Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov |
Oct. 6, 2008 More flexibility for farmers and incentives for urban density adopted in update of County land use policiesCouncil approves 2008 amendments to policies that manage growth in the unincorporated areasExpanding opportunities for farmers to sell what they produce, more flexibility in the use of innovative development tools, and an aggressive schedule to reduce greenhouse gases are among the updates to the King County Comprehensive Plan adopted today by the Metropolitan King County Council. The plan is the set of policies by which King County manages growth in the unincorporated areas.
“This plan takes a holistic approach to growth in King County,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett, chair of the Council’s Growth Management and Natural Resources Committee, which held sixteen public meetings on the Comp Plan, including five throughout suburban and rural King County, and heard from more than 200 residents. “These amendments focus growth in ways that help urban and suburban communities become healthier, while expanding opportunities for owners to utilize and protect rural and agricultural lands.”
“The Comprehensive Plan review has presented many opportunities for the County to work in collaboration with our city partners,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, Vice Chair of the Growth Management Committee. “We have been able to match County goals with city growth targets and we will continue to do so as long as we plan for future growth that meets the spirit of our growth management goals.”
“This comp plan is different from previous versions in that for the first time, it has a health focus,” said Council Chair Julia Patterson, who also chairs the King County Board of Health. “It recognizes that how we develop and preserve land profoundly affects the opportunities for recreation, clean air, affordable housing and other elements necessary for good health.”
“Our comprehensive plan has done a tremendous job of vitalizing King County’s urban and suburban neighborhoods while protecting our rural areas, farms, forests, and natural resources,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips. “This update keeps in place the framework that has worked well for over a decade while adding measures to support farming, manage traffic better, and increase environmental stewardship.”
“The public participation during the Comprehensive Plan update process has been significant and very helpful in informing the decisions made today,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson. “Today’s amendments to the plan will have a considerable long-term impact on King County, making that public involvement an essential part of the process.”
The King County Comprehensive Plan guides growth and development in the unincorporated areas of the county and sets policy on such major issues as annexations, transportation, and the environment.
Today’s adoption of amendments recommended by the Council’s Growth Management Committee and other Councilmembers modifies the original proposal made by the County Executive in February. Among the adopted amendments:
• Providing incentives for farmers and those living in agricultural production zones to continue raising crops for sale, and promoting partnerships with local farmers’ markets that bring healthy produce to the public. The continued use of farmland ensures the strength of King County’s rural heritage, and guarantees a local food supply that requires less energy to pack and ship to market.
• Encouraging planning that places growth in urban communities by providing incentives for increased participation in the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program, and revising the model for computing transportation concurrency in order to permit more housing units per development where there are the roads, sewers and other infrastructure and services to support them.
• Simplifying the current concurrency system with a more transparent model and growth map that clearly defines where there are enough roads, sewers and other infrastructure and services that can support more growth.
• Strengthen sustainable development and low impact development by encouraging its use for not only affordable housing programs but all county construction projects.
• Addressing climate change by completing and updating the County’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory on a regular basis. The plan calls for King County to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of 2007 levels by the year 2050, and to work with state and local governments to account for greenhouse gas emissions in evaluating regional investments. In the future, King County will consider projected impacts of climate change, including the potential for more severe winter flooding, when updating disaster preparedness, levee investment and land use plans as well as development regulations.
• Completing a regional trails system that links trail corridors to form a countywide network.
• Clarifying water supply polices to specify the roles of the different jurisdictions involved in managing and protecting our water resources.
• Promoting fairness and opportunity for all residents by implementing some of the principles of King County’s Equity and Social Justice Initiative to ensure that health, equity, social and environmental justice impacts are considered in the development, implementation and funding of County projects and programs.
“It’s especially meaningful to me that we are incorporated equity and social justice into our land use planning, to make sure that no one area or group is treated unfairly in terms of impacts or resources,” said Gossett. “For example, by creating more density n urban areas we can help promote more walking and bicycling that reduces driving and greenhouse gas emissions and encourages healthier activity.”
The Comprehensive Plan was adopted under the State Growth Management Act in 1994. Technical changes to the plan can be made once a year, with major plan updates conducted every four years. The first major review occurred in 2000, the second in 2004.
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