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GMA Growth Targets Update for King County
This briefing paper was prepared by King County and the Suburban Cities Association as a
resource for local planning staff in communicating with elected officials and the public about the
growth targets update process.
New Growth Targets for King County and Cities: Key Points
The Growth Management Planning Council is considering updates to county and city
Growth TargetsCountywide Planning Policies
along with other amendments to the in
2009 and 2010.
comprehensive plan updates
Updated targets provide a framework for localGMA due in
state population projections
2011 while accommodating new.
Updates to CPPs and targets are guided by Multicounty Planning Policies and the Regional
Vision 2040
Growth Strategy contained in .
During spring 2009, local governments will review draft targets for both housing and jobs.
Final targets to be adopted by GMPC in fall 2009 with ratification by the county and cities.
Planning for Growth under the Growth Management Act
Under Washington State’s GMA, King County and its cities must adopt comprehensive plans
that accommodate 20 years of anticipated population and employment growth. Plans must
provide for land uses and densities, capital facilities and transportation infrastructure, that are
sufficient to meet future needs. Local governments have discretion as to how they will
accommodate the growth within their borders. Local jurisdictions must update their
comprehensive plans at least every 7 years. Cities in King County last completed their plan
updates in 2004. The deadline for the next plan update is December 2011.
Every five years, the state Office of Financial Management (OFM) issues population projections
for each county in the state as a basis for GMA planning. Based on these projections, counties
and cities collaborate in determining local allocations of that growth. The act requires that local
growth numbers be updated at least every ten years.
New Population and Employment Projections for King County
In King County, growth targets are policy statements indicating the minimum number of
households and jobs each jurisdiction plans to accommodate during the current Growth
Management period. The targets are based on the OFM population projections along with
employment forecasts produced by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC). The county is
an attractive region which, over the long term, is expected to see robust amounts of growth.
OFM released new projections in 2007, which show King County growing at a faster rate
than previously forecasted. The result: nearly 100,000 more people countywide in 2022 than
currently planned for. Overall, the county is expected to grow by about 450,000 people
between 2006 and 2031 to a total population of 2.3 million. The graph on the next page
shows the new projection as an extension of historical trends and compared with the 2002
OFM projection.
The latest employment forecasts released by PSRC in 2006 show growth in the county, over
this same period, of nearly 450,000 jobs to a total of 1.7 million jobs.
Prepared by King County and Suburban Cities Association 2/5/09
OFM Population Trends/Forecasts for King County
Numbers in thousands
2,500
OFM 2007
2,263
2,300
Forecast
2,114
2,100
1,9342,019
1,900
1,808
1,861
1,737
1,700
1,764
OFM 2002
1,507
1,500
Forecast
1,300
1,100
1,148
Population
900
935
Trend
700
500
196019651970197519801985199019952000200520102015202020252030
Adoption of Growth Targets by the Growth Management Planning Council
The GMPC is a formal body consisting of elected officials from King County, Seattle, Bellevue,
other cities and towns, special purpose districts, and the Port of Seattle. The GMPC responds to
the GMA requirement that counties and cities collaborate to develop and adopt Countywide
Planning Policies (CPPs). Household and job growth targets are contained in the CPPs.
The CPPs were originally adopted by the GMPC in 1994. Growth targets were updated in 2002,
for a planning period extending to 2022. The county and cities incorporated those targets into
their 2004 plan updates. The GMPC will be considering new updates to the targets based on
the new population projections from OFM, thus providing substantive guidance to cities as they
update their 20-year comprehensive plans once again. New growth targets would extend the
countywide planning period out another 9 years, with a horizon of 2031, 20 years beyond the
2011 comprehensive plan update requirement.
The CPPs establish the policy framework for allocating growth targets. Those policies include:
1) Limiting growth in Rural and Resource areas,
2) Focusing growth within the existing Urban Growth Area, within cities, and within designated
Urban Centers and Manufacturing/Industrial Centers,
3) Improving jobs-housing balance within four planning subareas, and
4) Fostering a pattern of growth that ensures efficient use of infrastructure and can be served
by public transportation.
Development of the targets, which are formally adopted by the GMPC and ratified by the county
and cities, involves extensive coordination among staff from throughout the county. Through this
process, every jurisdiction is expected to take its fair share of growth. The rationale for the staff
recommended target allocation is based on best available demographic, economic, and land
use data, and also incorporates unique factors and local policies.
Prepared by King County and Suburban Cities Association 2/5/09
The timeline below gives an overview of the schedule for GMA planning actions for King
County.
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New Policy Guidance from
Vision 2040
The Puget Sound Regional Council recently adopted Vision 2040, a growth management,
transportation, and economic development strategy for the 4-county region. With Vision 2040,
the PSRC has amended its Multicounty Planning Policies (MPPs) to address coordinated action
around a range of policy areas, including land use and development patterns. The GMPC will be
updating its countywide policies in 2010 to bring them into consistency with the MPPs.
Vision 2040 also contains a Regional Growth Strategy that provides substantive guidance for
planning for the roughly 1.7 million additional people and 1.2 million additional jobs expected in
the region between 2000 and 2040. The Strategy retains much of the discretion that counties
and cities have in setting local targets, while calling for broad shifts in where growth locates
within the region. In comparison to current targets and plans, the Strategy calls for:
Increasing
the amount of growth targeted to cities that contain regionally designated urban
centers (to include both metropolitan centers and many suburban cities)
Increasing
the amount of growth targeted to other large cities (with combined population
and employment of at least 22,500)
Decreasing
the amount of growth targeted to Urban designated unincorporated areas,
Rural designated unincorporated areas, and to smaller cities
jobs-housing balance
Achieving a greater within the region
New growth targets for King County are expected to move toward achieving the desired pattern
of growth laid out in Vision 2040, while recognizing the long-term nature of the regional land use
goals and the many challenges involved in “bending the trend” away from past growth patterns.
Next Steps
Staff work toward updated growth targets for King County is underway now. In the coming
months, cities will be asked to review and provide input on a range of potential future growth
scenarios. Based on this process, recommended draft targets may go to the GMPC as early as
July 2009, with a vote for adoption possible at the council’s September 2009 meeting. Once
adopted, growth targets must be ratified by the county council and cities.
Prepared by King County and Suburban Cities Association 2/5/09
As described in this paper, the proposed update schedule for the CPPs and growth targets is
intended to meet state, regional, and local policy objectives. Adopting targets ahead of the 2011
comprehensive plan updates will ensure that appropriate and timely planning can be done to
accommodate projected growth. Many cities will find that their current land uses and densities
do accommodate housing and jobs needed through 2031; others may need to adjust their plans
and regulations in the 2011 update. With an updated CPP framework, including growth targets,
in place, all cities will be in a much better position to align their plans with both Vision 2040 and
the GMA.
Questions about King County’s growth targets can be directed to Chandler Felt, King County
Office of Strategic Planning and Performance Management at (206) 263-9693 /
,
chandler.felt@kingcounty.gov or to Michael Hubner, Suburban Cities Association at (253) 856-
5443 / mhubner@ci.kent.wa.us.
Prepared by King County and Suburban Cities Association 2/5/09