing in Central Puget Sound counties, and King County subregions #39 Acres in forest land and farm land #40 Number and average size of farms Transportation Summary and Indicators (104 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #41 Percent of residents who commute one way within 30 minutes #42 Transit trips per person #43 Percent of residents who use alternatives to the single occupant vehicle #44 Ability of goods and services to move efficiently and cost effectively through the region #45 Number of lane miles of city, county and state roads in need of repair and preservation Appendix (29 KB Acrobat file) Acknowledgments List of Outcomes and Indicators Updated: Jan. 8, 2003 Benchmark Report menu Office of Budget home King County | Executive | News | Services | Comments | Search Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. 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