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RESOLUTION NO.3 8 0 5
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF AUBURN,
WASHINGTON, ADOPTING COUNTY-WIDE
PLANNING POLICIES FOR PIERCE COUNTY,
WASHINGTON AND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
TO THE COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICIES
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Growth Management Act (Chapter 36.70A
RCW), Pierce County, in collaboration with the cities and towns within Pierce
County, developed County-Wide Planning Policies intended to provide the
guiding goals, objectives, policies and strategies for the subsequent adoption of
comprehensive plans; and
WHEREAS, on June 30, 1992, the Pierce County Council adopted
County-Wide Planning Policies; and
WHEREAS, the County-Wide Planning Policies were ratified by at least
60% of the cities and towns within Pierce County representing 75% of the total
Pierce County population; and
WHEREAS, on November 18, 2004, the Pierce County Regional Council
recommended several amendments to the County-Wide Planning Policies; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Auburn, Washington
acknowledges the Growth Management Act requirement that its Comprehensive
Plan shall be developed consistent with the County-Wide Planning Policies.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUBURN, WASHINGTON, as follows:
Section 1. Adoption of County-Wide Planinq Policies.
County-Wide
Planning Policies for Pierce County, Washington, a copy of which is attached
----------------------
Resolution No. 3805
January 11, 2005
Page 1 of 2
,,',,~-
hereto and incorporated herein by this reference, are hereby adopted.
Section 2. Ratification of proposed Amendments to the County-Wide
Planninq Policies. Amendments to the County-Wide Planning Policies
developed by the Pierce County Regional Council, a copy of which is attached
hereto and made part of this resolution, are hereby ratified.
Section 3. Administrative Authority. The Mayor is hereby authorized
to implement such administrative procedures, sign such documents and enter
into such agreements as may be necessary to carry out the directives of this
leg islation.
Section 4. Effective Date.
This Resolution shall be effective upon
passage and signatures hereon, and as provided through the ratification process
for the county-wide planning policies.
(/.f/
DATED and SIGNED this E- day of January 2005.
~
'--.)
ATTEST:
£~~
Danl Ie E. Daskam,
City Clerk
\.
~
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Resolution No. 3805
January 11, 2005
Page 2 of2
COUNTY -WIDE PLANNING POLICIES
FOR
PIERCE COUNTY, WASHINGTON
PIERCE COUNTY
Councilmember Mike Connot
Councilmember
g;xQffiç,!o}y1embers:
:i:"':;':-::',:-,r::¡:Il::::::::':?:~"~'{?'llit::tt:
Renee Montgelasl.~¡¡lìl~l, Office of Urban Mobility
Neel Parikh Pierce Coun Library District
Pierce Transit
, Port of Tacoma
Puget Sound Regional Council
Councillllember Sue Singel, City of Auburn
Mayol Debra JOlgenSv1Ì., City of Pacific
Recommended by the Pierce Co~~,!~~,gional Council
Septembel 19, 199G¡¡Î~11
T A HI ,E OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1
RULES OF INTERPRETATION ............................................. .............. ........ ........... .......................... 9
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICIES ........................................ ................... .......... ......... ......... 10
Affordable Housing........................ .... ................ ............ ....... ........ ....... .... ......... ................ ..... 11
Agricultural Lands............... ................ ................. ................ ..... ....... ........... ........... ................ 14
Economic Development and Employment ........................................................................... 18
Education..................................................................................................................... ........... 22
Fiscal Impact.. ................ ..................................... ...................... ........ ........... ........... ............... 24
Historic, Archaeological and Cultural Preservation......... ............. ........ ............ .................... 26
Natural Resources, Open Space and Protection of Environmentally-Sensitive Lands......... 29
Siting of Public Capital Facilities of a County-Wide or State-Wide Nature ........................ 39
Transportation Facilities and Strategies......... .......... .............................................................. 43
Urban Growth Areas ...................... ................... ................ ..................... ............ .......... .......... 50
Amendments and Transition ............................................... .... ......... .......... .......... .................. 85
1. TNTRODnCTTON
A Rm~ke:rolJnd ~md St¡:¡tlJtory Fr¡:¡mework
In response to legislative findings that uncoordinated and unplanned growth together with a lack of
common goals toward land conservation pose a threat to the environment, to the public health,
safety and welfare, and to sustainable economic development, the State legislature enacted the
Growth Management Act. 1 The Act identifies 13 planning goals which are intended to be used
exclusively to guide the development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development
regulations of municipalities and counties required to plan.2 The categories in which goals have
been propounded are: urban growth, sprawl reduction, transportation, housing, economic
development, property rights, permits, natural resource industries, open space and recreation,
environment, citizen participation and coordination, public facilities and services, and historic
preservation. The principal focus of the Growth Management Act is on the comprehensive plan,
which the County and each municipality must adopt by July 1, 1993. Land develoRment
regulations must be adopted within one (1) year thereafter. The Act specifies mandatory3 and
optional4 plan elements as follows:
M¡:¡nd¡:¡tory Elements
land use
housing
capital facilities
utilities
rural (County only)
transportation
Option¡:¡l Elements
conservation
solar energy
recreation
any other relating to the physical
development of the jurisdiction
In addition, subarea plans are permitted. 5
2
RCW Chapter 36.70A (1990).
RCW 36.70A020(1) - (13).
RCW 36.70A070.
3
4
5
RCW 36.70A080(1).
RCW 36.70A080(2).
DGCGlIlbc¡ 17, 19962004
One of the most important planning tenets expressed in the Growth Management Act is the
consistency requirement, which takes many forms as follows:
· consistency of municipal/County plans with the planning goals identified in RCW
36.70A020
· internal consistency between plan elements
· consistency of all other plan elements with the future land use map
· consistency of any subarea plans with the comprehensive plan
· consistency of the transportation element with the land use element
· consistenc~,;¡.~:~::::~~::¡.:~ansportation element with the six-year plans required by RCW
36.77.010 ¡I~~~~:::~::::D for cities, RCW 36.81.121 for counties, and RCW 35.58.2795
for public transportation systems
· consistency between the County Comprehensive Plan and the comprehensive plans
of all municipalities within the County
· consistency of comprehensive plans of each municipality and county with
comprehensive plans of neighboring municipalities and counties with common
borders or faced with related regional issues
· consistency of development regulations with the comprehensive plan
· consistency of capital budget decisions with the comprehensive plan
· consistency of state agency actions in relation to the location, financing and
expansion of transportation systems and other public facilities with county and
municipal comprehensive planning
Despite the fact that the word "consistency" is used repeatedly in the Growth Management Act, it is
not defined. The Standard Planning Enabling Act promulgated in 1928 by the United States
Department of Commerce established the concept that zoning regulations should be "in accordance
with a comprehensive plan." In the 64 years since the model act was developed this concept has
evolved from being merely advisory or guiding to one that mandates that the goals, objectives,
policies and strategies of each document must be in agreement with and harmonious with the
provisions of all other required documents. The consistency doctrine has been continually
strengthened by both state statutes and by court decision in both consistency statute states and those
states adopting the concept by increasingly vigorous interpretation of the "in accordance with"
statutory language.
DCCGlI!bCI 17, 19962004
2
A second planning tenet which the Growth Management Act promotes is concurrency -- i.e., that
concept that public facilities and services necessary to serve new development at adopted level of
service standards are actually available at the time of development. The concurrency requirement is
stated generally in the planning goals6 as follows:
Ensure that those public facilities and services necessary to support
development shall be adequate to serve the development at the time
the development is available for occupancy and use without
decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum
standards.
In the transportation element, which is a required plan element for all municipal and County
comprehensive plans, the concurrency requirement is restated in more forceful terms as follows: 7
. . . local jurisdictions must adopt and enforce ordinances which
prohibit development approval if the development causes the level of
service on a transportation facility to decline below the standards
adopted in the transportation element of the comprehensive plan,
unless transportation improvements or strategies to accommodate the
impacts of development are made concurrent with the development.
Concurrent with the development means that for non-transportation facilities, improvements or
strategies are in place at the time of development and in the case of transportation facilities, that a
financial commitment is in place to complete the improvements or strategies within six (6) years.
Portions of the mandatory planning, consistency and concurrency requirements combine to suggest
a strong relationship between the accommodation of growth and the provision and financing of
public facilities and services to meet facility and service demands generated by that growth. This
relationship is then strengthened by the Urban Growth Area boundary designation and public
facility requirements. 8
In order to accomplish these new planning and plan imRlementation requirements, the legislature
has expressly authorized the use of innovative techniques,9 including impact fees. 1 0
6
RCW 36.70A020(l2).
RCW 36.70A070(6)(e1I1.
RCW 36.70AII0.
7
8
9
RCW 36.70A090.
10
RCW 82.02.050 - .090.
DGwltb". 17, 1996 iZt!Ø4:
1
In 1991, the State legislature amended the Growth Management Act, inter alia, to require that the
legislative body of the county adopt county-wide planning policies, in cooperation with the
municipalities in the County. County-wide planning policies are written policy statements
establishing a county-wide framework from which county and municipal comprehensive plans are
developed and adopted. The framework is intended to ensure that municipal and county
h . I . 11
compre enslve p ans are conststent.
The development of the county-wide planning policies was intended to be collaborative between
the County and the municipalities. The legislation required the County legislative body to convene
a meeting with representatives of each municipality. The County and the municipalities then
determine the process in which they will agree to all provisions and procedures of the county-wide
planning policies including but not limited to desired planning policies, deadlines and ratification.
No later than July 1, 1992, the legislative authority of the County is required to adopt county-wide
planning policies in accordance with the agreed-upon process after holding the requisite public
h· h· 12
earmg or earmgs.
The County-Wide Planning Policies are nill substitutes for comprehensive plans but, rather goals,
objectives, policies and strategies to guide the production of the County and municipal
comprehensive plans.
The County-Wide Planning Policies shall, at a minimum, address the following: 13
(a) Policies to implement RCW 36.70A.II0;
(b) Policies for promotion of contiguous and orderly
development and provision of urban services to such development;
(c) Policies for siting public capital facilities of a county-
wide or state-wide nature;
(d)
strategies;
Policies for county-wide transportation facilities and
(e) Policies that consider the need for affordable
housing, such as housing for all economic segments of the
population and parameters for its distribution;
11
RCW 36.70A.210(1).
RCW 36. 70A.21 0(2).
RCW 36.70A.210(3)(a) - (h).
12
13
Dc,c,c,mbc,J 17, 1996 2_
4
(1) Policies for joint county and city planning within
urban growth areas;
(g) Policies for county-wide economic development and
employment; and
(h) An analysis of the fiscal impact.
B. Fmmework Ae:reement for the Adoption of the COlmty-Wide Pl¡:¡nnine: Policies
Pursuant to the Growth Management Act, Pierce County and the municipalities have entered into
an Interlocal Agreement for the development and adoption of the County-Wide Planning Policies.14
The Agreement provides for the establishment of a Steering Committee (SC) consisting of one
elected official from Pierce County and one elected official from every municipality in the County.
The principal responsibility of drafting the County-Wide Planning Policies was given to the
Steering Committee.15 The Steering Committee received technical/staff support from the Growth
Management Coordinating Committee (GMCC), which additionally established the Urban Growth
Area Subcommittee.16 The Steering Committee was authorized to retain Consultants and pursuant
to such authority hired the national and regional consulting firms of Freilich, Leitner, Carlisle &
Shortlidge and Northwest Strategies. 17
Ratification of the County-Wide Planning Policies requires the affirmative vote of 60% of the
affected governments in Pierce County (12 of 19) representing a minimum of 75% of the total
Pierce County population ~:~!i~~i~ii~!!~¡~~.i.~~>¡~~!~~!~¡!~!~~n~;~..i!~~..:':inancial Management on J uüe 28,
1991 (452,850 of GOJ,800) œ:"IIIA1I.111111¡Ii.ill¡1i11111:mfrlillìll.
C. Methodoloe;y for the Development of COlJnty- Wide Pl¡:¡nnine: Policies
The County-Wide Planning Policies are intended to provide the guiding goals, objectives, policies
and strategies for the subsequent adoption of comprehensive plans, but, are not to be a substitute for
such plans. The level of detail in the County-Wide Planning Policies must be sufficient to provide
specific guidance, yet not so detailed as to constrain appropriate local choice in future
14 Interlocal Agreement: Framework Agreement for the Adoption of the County-Wide
Planning Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution No. R91-172, September 24, 1991)(See
Attachment "B").
15
Interlocal Agreement, 2.
16
Interlocal Agreement, 4.
17
lnterlocal Agreement,S.
DGc'"uJbGJ 17, 1996 2004
)
comprehensive planning by the County and municipalities. This is particularly true because the
County- Wide Planning Policies apply to the County and all municipalities, both large and small,
both adjacent to other urban areas and remote from other urban areas, each with somewhat different
characteristics.
Given this context, the development of County-Wide Planning Policies acceptable to the County
and the municipalities was no small task. It was accomplished through a two-step process.
S1ep..l
The Consultants developed a matrix for each policy area which emphasized the individual
components (elements) of the issues and the alternative courses of action/decisions that
could be made with respect to each element. Thus, for example, for the Fiscal Impact
Policy, elements included:
· What types of decisions/projects should trigger an analysis of fiscal impact?
· What types of decisions/projects should be exempt from a fiscal impact
analysis?
· Is there a defined threshold?
· How will the results of-the Fiscal Impact Ar¡alysis be used?
· When in the development approval process should the Fiscal Impact Analysis
be done?
The elements were intentionally stated in the form of questions to stimulate discussion by
the Growth Management Coordinating Committee (consisting of technical staff from the
governing entities) and the Steering Committee; and, similarly, they were intentionally
phrased so that a simple "yes" or "no" answer was impossible. This methodology was
particularly effective because it broadened the viewpoints of the Steering Committee
members through use of a wide range of alternative formulations and at the same time
compelled them to think in terms of the effects both county-wide and in their particular
municipality. In addition, in place of reading lengthy issue papers on the various policy
areas, the key elements were packaged to allow for timely review and comment. The Step 1
process elicited considerable discussion and the results from Step 1 were very encouraging.
Each policy area was, however, still being viewed independently.
Step2
Step 2 was needed to build on the work in Step I in order to develop a comprehensive and
coordinated set of County-Wide Planning Policies. To accomplish that task, the
DCCvH,bG! 17, 1996 2004
()
Consultants developed a set of conceptual Alternative Development Scenarios. These
included: Trend Development; Compact Development; Modified Trend Development; and
Adequate Public Facilities/Concurrency-Based Development. For each alternative
development scenario, the Consultants identified the principal characteristics, the
development impacts that the alternative is likely to exhibit, the principal
advantages/disadvantages, the consistency of the alternative with the Growth Management
Act and the regional VISION 2020 Plan, and the degree of conformity of the alternative
with the State Planning Goals and the individual County-Wide Planning Policies areas. The
GMCC developed conceptual maps to illustrate the alternative development scenarios.
These maps were not intended to suggest actual or precise boundaries of any sort, but were
merely used to convey graphically the differences in the alternatives. The presentation of
the alternative development scenarios and conceptual maps effectively served their intended
purpose -- which was to transform individual policy areas into a comprehensive and
coordinated set of policy directives.
In particular, the alternative development scenario analysis highlighted some of the key
issues that needed to be addressed in the Urban Growth Area policy, which is the
cornerstone of the County-Wide Planning Policies. These issues included:
· delineation of Urban Growth Areas
· determination and delineation of "tiers" within Urban Growth Areas
· linkage of tier delineations to capital improvements programming
· timing and phasing of growth
· public facility and service adequacy
· public facility and service availability at the time of development -- concurrency
· facility service provision and extension policies, with a particular focus on
sanitary sewer service
· financing of facility and service provision and extension and imposition of full,
but fair share of costs on new development
· joint County-municipal planning in Urban Growth Areas
D. Effect of Adoption ofCOlmty-Wide Pl¡:¡nnine: Policies
County- Wide Planning Policies are written policy statements used solely for establishing a county-
wide framework from which county and municipal comprehensive plans are developed and
Dc,~"lIIbCf 17, 1996 2004
7
adopted. The framework is intended to ensure that municipal and county comprehensive plans are
consistent. 18 While the Growth Management Act does not specify the legal effect of adoption of
the County-Wide Planning Policies, it clearly acknowledges their importance by providing that
failure to adopt County-Wide Planning Policies meeting the requirements may result in the
imposition of sanctions19including but not limited to the withholding of state revenues and
rescinding the county or municipality's authority to collect the real estate excise tax.20 Cities and
the Governor may appeal adopted County-Wide Planning Policies to the appropriate Growth
Planning Hearing Board within sixty (60) days of the adoption of the policy? After the 60-day
period, County-Wide Planning Policies cannot be challenged. However, the effectiveness of the
County- Wide Planning Policies is not based merely on the fact that they are adopted, but rather on
the fact that they must be adhered to and implemented in the County and municipality
comprehensive plans and development regulations. The legislation provides a process to challenge
the failure of a County or municipality to compl~ with the County-Wide Planning Policies through
petition to the Growth Planning Hearing Board.2 The Growth Planning Hearings Board shall hear
and determine only those petitions alleging either: (a) that the State, county or municipality is not in
compliance with the Growth Management Act; or (b) that the 20-year growth management
planning fopulation projections adopted by the State Office of Financial Management should be
adjusted.2 Petitions must be filed within sixty (60) days after publication of the ordinance adopting
the comprehensive plan or development regulations.24 Comprehensive plans and development
regulations and amendments thereto are presumed valid upon adoption?5
18 RCW 36.70A.21O(l).
19 RCW 36.70A.21O(5).
20 RCW 36.70A.340(2) and (3).
21 RCW 36.70A.21O(6).
22 RCW 36.70A.250.
23 RCW 36. 70A.280(1).
24 RCW 36.70A.290(2).
25 RCW 36.70A.320.
D"WllbG( 17, 1996 2GGI!!
R
II. RTnES OF TNTERPRETATTON
1. Words and terms used in the County-Wide Planning Policies shall be defined as set
forth in the Policies and in the Growth Management Act to the extent defined
therein. To the extent not defined therein, words and terms shall be given their plain
and ordinary meanings, except as otherwise provided herein.
2. The term "shall" is intended to be mandatory; the terms "may" and "should" are
directory only. While the term "shall" is mandatory, it should be understood and
implied that the policy statement in which it is used is applicable to a municipality
and/or the County only when, through objective determination, the circumstances on
which the Policy is premised are relevant.
3. It is understood and implied that policies are applicable to municipalities and/or the
County only, if through objective determination, the circumstances upon which the
Policy is premised are "reasonable" and "appropriate" to such municipality and/or
the County.
_:{t(:i¥
Dcwub", 17, 19961!GG#
9
IlL COTJNTY-WTDE PLANNTNG POTJCTFS
· PRF,AMHI,E TO COTJNTY-WIDE PI,ANNING POI,ICIES
County- Wide Planning Policies are written policy statements which are to be used solely for
establishing a County-Wide framework from which the County and municipal comprehensive plans
are developed and adopted. The framework is intended to ensure that the County and municipal
comprehensive plans are consistent, as required by the Washington statutes.
Duling the petioJ within wl1~ch CourÜy and murlil,~pal compH~hensive plaus ate developed, adopted
and impleme;llted, the Comrty aüd each llìunlcipality ~1l the COUllty, at thei1 J~5Cletioll, may utiliLe
the Couuty- "VVide PlatuÜl1g Policies to set ve as a guide [01 Coanty 01 lllulÜcipallatìd USe; aüd telated
deci~~o!ls to best assme that the principles embodied in the COulìty- VvTide Platl1liüg rolic~es ate
follovVed and ptomoted.
D':'CGJI,\:'",. 17, 19962ð04
10
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON THE "NEED
FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL ECONOMIC SEGMENTS
OF THE POPULATION AND PARAMETERS FOR ITS DISTRIBUTION"
.
Hacke:round - Requirement of ~rowth Mana~ement Ad
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies as a planning goal to guide the
development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations that
counties and cities encourage the availability of affordable housing to all economic
segments of the population, promote a variety of residential densities and housing types, and
encourage preservation of the existing housing stock. [RCW 36.70A020(4)] The term
"affordable housing" is not defined, but the context in which it appears suggests that its
meaning was intended to be broadly construed to refer to housing of varying costs, since the
reference is to all economic segments of the community.
The Washington Growth Management Act also identifies mandatory and optional plan
elements. [RCW 36.70A070 and .080]. A Housing Element is a mandatory plan element
that must, at a minimum, include the following [RCW 36.70A070(2)]:
(a) an inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs;
(b) a statement of goals, policies and objectives for the preservation,
improvement and development of housing;
(c) identification of sufficient land for housing, including, but not limited to,
government-assisted housing, housing for low inçome families,
manufactured housin multi-family housing, group homes~ and foster care
facilitie
(d) adequate provIsIOns for existing and projected housing needs of all
economic segments of the community.
Since the Comprehensive Plan of every City and County must be an internally consistent
document [RCW 36.70A070] and all plan elements must be consistent with the future land
use map prepared as part of the required land use element [RCW 36.70A070], these other
plan elements will, to a great extent, dictate what will be in the housing element.
Thus, the land use element, relying upon estimates of future population, growth, average
numbers of persons per household, and land use densities, will indicate how much (and
where) land needs to be made available to accommodate the identified housing needs. The
capital facilities, transportation and utilities elements will then indicate when and how
public facilities will be provided to accommodate the projected housing, by type, density
Dc;,-"ü.bcI 17, 1996 2004
11
and location.
.
Connty- Wide P1annin~ PoHcy
1. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall determine the extent of the
need (i. e., the demand) for housing for all economic segments of the population that
are projected for the community over the planning period.
1.1 the projection shall be made in dwelling units, by type, provided, that the
projection may be a range and that the types of dwelling units may be in
broad categories, such as single-family detached, single-family attached,
duplex, triplex, fourplex, apartments and special housing types;
1.2 the projection shall be reflective of census or other reliable data indicating
the economic segments of the population for whom housing needs to be
provided, and shall incorporate the jurisdiction's fair share of the County's
housing needs;
1.3 the projections shall be reflective of the County-Wide fair share housing
allocation as shall be established pursuant to federal or state law and
supplemented by provisions established in intergovernmental agreements
between County jurisdictions.
2. The County and each municipality in the County shall meet their projected demand
for housing by one or more or all of the following:
2.1 preservation of the existing housing stock through repair and maintenance,
rehabilitation and redevelopment;
2.2 identification of vacant, infill parcels appropriately zoned for residential
development with assurances that neighborhood compatibility and fit will be
maintained through appropriate and flexible zoning and related techniques,
such as:
2.2.1 sliding-scale buffering and screening requirements based on
adjacent use considerations
2.2.2 performance standards
2.2.3 height and bulk limitations
2.2.4 provision of open space
2.2.5 front, side and rear yard requirements
2.2.6 protection of natural resources and environmentally-sensitive
lands
2.2.7 architectural controls and design standards.
Dcc"mbu 17, 1996 iifi
12
2.3 identification of other vacant lands suitable for residential development and
permitting sufficient land through zoning to meet one or more or all of the
following types and densities, of housing:
2.3.1 multi-family housing
2.3.2 mixed use development
2.3.3 cluster development
2.3.4 planned unit development
2.3.5 non-traditional housing
2.4 In determining the suitability of the location and identification of sites for
affordable housing, the jurisdictions shall consider the availability and
proximity of transit facilities, governmental facilities and services and other
commercial services necessary to complement the housing.
3. The County, and each municipality in the County shall assess their success in
meeting the housing demands and shall monitor the achievement of the housing
policies not less than once every five years.
4. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall maximize available local,
state and federal funding opportunities and private resources in the development of
affordable housing.
5. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall explore and identify
opportunities for non-profit developers to build affordable housing.
6. The County, and each municipality in the County, should explore and identify
opportunities to reutilize and redevelop existing parcels where rehabilitation of the
buildings is not cost-effective, provided the same is consistent with the County-
Wide policy on historic, archaeological and cultural preservation~
7. New fully-contained communities shall comply with the requirements set forth in
the Growth Management Act and shall contain a mix in the range of dwelling units
to provide their "fair share" of the County-Wide housing need for all segments of
the population that are projected for the County over the planning period.
DCG"HlbCI 17, 1996 2004
11
COUNTY -WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON
AGRICULTURAL LANDS
.
Hack~..ound - Requirements of Growth Manaeement Act
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies the maintenance and enhancement of
natural resource-based industries, including productive agricultural industries, and the
conservation of productive agricultural lands as planning goals to guide the development
and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations. [RCW 36.70A020(8)].
While the expression of planning goals in the Growth Management Act is linked to "natural
resource industries," including productive timber and fisheries, a separate policy for
Agricultural Lands has been proposed because of their unique importance in Pierce County
and their relationship to urban growth area boundaries and policies. Although the Growth
Management Act does not expressly require a county-wide planning policy on agricultural
lands, the requirement was added by the Interlocal Agreement: Framework Agreement for
the Adoption of the County-Wide Planning Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution No.
R91-172, September 24, 1991).
.
County-Wide P1annin~ Po1ic:y
1. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall define agricultural lands. At
a minimum, the definition shall be based upon one of the following criteria:
1.1 the definition in RCW 36.70A030(2): "land primarily devoted to the
commercial production of horticultural, viticultural, floricultural, dairy,
apiary, vegetable, or animal products or of berries, grain, hay, straw, turf,
seed, not subject to the excise tax imposed by RCW
84.33.100 through 84.33.140, or livestock, and that has long term
commercial significance for agricultural production" (and, including poultry
raising, horse farms and ranches);
1.2 identification based upon current land use, planned land use or soil type (i. e. ,
soils identified by the Soil Conservation Service as having high productivity
for agricultural use);
1.3 lands currently receiving "use value assessments" pursuant to Washington
statutes and contracts with the County.
DGGChlbc. 17, 1996 2004
14
2. The purposes of agricultural preservation are:
2.1 ensuring that agricultural lands are treated sensitively to their location and
the presence of urban growth pressures;
2.2 preventing urban sprawl;
2.3 maintaining open space and/or providing a visual green belt;
2.4 retaining natural systems and natural processes;
2.5 preserving the local economic base;
2.6 preserving a rural lifestyle;
2.7 maintaining specialty crops;
2.8 maintaining regional, state and national agricultural reserves.
3. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall achieve agricultural
preservation through:
3.1 maintaining large minimum lot sizes in agricultural areas;
3.2 buffering agricultural areas from urban development;
3.3 creating agricultural zoning districts;
3.4 purchase of development rights;
3.5 transfer of development rights within the jurisdiction, including the
designation of receiving zones for agricultural development rights and
between jurisdictions, including the designation of receiving zones by local
agreement;
3.6 lease of development rights for a term of years;
3.7 "anti-nuisance" laws to protect agricultural activities from being defined as a
public nuisance;
3.8 preferential tax treatment ("use value assessment");
IÀGGJílbG, 17, 1996 2004
1:1
3.9 other innovative techniques including, but not limited to, purchase-leaseback
through issuance of bonds, university purchase for research, and prevention
of the formation of improvement districts or the creation of benefit
assessments within designated agricultural preservation areas.
4. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall allow limited development
in some agricultural areas based upon stated criteria related to the predominant
agricultural uses.
5. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address the effect of
agricultural practices on non-point source pollution and ground-water impacts.
6. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall extend the agricultural
policies to locations within and/or adjacent to agricultural preservation areas in
order to:
6.1 protect such areas from encroachment by incompatible uses; and
6.2 protect related development such as farmers markets and roadside stands.
6.3 protect smaller-sized agricultural parcels which are not individually viable
for agricultural production but, which taken cumulatively with other smaller-
sized parcels in the area, have long term significance for agricultural
production.
7. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address the conversion of
agricultural land from agricultural to non-agricultural use by:
7.1 establishing criteria for zoning changes and comprehensive plan
amendments;
7.2 establishing mechanisms so that property owners realize economic value
that would have accrued from conversion, but land remains in agricultural
use if within Urban Growth Areas.
8. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall identify agricultural lands
that are the most susceptible to conversion (which often are also the best and most
productive agricultural lands and the lands which serve the most important
agricultural purposes) by:
8.1 identifying agricultural lands which are most sensitive to urban growth
pressures and which, therefore, require the most immediate attention;
D.:-.:;cu.b". 17, 1996 2004
1()
8.2 utilizing agricultural land classifications established b
Conuhun1ty Development
Ðtwelopmení[RCW 36.70A050(1)];
8.3 consulting with and involving owners of agricultural lands.
9. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall identify agricultural lands
that are not already characterized by urban growth and that have long-term
significance for the commercial production of food or other agricultural products
[RCW 36.70A.170(1)(a)] by developing standards and undertaking a land use
survey.
10. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall ensure that prime
agricultural lands presently in the unincorporated County or within a municipality
are preserved and protected by the enactment of appropriate land use controls; or by
including the land in the urban growth area boundary of a municipality only if the
municipality has delineated standards and criteria relating to preserving the
agricultural lands.
11. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall coordinate agricultural land
preservation policies with other County-Wide Planning Policies through:
11.1 correlating agricultural land preservation policies with urban growth area
policies and with public facility and service provision policies -- to avoid the
extension of urban services to areas intended for continued agricultural use;
11.2 ensuring that public facility and service extension, even if not directly
serving the agricultural lands, do not stimulate the conversion of agricultural
land or make its preservation and protection more difficult.
11.3 joint jurisdictional planning of agricultural land.
DGCGhlbG, 17, 19962~õ4
17
COUNTY -WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT
.
Hackeround - Requirements of Growth Manaeement Act
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies as a planning goal to guide the
development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations, that
counties and cities encourage economic development throughout the state that is consistent
with adopted comprehensive plans, promote economic opportunity for all citizens of the
state, especially for unemployed and disadvantaged persons, and encourage growth in areas
experiencing insufficient economic growth, all within the capacities of the state's natural
resources, public services, and public facilities [RCW 36.70A020(5)]. Additionally, the
Growth Management Act expressly requires that the County adopt a planning policy on
county-wide economic development and employment [RCW 36.70A210(3)(g)].
.
County-Wide Plannine PoliQ'
1. The County, and each municipality in the County, will assure consistency between
economic development policies and adopted comprehensive plans by:
1.1 creating in the land use element of each comprehensive plan a designation of
areas for "commerce" and "industry" [RCW 36.70A070(1)];
1.2 providing within the areas designated for urban development, sufficient land
to accommodate projected development within a market-based system;
1.3 designating and zoning large tracts of appropriate land -- equitably
distributed throughout the various jurisdictions based on the related
population, employment base and land areas of the jurisdiction -- for
planned commercial and industrial centers;
1.3.1. "Equitably," means with consideration for the population and its
characteristics, including the skills of the current population; the
current employment base and its characteristics (i. e. , type of
businesses and industries, permanency of the existing employment
base, past trends and current projections); the amount of land in the
jurisdiction; the amount of vacant land in the jurisdiction
appropriately zoned for economic development; the current
unemployment rate; current commuting patterns; and others, as
appropriate.
DcwnbcI 17, 199621~~
lR
1.4 providing adequate public facilities and services to areas designated for
economic development;
1.5 separating, buffering, or leaving natural buffers between residential
development and areas of economic development where it is necessary due
to the type, characteristics and impacts of the economic development
activity;
1.6 developing and adopting standards at the municipal level to guide
commercial and industrial development in park-like settings;
1.7 evaluating federal, state, and local regulatory, taxing, facility financing and
expenditure practices to assure that they favor economic development at
appropriate locations.
2. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall promote diverse economic
opportunities for all citizens of the County, especially the unemployed,
disadvantaged persons, minorities and small businesses. The following measures
may be used in accomplishing this policy, where appropriate:
2.1 determining a reasonable "jobs/housing" balance and coordinating land use
and development policies to help achieve the designated balance of adequate
affordable housing near employment centers;
2.2 identifying urban land suitable for the accommodation of a wide range of
non-residential development activities;
2.3 utilizing state or federal programs and financial assistance to the maximum
extent possible;
2.4 encouraging redevelopment of declining commercial areas;
2.5 encouraging flexibility in local zoning and land use controls to permit a
variety of economic uses, but without sacrificing necessary design and
development standards;
2.6 encouraging programs, in conjunction with other public, quasi-public and
private entities, to attract desirable or appropriate business and industry;
2.7 to the extent possible, encouraging the location of economic development
activities in areas served by public transit and adequate transportation
facilities;
DC'-"ulbcl 17, 1996 2004
19
2.8 maintaining and enhancing natural resource-based industries, including
productive timber, agriculture, fishing and mining;
2.9 collectively targeting the appropriate creation and retention of specific firms
and industries including small business enterprises;
2.10 promoting educational, job training, and cultural opportunities;
2.11 providing opportunities and locations for incubator industries.
3. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall encourage economic
development in areas in which there is an imbalance between available employment
opportunities and the local population base by:
3.1 considering development incentives for economic development;
3.2 marketing development opportunities in slow growth areas.
4. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall take the following steps to
ensure that economic growth remains within the capacities of the state's natural
resources, public services and public facilities:
4.1 identifying existing and future demand for services;
4.2 encouraging the location of economic development activities within Urban
Growth Areas;
4.3 limiting incompatible economic development activities in or adjacent to
designated natural resource lands and critical areas and/or by requiring
adequate buffers between economic development activities and designated
natural resource lands and critical areas and by ensuring that economic
development activities occur in areas with adequate public facilities.
5. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall plan for sufficient economic
growth and development to ensure an appropriate balance of land uses which will
produce a sound financial posture given the fiscal/economic costs and benefits
derived from different land uses by:
5.1 insuring that the land use element of each Comprehensive Plan allows for an
appropriate mix and balance of uses;
5.2 reducing inefficient sprawl development patterns;
D"Wl1b':l 17, 19962004
20
5.3 reducing transportation demand;
5.4 coordinating the provision of public facilities and services and/or insuring
that new development supports the cost of public facility and service
expansions made necessary by such development;
5.5 promoting development in areas with existing available facility capacity;
5.6 encouraging j oint public/private development.
6. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall strengthen existing
businesses and industries to add to the diversity of economic opportunity and
employment by:
6.1 promoting infill development to assist in maintaining a viable market for
existing businesses;
6.2 utilizing redevelopment or other techniques, where appropriate, to maintain
existing businesses;
6.3 making available information, technical assistance and loans for business
expansion and job creation;
6.4 protecting existing viable economIC development activities from
incompatible neighbors;
6.5 streamlining permit processing;
6.6 striving to maintain adequate public facilities and service levels;
6.7 evaluating regulatory and other constraints to continued business operations
and devising an appropriate plan to minimize the effect of such constraints.
7. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall provide both the private
sector and the public sector with information necessary to support and promote
economic development by:
7.1 coordinating the collection and dissemination of information with various
local governments;
7.2 cooperating with private and quasi-private entities and sharing information
to attract new industries.
D"",,ÜlbtJ 17, 1996 2Q04
21
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON EDUCATION
.
Hack~round - Requirements of Growth Mana~ement Act
The Washington Growth Management Act does not identify education as a planning goal to
guide the development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations.
Neither is education listed as a planning policy requirement in the Growth Management
Act. However, the list of topics identified in the Growth Management Act is intended to
delineate only the minimum policy requirements. Education was identified as an additional
policy area in the Interlocal Agreement: Framework Agreement for the Adoption of the
County-Wide Planning Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution No. R91-172, September
24, 1991).
.
County-Wide Plannin~ Poli~.y
1. "Educational Facilities," includes all public and private educational facilities,
including, but not limited to, kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools,
junior high schools, high schools, junior colleges, colleges, academies, and similar
institutions.
2. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall strive to achieve excellence
in education and to offer diverse educational opportunities to be made available to
all residents of the County, cities and towns by:
2.1 developing a broad tax base;
2.2 encouraging citizen participation;
2.3 encouragmg coordination between educational and employment
requirements.
3. The County, and each municipality the County, shall coordinate with other
institutions or governmental entities responsible for providing educational services,
to ensure the provision of educational facilities with other necessary public facilities
and services and with established and planned growth patterns through:
3.1 the capital facilities plan element;
3.2 the land use element;
3.3 school site location decisions;
DccGmbc;1 17, 1996 2004
22
3.4 coordination and, if necessary, formal interlocal agreements between school
districts and other governmental entities exercising land use planning,
regulation and capital improvement planning functions;
3.5 the possible use of impact fees, voluntary advancements and other regulatory
requirements for a portion of school facility financing;
3.6 encouragement of joint (municipal/school district) use of playgrounds,
parks, open-spaces and recreational facilities;
3.7 support for sufficient funding of educational facilities and services;
3.8 support for the provision of educational facilities and services to meet
specialized needs.
4. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address the issue of the
multiplicity of school districts by:
4.1 incorporating school facility location criteria, developed in conjunction with
the local school district, in the local comprehensive plan;
4.2 including school districts in the comprehensive planning process;
4.3 developing a common base of data and sharing the data with school districts
concerning population, household and school-age population projections,
non-educational capital facility needs, and land uses;
4.4 initiating dialogues with school districts about school district boundaries and
service areas in relation to municipal boundaries, designated urban growth
areas, annexation plans and service extension plans and policies.
5. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall determine specific siting
requirements for all public and private educational facilities and shall meet specific
educational facility needs by:
5.1 locating schools consistently with the local comprehensive plan, including
the capital facilities element;
5.2 deciding all facility locations, types and sizes with consideration for the
provision of other necessary public facilities and services and the
compatibility and effect of the provision of such facilities on land use and
development patterns.
D",,'-ulbcl 17, 1996 2004
21
COUNTY -WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON
FISCAL IMP ACT
.
Hackeround - Requirements of Growth Manaeement Act
The Washington Growth Management Act requires that the County-Wide Planning Policies
address the analysis of fiscal impact [RCW 36.70A.21O(3)(h)]. However, the legislature
did not define the scope of the required fiscal impact analysis to be addressed in the County-
Wide Planning Policies. During the legislative proceedings a number of alternatives were
discussed, ranging from analysis of the policies themselves, analysis of the comprehensive
plans and implementing regulations, analysis of governmental decisions affecting
jurisdictional responsibilities and/or boundaries and analysis of significant public and
private development projects. From these alternatives, the County, and each municipality,
has determined that fiscal impact analysis will be required only for governmental decisions
affecting jurisdictional responsibilities and/or boundaries and significant public and private
development projects.
· County-Wide P1annin~ PoHqr
1. The purposes of fiscal impact analysis are to assess the relative costs of providing
public facilities and services, with the public revenues that will be derived from
decisions affecting jurisdictional responsibilities and/or boundaries and significant
public and private development projects.
2. Any ufthe fullovVing vvlll trigge1 an allalY;:)~5 of fiscal ~mpacts.
2.1 federal, state, tegiollal ami/ot Coun-ry-vvide public capital facilities ptojects
that ell.ceed $5 million,
2.2 laJ.ge-scale private development þtûjects that e;(ceeJ $5 million,
2.3 d1àllges in j wisdictionaltespûllsibilities and/ot boundaries,
2.4 ell.parision5 of public faGility capaGity,
2.5 exparisions of públic facility sel v ice aleas,
2.6 ell.parision;:) of wbarl olovvth bouridalies,
2.7 a dete1l1Ünation wider the State Em irolUllental Policy Act (SuP A) in vvlÜch
the ju1Ïsdidionteque;sts a fiscal impact aJ.1alysis.
3. The County, arId each tl1uüicipality ~ll the COwlt" shall establish in their
impleuienting 1egûlatiolls applOp1~ate levels of detail neceSSaly fut fiscal impact
analysis based upon.
Dcc".nbcl 17, 1996111
24
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
size of ptoj ect
cost uf plOject
location of p1oj ect
type of project
potential impacts of plOject
tÜlling allJ phasing of p10ject
geogtaphic areas of GOverage
peHnanence of ded6ion
illevocabaity of proj ectfdecision
The County, and each municipality in the County, shall use the results of the fiscal
impact analysis as one of the factors in determining acceptance, modification, or
rejection of the proposal.
5. The fiscal impact analysis shall include consideration of the following factors.
5.1 tahes (plOpetty, 6ales, ehG~6e, other),
5.2 assessments,
5.3 fees, including impact fees,
5.4 the shoti-teull or long-tetm fiscal effects, including cost avoidàlice, if an)',
on the j wisdiction makinl:) the deteullination arid on other affected public
entities.
6. The Gost aüd 1eve;Úue portions of the fiscal ~üipact analysis shall cOvet the time
period within which fiscal impacts are likely to be arl illìpOttaÜt factor.
7. The fisGal impact analysis shall take plave at the point in the ptoject, development
applOval, 01 decbion-making ptocess at which the jurisdiction requites that the
majo1 ptoject detaib be plOvided.
D"wnbcl 17, 1996 2004
25
COUNTY -WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON HISTORIC,
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL PRESERV ATION
.
Hack~rounel - Requirements of Growth Mana~r-ment Act
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies as a planning goal to guide the
development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations, that
counties and cities identify and encourage the preservation of lands, sites and structures, that
have historical or archaeological significance. [RCW 36.70A020(13)]. The term
"significance" is not defined, although it is well-recognized that the federal and state
governments have programs that have been in operation for some time by which land, sites,
structures and districts of national significance are/or may be placed on the National
Register of Historic Places and land, sites and structures of state significance are/or may be
placed on the State Register of Historic Places. Certain cities, including Tacoma, have
adopted local programs to designate land, sites and structures of local significance.
Although the Growth Management Act Amendments do not require a county-wide planning
policy on historic, archaeological and cultural preservation, that requirement was added by
the Interlocal Agreement: Framework Agreement for the Adoption of the County-Wide
Planning Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution No. R91-172, September 24, 1991).
.
County-Wiele Plannine Poli~
1. The County, and each municipality in the County, utilizing applicable federal, state
and local designations, if relevant, (and where appropriate in cooperation with the
Indian tribes) shall identify the presence of federal, state and local historic,
archaeological and cultural lands, sites and structures, of significance within their
boundaries.
2. The County, and each municipality in the County may, utilizing County standards or
locally-developed standards, identify and designate local historic, archaeological and
cultural lands, sites and structures of significance within their boundaries.
2.1 Recommendations for local designations may be made by any person or
entity or by any municipality or governmental body.
2.2 The municipality may designate an individual, commission or committee to
be responsible for review of recommendations and to forward such
recommendations to the legislative body.
2.3 Designations shall only be made by the local legislative body if the land, site
or structure has only local significance.
DcwnbGJ 17, 1996 2ØØII
2h
2.4 All such designations shall be reflected in the land use element of the
comprehensive plan.
2.5 Any municipality may request that the County's Landmark's Commission
and/or staff provide assistance in designating land, sites or structures; if
sought, such assistance may be provided pursuant to an interlocal agreement.
2.6 Preservation of significant lands, sites and structures shall be encouraged or
accomplished by the County, and each municipality in the County, through
anyone or a combination of the following techniques, as determined to be
appropriate by the local legislative body:
2.6.1 designation
2.6.2 incentives for preservation
2.6.3 loans and grants
2.6.4 public purchase
2.6.5 non-development easement
2.6.6 development rights transfer
2.6.7 restrictive covenants
2.6.8 regulations for protection, maintenance and appropriate
development
2.6.9 plans/policies/standards for preservation (U.S. Department of
the Interior)
2.7 The County, and each municipality in the County, may utilize one or more
of the following criteria, or others as may be determined, to make
designation decisions for recommended lands, sites or structures:
2.7.1
2.7.2
2.7.3
2.7.4
2.7.5
2.7.6
2.7.7
2.7.8
2.7.9
2.7.10
2.7.11
archaeological, historic or cultural "significance"
condition
uniqueness
accessibility
cost/benefit
extent to which land, site or structure is undisturbed
presence of incompatible land uses or activities
presence of environmental, health or safety hazards
tourism potential
educational value
consent of owner
2.8 The legislative body of the County, and each municipality in the County,
may utilize one or more of the following criteria, or others as may be
determined, to make a dedesignation decision:
D""GlIlb;;¡ 17, 1996 211
27
2.8.1 error in historicaVarchaeological/cultural research for the
original designation
2.8.2 economic hardship for owner leaving no reasonable use of
the land, site or structure
2.8.3 deterioration oflands, site or structure
2.8.4 discovery of other (better) examples of lands, sites or
structures
2.8.5 presence ofland, site or structure on state or federal registers.
3. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall encourage public education
programs regarding historic, archaeological and cultural lands, sites and structures
as a means of raising public awareness of the value of maintaining those resources.
D"C':Aubtl 17, 1996 Z0G4
2R
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON
NATURAL RESOURCES, OPEN SPACE AND PROTECTION
OF ENVIRONMENT ALLY-SENSITIVE LANDS
.
Hackeround - Requirements of Growth Management Act
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies the following as planning goals: (1)
maintain and enhance natural resource-based industries, including productive timber,
agricultural and fisheries industries; (2) encourage the conservation of productive forest
lands and productive agricultural lands, and discourage incompatible uses [RCW
36.70A020(8)]; (3) encourage the retention of open space and development ofrecreational
opportunities, conserve fish and wildlife habitat, increase access to natural resource lands
and water, and develop parks [RCW 36.70A020(9)]; and (4) protect the environment and
enhance the state's high quality oflife, including air and water quality, and the availability of
water [RCW 36.70A020(10)]. Although these goals are stated individually, the degree of
interconnectedness between them leads to the development of a single, comprehensive
planning policy. Although the Growth Management Act does not expressly require a
county-wide planning policy on natural resources, open space and protection of
environmentally sensitive lands, the addition of such a policy was specifically identified in
the Pierce County Interlocal Agreement: Framework Agreement for the Adoption of the
County- Wide Planning Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution No. R-91-172, September
24, 1991).
.
County-Wide Plannine PoliQ'
I. The following governmental entities shall act in coordination to identifY, designate
and conserve resources, and protect open space and environmentally sensitive lands:
1.1 The State [RCW 36.70A050(1)];
1.2 The County;
1.3 Municipalities;
1.4 Special Purpose Districts and entities;
1.5 The Puget Sound Regional Council and Regional Authorities (Puget Sound
Air Pollution Control Agency, Regional Transportation Planning
Organization et aT);
1.6 The Federal government;
1.7 Tribal governments;
Dcc<'HlbGf 17, 1996 2004
29
1.8 Public utilities.
2. "Natural resources" shall be defined, for the purpose of these policies, to include:
mineral resources and mineral lands, productive timber lands, "and fisheries
industries.
3. County- Wide natural resources identified and designated pursuant to this Policy
shall be maintained and enhanced through one or more of the following means:
3.1 conservation;
3.2 conservation combined with planned use;
3.3 planned use;
3.4 enhancement;
3.5 education;
3.6 preservation;
3.7 purchase/acquisition;
3.8 regulatory approaches; and
3.9 compensable approaches.
4. The governmental entities specified in subpolicy 1 shall work cooperatively and
consistently with each other to achieve this Policy through:
4.1 identifying, designating, maintaining, conserving, enhancing and/or
protecting, as appropriate, natural resources through adoption of specific
elements in the county and municipal comprehensive plans;
4.2 developing appropriate implementation strategies and regulations;
4.3 adopting local capital improvement programs designed to achieve the
objectives of this Policy;
4.4 coordinating standards and criteria between the programs of the
governmental entities specified in subpolicy 1, including where necessary
the use of inter-governmental agreements, so as to be consistent with the
DCWllbcl 17,19962004
10
objectives of this Policy.
5. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall consider the following
regarding natural resources:
5.1 placing a primary emphasis on maintaining, enhancing, conserving and/or
protecting, as appropriate, designated and identified natural resources
including lands of local, county and statewide significance;
5.2 developing and applying criteria for limited development, if allowed, so as
to maintain, enhance and conserve identified and designated important,
productive or economically viable natural resources or natural resource
based industries;
5.3 ensuring the provision of buffers to protect environmentally sensitive lands
where economic use of natural resource lands will cause adverse impacts;
5.4 adopting a "no net loss" approach where applicable;
5.5 utilizing positive incentives to ensure conservation over time;
5.6 utilizing transfer of development rights or other flexible, clustered or
compensable regulatory approaches;
5.7 educating of all segments of the community concerning the importance of
these Policy objectives;
5.8 emphasizing the prevention of air and water quality degradation.
6. Environmentally sensitive lands, for the purpose of the Policy, shall include all
designated critical areas pursuant to RCW 36.70A030(5) including, but not limited
to, wetlands, aquifer recharge areas, fish and wildlife habitat, geologically hazardous
lands and shall include water supply areas, shorelines, creeks, streams, lakes, rivers,
deltas, frequently flooded areas, estuaries, and unique geologic features such as
canyons. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall maintain the
following relationship between environmentally sensitive lands and development:
6.1 give priority to protection of environmentally sensitive lands;
6.2 develop standards and criteria for limited development if permitted in the
County or in municipal comprehensive plans;
6.3 where development is permitted, provide protection for environmentally-
o...GGJhb". 17, 1996 2004
11
sensitive lands through the provision of appropriate buffers;
6.4 adopt a "no net loss" approach;
6.5 utilize of positive incentives for conservation;
6.6 utilize of transfer of development rights or other flexible, clustered or
compensatory regulatory approaches;
6.7 designate environmentally sensitive lands of local, county and statewide
significance;
6.8 educate all segments of the community concerning the importance of these
Policy objectives.
7. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall determine the amount of
development permitted on environmentally sensitive lands by the nature of the area
sought to be protected, on a case-by-case basis, in conjunction with SEP A
regulations. Enhancements of environmentally sensitive lands, such as parks and
observation towers, may be allowed.
8. The County, and each municipality in the County, as well as the other governmental
entities specified in subpolicy 1 shall be in compliance with and seek to exceed
federal and state environmental quality standards where required to achieve the
objectives of this Policy;
9. The County, and each municipality in the County, as well as the other governmental
entities specified in subpolicy 1 shall consider policies on environmentally sensitive
lands in conjunction with other County-Wide Planning Policies, including, but not
limited to, policies which address:
9.1 urban growth areas;
9.2 contiguous orderly development and the provision of urban services to such
development;
9.3 capital facility siting;
9.4 transportation congestion management;
9.5 infill development;
9.6 affordable housing;
Dcwnb", 17, 1996~()04
12
9.7 state and local Shoreline Master Programs;
9.8 goals and mandates of federal and state land jurisdiction agencies including
the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest
Service, the National Park Service and Tribal governments:i
10. Open space, for the purpose of this Policy shall include parks, recreation areas,
greenbelts/natural buffers, scenic and natural amenities or unique geological features
or unIque resources.
11. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall develop a plan for the
provision of open space considering the following:
11.1 environmentally sensitive lands may also include open space and/or
greenbelt areas;
11.2 open space areas are located only within urban growth areas;
11.3 open space is defined in conjunction with recreation and facilities.
12. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall designate appropriate open
space:
12.1 following an assessment of local needs and based upon specific criteria;
12.1.1
12.1.2
to encourage open space cluster design;
to encourage natural buffering as part of development design
12.2 upon the recommendation of the governing body;
12.3 if such areas meet the above criteria of 12.1 and 12.2 and are in:
12.3.1
12.3.2
12.3.3
12.3.4
aquifer recharge areas
floodplains
unIque resource areas
rare and endangered species (plant/animal) habitat
13. The County, and each municipality in the County, may make the following uses of
open space:
D'GGu<bGJ 17, 1996 r.
1:1
13.1 recreational areas, including parks (golf courses, plcmc areas, bicycle,
equestrian and walking trails) and general recreation;
13.2 uses as considered on a case-by-case basis;
13.3 uses derived from community definition (i.e., greenbelts)
14. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall encourage new housing to
locate in a compatible fashion with open space designations or outside of designated
open spaces.
15. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall regulate open space through:
15.1 zoning and subdivision ordinances, including but not limited to cluster and
minimum lot size zoning, overlay zones and adequate off-site public facility
regulations;
15.2 development impact fees for park and open space acquisition;
15.3 dedication ofland or money in-lieu ofland;
15.4 designation of open space corridors;
15.5 soil conservation measures;
15.6 wetlands, shorelines, floodplain or other environmentally sensitive lands
ordinances;
15.7 development agreements.
16. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall inventory existing and
newly designated open space by:
16.1 local planning inventory;
16.2 regional inventory.
17. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall authorize the following
methods of retention of open space land or corridors:
17.1 public acquisition of property in fee simple or through development
easement acquisition;
D"CGúlb". 17, 199G 2,0,04
14
17.2 private acquisition with covenants, conditions and/or restrictions limiting the
use ofthe property to open space;
17.3 alternatives to public purchase, including:
17.3.1
17.3.2
17.3.3
17.3.4
17.3.5
17.3.6
17.3.7
17.3.8
17.3.9
17.3.10
17.3.11
17.3.12
flexible zoning, subdivision and regulatory approaches
designed for protection or preservation;
land trust;
conservation easement;
transfer of development rights and other compensable
regulatory approaches;
rails-to-trails;
donation;
preferential assessment;
planned developments;
dedication;
impact fees;
view easement;
use value assessment;
17.4 retention of existing open space through:
17.4.1
17.4.2
17.4.3
coordination with the designation of resource lands of state-
wide significance;
required open space preservation within and without Urban
Growth Boundaries established by PSRC;
coordination with agricultural land owners and right to farm
policies.
Dccc.úbGJ 17, 1996 21.
1:'5
D",,'Ülba 17, 1996 2{)Q4
16
DGCClllt"" 17, 1996 2ri04
17
D,,::c;hlb,,. 17, 1996 2_
1R
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON
SITING OF PUBLIC CAPITAL FACILITIES
OF A COUNTY-WIDE OR STATE-WIDE NATURE
.
Hack~round - Requirements of Growth Manaeement Act
The Growth Management Act requires that the comprehensive plan of the County and of
each municipality in the County include a process for identifying and siting essential public
facilities [RCW 36.70A.200(1)]. "Essential" public facilities include, but are not limited to,
those facilities that are typically difficult to site, such as airports, state education facilities,
state or regional transportation facilities, state and local correctional facilities, solid waste
handling facilities, and in-patient facilities, including substance abuse facilities, mental
health facilities and group homes [RCW 36.70A.200(1)]. The State Office of Financial
Management is required to maintain a list of essential state public facilities that are required
or likely to be built within the next six (6) years. Facilities may be added to the list at any
time. The Growth Management Act further mandates that no local comprehensive plan or
development regulation may preclude the siting of essential public facilities [RCW
36.70A.200(2)].
.
County-Wide Plannin~ Poli~.y
1. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall adopt a policy and
incorporate same in its comprehensive plan, on the siting of essential public capital
facilities of a County-Wide or state-wide nature.
1.1 In addition to essential public facilities, other capital facilities included must
be for a public use, must have a useful life of 10 years or more and nmst
have a value of at lea;)t $25,000 and be either:
1.1.1 a County-Wide facility which has the potential for serving
the entire County or more than one jurisdiction in the
County; or
1.1.2 a state-wide facility which serves or has the potential for
serving the entire state, or which serves less than the entire
state, but more than one county.
2. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall identify lands useful for
public purposes and incorporate such designations in their respective comprehensive
plans.
3. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall incorporate a policy and
process in their respective comprehensive plans to identify and site essential public
D"~"mb,,. 17, 1996111
19
facilities on the list maintained by the State Office of Financial Management. The
process and policy shall include the following components:
3.1 a requirement that the state provide a justifiable need for the public facility
and for its location in Pierce County based upon forecasted needs and a
logical service area;
3.2 a requirement that the state establish a public process by which the residents
of the County and of affected and "host" municipalities have a reasonable
opportunity to participate in the site selection process.
4. The County and municipal policies shall be based upon the following criteria:
4.1 Specific facility requirements
4.1.1 mlmmum acreage
4.1.2 accessibility
4.1.3 transportation needs and services
4.1.4 supporting public facility and public service needs and the
availability thereof
4.1.5 health and safety
4.1.6 site design
4.1.7 zoning of site
4.1.8 availability of alternative sites
4.1.9 community-wide distribution of facilities
4.2 Impacts of the facility
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
4.2.7
4.2.8
4.2.9
4.2.10
4.2.11
land use compatibility
existing land use and development 111 adjacent and sur-
rounding areas
existing zoning of surrounding areas
existing Comprehensive Plan designation for surrounding
areas
present and proposed population density of surrounding area
environmental impacts and opportunities to mitigate environ-
mental impacts
effect on agricultural, forest or mineral lands, critical areas
and historic, archaeological and cultural sites.
effect on areas outside of Pierce County
effect on designated open space corridors
"spin-off' (secondary and tertiary) impacts
effect on the likelihood of associated development being
De,""lllbGl 17, 1996 2004
40
induced by the siting of the facility
4.3 Impacts of the facility siting on urban growth area designations and policies
4.3.1 urban nature of facility
4.3.2 existing urban growth near facility site
4.3.3 compatibility of urban growth with the facility
4.3.4 compatibility of facility siting with respect to urban growth
area boundaries
5. The County and municipal policies shall ensure that the facility siting is consistent
with the adopted County and municipal comprehensive plans, including;
5.1 the future land use map and other required and optional plan elements not
otherwise listed below
5.2 the identification of lands for public purposes in the land use element
5.3 the capital facilities plan element and budget
5.4 the utilities element
5.5 the rural element
5.6 the transportation element
5.7 the housing element
5.8 the comprehensive plans of adjacent jurisdictions that may be affected by the
facility siting
5.9 regional general welfare considerations
6. The County and municipal policies may include standards and criteria related to:
6.1 the time required for construction;
6.2 property acquisition;
6.3 control of on- and off-site impacts during construction;
6.4 expediting and streamlining necessary government approvals and permits if
all other elements of the County or municipal policies have been met;
DccGmbGJ 17, 1996 iät).Ø4
41
6.5 the quasi-public or public nature of the facility, balancing the need for the
facility against the external impacts generated by its siting and the
availability of alternative sites with lesser impacts.
7. The County and municipal policies may include standards and criteria related to:
7.1 facility operations;
7.2 health and safety;
7.3 nuisance effects;
7.4 maintenance of standards congruent with applicable governmental
regulations, particularly as they may change and become more stringent over
time.
8. The County and municipal policies on facility siting shall be coordinated with and
advance other planning goals including, but not necessarily limited to, the
following:
8.1 reduction of sprawl development;
8.2 promotion of economic development and employment opportunities;
8.3 protection of the environment;
8.4 positive fiscal impact and on-going benefit to the host jurisdiction;
8.5 serving population groups needing affordable housing;
8.6 receipt of financial or other incentives from the state and/or the County or
other municipalities;
8.7 fair distribution of such public facilities throughout the County;
8.8 requiring state and federal projects to be consistent with this policy.
D'GCfnbGl 17, 1996 2004
42
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES AND STRATEGIES
.
Hack~round - Requirements of Growth Manae~ment Act
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies transportation facilities planning and,
specifically, encouraging efficient multi-modal transportation systems based on regional
priorities and coordinated with local comprehensive plans, as a planning goal to guide the
development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations [RCW
36.70A020(3)]. In addition, it identifies a transportation element as a mandatory element
of a county or city comprehensive plan [RCW 36.70A070(6)]. The transportation element
must include: (a) land use assumptions used in estimating travel; (b) facilities and services
needs; (c) finance; (d) intergovernmental coordination efforts, including an assessment of
the impacts of the transportation plan and land use assumptions on the transportation
systems of adjaceni....;:..!!iurisdictions; and (e) demand management strategies [RCW
36.70A070(6)(a)-(eJ "]. The Growth Management Act expressly requires a County-Wide
Planning Policy on transportation facilities and strategies [RCW 36.70A210(3)(d)].
.
County-Wide Plannine Poli~
1. For the purpose ofthis Policy, the following transportation services shall be deemed
County- Wide in nature:
1.1 state and federal highways;
1.2 major arterials;
1.3 public transit facilities and services;
1.4 waterborne transportation (ferries, shipping);
1.5 airports (passenger or freight);
1.6 rail facilities (passenger or freight).
DCCGI"bG! 1 7, 1996 2( (l4
41
2. The following facilities and system components shall be included in the multi-
modal network:
2.1 roads, including major highways, arterials and collectors;
2.2 public transit, including bus, rail, and park & ride lots;
2.3 non-motorized facilities;
2.4 ferries;
2.5 airports;
2.6 parking facilities;
2.7 facilities related to transportation demand management.
3. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall coordinate service levels
between jurisdictions including federal and state departments of transportation and
other transportation service providers by:
3.1
designating
(LOS);
roadway, intersection and transit Levels of Service
3.2 understanding that the adopted LOS will affect not only the quality of the
transportation system, but also the amount of public investment required and
the permissible growth levels which the transportation system can support;
3.3 entering into interlocal agreements, where necessary, to establish uniform,
coordinated service levels between jurisdictions for county-wide facilities.
4. In the County, and in each municipality in the County, the adopted LOS may be:
4.1 set below existing levels (thereby allowing reserve capacity for growth and
minimizing the need for new capital investment, but, perhaps allowing
congestion above what is tolerable to the public);
4.2 set above existing levels (thereby increasing comfort and convenience of
travel, enhancing economic development and minimizing
environmental impacts, but, perhaps, requiring additional
expenditures and/or precipitating development moratoria);
some
public
4.3 set at existing levels (thereby allowing new development to mitigate full
D"cGmbc.. 17, 1996 2004
44
marginal impacts, but, existing level may not mirror what is acceptable to
the public);
4.4 set at different levels of service in different zones;
4.5 set at different levels of service based on facility classifications;
4.6 set for multi-modal facilities:!
5. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall determine the adequacy of
transportation facilities taking into account existing development, approved but
unbuilt development and proposed development through utilization of:
5.1 capacity-to-demand (LOS);
5.2 availability of capacity including phased capacity;
5.3 coordination of appropriate standards of design across jurisdictional lines.
6. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address substandard LOS
for existing facilities or "existing deficiencies" by:
6.1 designating funding mechanisms within each jurisdiction;
6.2 prioritizing facilities needed to correct existing deficiencies m capital
improvements/transportation improvements programs;
6.3 using transportation demand management (i.e., demand-side regulations) to
minimize demand created by existing users of transportation facilities;
6.4 using transportation systems management (i.e., supply-side adjustments to
transportation system) to redirect traffic to uncongested areas and to modify
travel behavior.
7. The following jurisdictions will be responsible for the correction of existing
transportation deficiencies in the Urban Growth Areas:
7.1 the County, in unincorporated areas;
DGccmb... 17, 1996 2()04
45
7.2 a municipality, in incorporated areas;
7.3 joint County-municipal, when part of an agreement for a joint planning area.
8. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall adopt parking regulatory
codes for:
8.1 park/ride;
8.2 parking requirements for public facilities so as to encourage public transit
use.
9. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address concurrency through
the following methods:
9.1 providing transportation facilities needed to accommodate new development
within six years of development approval;
9.2 limiting new development to a level that can be accommodated by existing
facilities and facilities planned for completion over the next six years;
9.3 encouraging new and existing development to implement measures to
decrease congestion and enhance mobility through transportation demand
and congestion management.
10. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address compatibility
between land use and transportation facilities by:
10.1 requiring new transportation facilities and services in areas in which new
growth is appropriate or desirable to be phased within a twenty-year time
frame consistent with tiell~d areas and six year capital improvement
programs;
10.2 restricting the extension of new transportation facilities into areas not
planned for growth (e.g., outside urban growth areas);
10.3 using development regulations to ensure that development does not create
demands exceeding the capacity of the transportation system
10.3.1
10.3.2
density limits in areas outside of urban growth areas;
concurrency management and adequate public facility
regulation;
D"Gcmb". 17, 1996 2(;11)4
4()
10.3.3
integrated multi-modal and non-motorized networks.
10.4 using land use regulations to increase the modal split between automobiles
and other forms oftravel:
10.4.1
10.4.2
10.4.3
10.4.4
10.4.5
high densities in transit and transportation corridors;
dedications/impact fees to provide public transit facilities;
require pedestrian-oriented design;
encourage or require mixed use development;
facilitate ease of access for physically challenged individuals.
10.5 approving transportation facilities in conjunction with land use approvals.
11. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address environmental
impacts of the transportation policies through:
11.1 programming capital improvements and transportation facilities designed to
alleviate and mitigate impacts on land use, air quality and energy
consumption such as high-occupancy vehicle lanes, public transit,
vanpool/carpool facilities, or bicycle/pedestrian facilities designed for home-
to-work travel;
11.2 locating and constructing transportation improvements so as to discourage
adverse impacts on water quality and other environmental features.
12. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall address energy
consumption/conservation by:
12.1 designing transportation improvements to encourage alternatives to
automobile travel;
12.2 locating and designing new development so as to encourage pedestrian or
non-automobile travel;
12.3 providing regulatory and financial incentives to encourage the public and
private sector to conserve energy;
12.4 reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled and number of vehicle trips.
13. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall provide the following
facilities to encourage alternatives to automobile travel and/or to reduce the number
of vehicle miles travelled (modal split, trip generation and trip length):
DCCGwb(;l 17, 1996 2ðM
47
13.1 structural alternatives (public transit [fixed guidewaylrail systems, buses,
paratransit services]; construction of new high-occupant vehicle lanes;
limitations on highway/roadway construction; carpool/vanpool facilities;
non-recreational bicycle/pedestrian facilities);
13.2 non-structural/regulatory alternatives (growth management [concurrency;
urban growth areas]; road/congestion pricing; auto-restricted zones; parking
management; site design; ridesharing incentives).
14. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall utilize the following
transportation systems management measures (i.e., measures to improve the
efficiency of the existing transportation network by utilizing lower cost and more
quickly implemented improvements) to make the most efficient use of the existing
roadway system:
14.1
structural improvements (e.g., super street arterials,
improvements, computerized signal systems, one-way
metering, designation ofHOV lanes, reversible traffic lanes);
signalization
streets, ramp
14.2 non-structural improvements (e.g., incident detection and monitoring
systems; network surveillance and control; motorist information systems;
turn prohibitions; alternative work hours).
15. The County, and each municipality in the County, shall consider a number of
financing measures, including but not limited to:
15.1 general revenues;
15.2 fuel taxes;
15.3 toll roads;
15.4 bonding;
15.5 congestion pricing;
15.6 public/private partnerships;
15.7 assessment and improvement districts, facility benefit assessments, impact
fees, dedication of right-of-way and voluntary funding agreements;
15.8 others, as may be appropriate.
Dcccmbc' 17,19962004
4R
16. Access needs and control for County and/or municipal funded transportation
facilities will be coordinated through:
16.1 designating limited access facilities in the regional plan;
16.2 determining access regulations through mutual agreement by the affected
jurisdictions and/or by an agency designated by the affected jurisdictions;
16.3 developing access regulations by the agency having primary jurisdiction or
funding responsibility.
DG¡;GIllbc, 17, 1996 20M
49
COUNTY -WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON URBAN GROWTH AREAS,
PROMOTION OF CONTIGUOUS AND ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT
AND PROVISION OF URBAN SERVICES TO SUCH DEVELOPMENT
.
H9ckgr01mrl - Requirements of Growth M9n9g~ment Act
The Washington Growth Management Act identifies the encouragement of development in
urban areas where adequate public facilities and services exist or can be provided in an
efficient manner [RCW 36.70A020(1)],the reduction of sprawl (i.e., the inappropriate or
premature conversion of undeveloped land into low-density development) [RCW
36.70A020(2)], and the provision of adequate public facilities and services necessary to
support urban development at the time the development is available for occupancy and use
(without decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum standards)
[RCW 36.70A020(12)] as planning goals to guide the development and adoption of
comprehensive plans and development regulations.
The Growth Management Act further requires (1) that the County designate an "urban
growth area" or areas within which urban growth shall be encouraged and outside of which
growth shall occur only if it is not "urban" in character; (2) that each municipality in the
County be included within an urban growth area; (3) that an urban growth area include
territory outside of existing municipal boundaries only if such territory is characterized by
urban growth or is adjacent to territory that is already characterized by urban rowth. [RCW
36.70A.110(1); for definition of "urban growth" see RCW 36.70A03ütt4J .]
The designated urban growth areas shall be of adequate size and
appropriate permissible densities so as to accommodate the urban growth that is projected
by the State Office of Financial Management to occur in the County for the succeeding 20-
year period. While each urban growth area shall permit urban densities, they shall also
include greenbelt and open space areas [RCW 36.70A.11O(2)].
As to the timing and. sequencing of urban growth and development over the 20-year
planning period, urban growth shall occur first in areas already characterized by urban
growth that have existing public facility and service capacities to service such development,
second in areas already characterized by urban growth that will be served by a combination
of both existing public facilities and services and any additional needed public facilities and
services that are provided by either public or private sources [RCW 36.70A.110(3)]. Urban
government services shall be provided primarily by cities, and should not be provided in
rural areas.
The Growth Management Act Amendments expressly require that county-wide planning
policies address the implementation of urban growth area designations [RCW
36.70A21O(3)(a)], the promotion of contiguous and orderly development, the provision of
DI:,,,cmb,,. 17, 1996 !;!( j)g
~o
urban services to such development [RCW 36.70A.210(3)(b)], and the coordination of joint
county and municipal planning within urban growth areas [RCW 36.70A.21O(3)(f)].
.
Principles of nnderstandin~ Hetween Pierce County and the Municipalities in Pierce
County
While following the goals and regulations of the Growth Management Act, Pierce County
and the municipalities in Pierce County will strive to protect the individual identities and
spirit of each of our cities and of the rural areas and unincorporated communities.
Further agreements will be necessary to carry out the framework of joint planning adopted
herein. These agreements will be between the County and each city and between the
various cities.
The services provided within our communities by special purpose districts are of vital
importance to our citizens. Consistent with the adopted regional strategy, these districts will
be part of future individual and group negotiations under the framework adopted by the
County and municipal governments.
While the Growth Management Act defines sewer service as an urban service, Pierce
County currently is a major provider of both sewer transmission and treatment services.
The County and municipalities recognize that it is appropriate for the County and
municipalities to continue to provide sewer transmission and treatment services.
The County recognizes that urban growth areas are often
potential annexation areas for cities. These are also areas where incorporation of new cities
can occur. The County will work with existing municipalities and emerging communities
to make such transitions efficiently.
At the same time, annexations and incorporations have direct and significant impacts on the
revenue of county government, and therefore, may affect the ability of the County to fulfill
its role as a provider of certain regional services. The municipalities will work closely with
the County to develop appropriate revenue sharing and contractual services arrangements
that facilitate the goals of GMA.
The County-Wide Planning Policies are intended to be the consistent "theme" of growth
management planning among the County and municipalities. The policies also spell out
processes and mechanisms designed to foster open communication and feedback among the
jurisdictions. The County and the cities and towns will adhere to the processes and
mechanisms provided in the policies.
D':'"ulbGl 17, 1996 2òM
~1
· Centers
Centers are intended to be areas of concentrated employment and/or housing within urban
growth areas which serve as the hubs of transit and transportation systems. They are
integral to creating compact urban development that conserves resources and creates
additional transportation, housing, and shopping choices. Centers are an important part of
the regional strategy (VISION 2020) for urban growth and are required to be addressed in
the Coun - Wide Plannin Policies. Centers will become focal points for growth within the
and will be areas where public investment is directed.
Centers are intended to:
· be priority locations for accommodating growth;
· strengthen existing development patterns;
· promote housing opportunities close to employment;
· support development of an extensive transportation system which reduces
dependency on automobiles; and
· maximize the benefit of public investment in infrastructure and services.
of manufacturing and industrial
uses. Pierce County has identified five
Urban Centers and two Manufacturing/Industrial ~;¡~¡¡ii::::::~~1!@~:¡::!~g~licable and consistent
with the adopted regional vision. The designated 1;lWli~1))ªJr..1 .centers, within Pierce
County are as follows:
Tacoma Mall
Tacoma CBD
Lakewood
Puyallup
South Hill
Centers are areas where employee- or land-intensive uses will be
located. These centers differ from Urban Centers in that they consist of an extensive land
base and the exclusion of non-manufacturing uses are essential features of their character.
Dw;mb". 17, 1996 g:11t1
~2
These areas are characterized by a significant amount of manufacturing, industrial and
advanced technology employment uses. Large retail and non-related office uses are
discouraged. ::...:::):)~,aiB::)i than caretakers' residences, housing is prohibited within
Manufacturine:II.~s.aJ: Centers. However, these centers should be
housin areas b an efficient trans ortation s stem.
Within Pier~i.*i...i';::~.i.ifty, a limited number of centers, both urban and
manufacturing~i.1¡.$.ia], will be designated within individual jurisdictions' comprehensive
plans. In order to be designated, a center must meet the criteria contained within the
County- Wide Planning Policies.
Designated Centers may vary substantially in the number of households and jobs they
contain today. The intent of the County-Wide Planning Policies is that Urban Centers grow
to become attractive places to live and work, while supporting efficient public services such
as transit and being responsive to the local market for jobs and housing.
The County-Wide Planning Policies establish target levels for housing and employment
needed to achieve the benefit of an Urban Center. Some Centers will reach these levels
over the next twenty years, while for others the criteria set a path for growth over a longer
term, providing capacity to accommodate growth beyond the twenty year horizon.
Each jurisdiction which designates an Urban Center shall establish 20-year household and
employment growth targets for that Center. The expected range of targets will reflect the
diversity of the various centers and allow communities to effectively plan for needed
services. The target ranges not only set a policy for the level of growth envisioned for each
Center, but also for the timing and funding of infrastructure improvements. Reaching the
target ranges will require careful planning of public investment and providing incentives for
private investments.
T Trh¡:¡n Growth Outside of renters
A variety of urban land uses and areas of growth will occur outside of designated centers
but within the urban growth area. Local land use plans will guide the location, scale, timing
and design of development within urban growth areas. The urban growth area will be
where the majority of future growth and development will be targeted. Development should
be encouraged which complements the desired focus of growth into centers and supports a
multimodal transportation system. For example, policies which encourage infill and
revitalization of communities would help to achieve the regional and statewide objectives of
DGcGmb". 17, 1996 ~004
~q
a compact and concentrated development pattern within urban areas. The County-Wide
policies provide guidance for development and the provision of urban services to support
development within the urban growth area.
S¡:¡tellite Cities ¡:¡nd Towns
The cities and towns in the rural areas are a significant part of Pierce County's diversity and
heritage. They have an important role as local trade and community centers. These cities
and towns are the appropriate providers of local rural services for the community. They
also contribute to the variety of development patterns and housing choices within the
county. As these cities and towns proyide urban services and are located
within the designated Urban Growth Areai. The urban
densities and mix of land uses may differ..Jrom those of the large,
Urban Growth Areal in Pierce County.
.
County-Wiele Plannin~ Poli~.y
1.
based on consultations
between the County and each municipality and pursuant to the following process:
1
.,;;.~!:
County designation of proposed Coun~. urban growth area;
1.3
County review of initial municipal urban growth area
considering:
1.3.3
Growth Management Act criteria and standards;
coordination with other County-wide policies, particularly
those on agricultural land preservation; natural resources,
open space and protection of environmentally-sensitive
lands; transpo~;¡¡iili::::I:I:iid affordable housing;
overlapping J!l1~,ø~11 municipal urban growth area
boundaries;
gaps between urban growth area boundaries.
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.4
1.4 County referral of proposed urban growth area designations to the Steering
DC.""illbGJ 17, 1996 2QM
'54
Conunittee, 01 its success01 e1ítlty
may refer the proposed
designations to the Growth Management Coordinating
Committee (GMCC), or its successor entity for technical
advise and for a report.
1.4.2 The Steeril1!2.ÇQllUnittee, 01 its succe~501 entity,
may conduct public meetings to
review the proposed designation and, at such meetings, may
accept oral or written comments and communications from
the public.
1.4.3 At the conclusion of its review
~i~~"~~,~ree, 01 its successot entity,
~jJìHI~1,J,' shall make a recommendation to the County and to
the municipalities in the County.
1.4.1
1.5 County designation and attempt to reach agreement through negotiation with
each municipality or, in case of impasse, through a designated mediation
process within the Coun rior to State De artment of COÜlluulÜty
Development review;
1.5.3
resolution of conflict via mediation b
COllUnulÜtv, De vdopment
Dmzelopmcut;
writing for
1.5.1
1.5.2
1.6
an agreement between the County and municipality on the
growth area, or, in the case of an impasse,
determination via mediation b the State
the legislative body of the County shall
the urban growth area designation by ordinance.
1.7 The adopted urban growth area designations shall be transmitted to the
shall
DC,CGlIIbCI 17, 1996 2004
:):)
by resolution or ordinance.
1.8 Once adopted by the County, the urban growth area designations shall not be
changed except in accordance with the County-Wide Policy on
"Amendments and Transition."
2. The following specific factors and criteria shall dictate the size and boundaries of
urban growth areas:
2.1 Size
2.1.1 urban growth areas must be of sufficient size to
accommodate only the urban growth projected to occur over
the succeeding 20-year planning period taking into account
the following:
a. land with natural constraints, such as critical areas
(environmentally- sensitive land);
b. agricultural land to be preserved;
c. greenbelts and open space;
d. New Fully Contained Communities pursuant to
RCW 3 36.70A.350 consistent with th~i~1~i~i~ii~cation
of centers as specified in the V~slon'li~I~.. 2020
Plan. (New fully contained communities are
characterized by mixed uses, i. e. , residential of
various types and styles, commercial, office and
other, presence of employment centers, affordable
housing and transportation modalities. A large-scale
residential-only development does not qualify as a
new fully contained community for purposes of this
Policy.);
e. maintaining a supply of developable land sufficient to
allow market forces to operate and precluding the
possibility of a land monopoly but no more than is
absolutely essential to achieve the above purpose;
f. existing projects with development potential at
various stages of the approval or permitting process
(i. e., the "pipeline");
g. land use patterns created by subdivisions, short plats
or large lot divisions;
h. build-out of existing development and areas which
are currentl on! artiall built out'
DGCGhlb". 17, 1996 2004
5h
2.1.2 The County, and each municipality in the County, shall
develop and propose objective standards and criteria to
disaggregate the State Office of Financial Management's
County-wide growth forecasts for the allocation of projected
population to the County and municipalities, utilizing as the
primary criteria the availability and concurrency of public
facilities and services with the impact of development.
2.2 Boundaries
2.2.1 Any of the following shall be considered in determining the
location of urban growth area boundaries:
a. geographic, topographic, and manmade features;
b. public facility and service availability, limits and
extensions;
c. jurisdictional boundaries including special
improvement districts;
d. location of designated natural resource lands and
critical areas;
e. avoidance of unserviceable islands of County land
surrounded by other 'urisdictional entities;
f. :{i~!'llìm2020 urban/rural line and
ÎIJlIII bum ban line.
2.3 Tiel Deteunil1aÜon
2.3.1 The COtnlty, al1J ead1 munidpality in the County, shall
de~¡gnate "tie/s" withill their desiollMed wban glOwth area to
di;:,Goillage mbà11 sp1avvl alld le;apfrog develO}J1l1elit arld
ellCOillaoe adcyuate }Júblic facilitics anJ set v lees concuuent
with development, as follows.
a. }Jrimcuy growth cuca (i.e., aIeas alre;ady charactetiLed
by mbail growth that have existing públiG facility ànd
~et IV icc capadtles ),
b. secondcuy glOwth area (l.t'., aIeas already
D"Gcwb". 17, 1996 2004
)7
2.3.2
2.3.3
2.3.4
2.3.5
dÜ'I.1acteriLed b '
a b' y ulDan gro tl 1
com t11at~on of b t1 w 1 t 1at w ~ll be se d '
="ie« and m ~ .,.cAi,ti"g publie fit T ~'c u,
m1d SCfV icc, U~ .~ ~~:.d ;,~cdcd publ-:-:: :~I;':~
pUvate SOlliGes) vt e by eithet Publ'
~~. ~m
y growth atea ('
aIreaJy chataG1eÚLed t~e., àleas adjacent to me
v><="Upe"ed ",.U ~, wL"" growth b ..
t 1 puoItc facilities 1d' .ut rlot
Upon desi t' al SelVlGes).
. 1 1;511a ton of tiel tl
111 t 1e COulrtj 51 11 s, Ie COulrty àlid I
.. ' Ia adopt ' eac 1 nm" .
cuto"" b, which. ¡ .ft "p,oe""",, wcll AS s; o~hC'¡..!tt,
would Idlc ¡Aocc 'il uf land fwm u"e ro-m, wd>. ~«I
The primal g , 1 tet to mlother
y towt 1 area 1 1
Ot the respectiv . . 5 10U d telate dos 1
wku growth i~ ,~wu",paliIY's 6-,c~ "ap~;,;'¡ ~ U)l~ ~OUllty's
sensit~ e t le pumary ul bat aCl 1ttes platl
, u wm¡r/'b1" ) gruwth '
e"",ling ..""do u ,n' dy m,Jfil with Utc I mC3 .!.di Le
pment making use f Y pc; àlId deüsity of
" . . u 'mOh t«;hniqucs ""
. sItdmg-scale 'f:r . .
'd Dn leung and
oase on adiac"'t1t 5Cleening I .
Ii ' 0 u,o con ·d· cqui/CJl"'n!>
per Odnat1Ce st'" d d 51 etatlons
1 . ",,1 at 5
1etgllt and bulk I' . .
Po' . tmttatlons
1 v tSlOÚ of Op 1
fi C;l space
lont, siJe and tear at .
proteGtion of nat Yl d leqUl1ements
",~iti,e lands w' /eSOm~' ~ni cn,iwmnctddli -
~ ehrtcelw 1 '
a cOlltrols <lhd d .
eSlgn stàlldatd
The seco11dmy ( s.
, \years 7-13J d
01 e,", ,,¡,.,¡¡ 1 date tv - m, to, li01 y (yew, 14- 20
mlplOvem¿llt at d . the IOhg-tal1ge I . ) glOwth
h tl 1 set \' l(;~ PI .. P atllllÚg C .
1 1e secondm d . 0\'1;:)1011 hOlÜ,on ' apttal
vatio 'Y àl1 teltlmy ¡:::'f .
uS techniques 1 \1 applicabl~)
uw,tctS to <t~wc ,.utll bc om<k ",,,iIa' -I growU, "te"".
of rimc Ut< 0 ale","m"LI" u!;C wiU';" 0 e tv v,operl,
fuliuw~ ' tn", indude, bul di ",=o~&bI" period
. e rlot 11l111ted to t1
, 1e
c.
,
D.
C.
J.
e.
f.
g.
a.
b.
G.
consel at'
v lon easeme Its
prefetellt1al ta 1,
dustel ho . ^ assessment,
U5tllg tT'
l1ulltbel of ill . t ' U 1 lLlng the
11 5,
pla.tlll~d ul . t d
11 evelopment
,
Pleseüt1y autho' d
uL.e
d.
DCG",ulbCI 17, 199620M
5R
e. ttansfer of de v dopmellt lights,
f. pmdtase ofplopelty,
g. open space cOllidot designation,
h. greenbelt desigüation,
L othet inllovati ve techniques.
2.3.6 New fully coütained cOllllth.l.nities may be apptoved within
the cmrel1t tiel Ot su-Lsequ¢llt tiets ptovided that aity such
approval shall ~lldu:de a phasing plait to e1l6ule that the
various sC;è;ments of the developülent arc; timely sel ved by
adequate public facilities and services in accOtdarlce with the
othel fH 0 \I isio1l6 of these policies.
2.4 Municipal urban growth boundaries shall be determined as set forth
above and with consideration for the following additional factors:
2.4.1 ~g~,?Y¡~ION 2020 document,
1~~i~~11;
2.4.2 the carrying capacity of the land considering natural
resources, agricultural land and environmentally-sensitive
lands;
2.4.3 population and employment projections;
'",-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.--,
D'"wlb'117, 19962GG4
~9
2.4.4 financial capabilities and urban services capacities;
2.4.5 consistency and compatibility with neighborhood, local and
regional plans;
2.4.6 the existing land use and subdivision pattern.
2.5 The urban growth area
shall be limited to the following:
2.5.2
2.6 The County's urban growth area may be extended to allow for build-out of
newly developed areas only if development capacity within municipal urban
growth boundaries and growth in the areas identified in Policy 2.5 is
determined to be inadequate to meet total population and employment
projections consistent with the other policies set forth herein.
3. Within the delineated urban growth areas, the County, and each municipality in the
County, shall adopt measures to ensure that growth and development are timed and
phased consistent with the provision of adequate public facilities and services.
3.1
e definition of levels of service standards may allow for the phasing-in of
such standards as may be provided in the capital facilities element of County
or municipal comprehensive plans.
3.2 "Public facilities" include:
3.2.1 streets, roads, highways, sidewalks, street and road lighting
systems, and traffic signals
3.2.2 domestic water systems
3.2.3 sanitary sewer systems
3.2.4 storm sewer systems
3.2.5 park and recreational facilities
D.:¡;¡;mbGJ 17, 1996 2004
()O
3.2.6 schools
3.3 "Public services" include:
3.3.1 fire protection and suppression
3.3.2 law enforcement
3.3.3 public health
3.3.4 education
3.3.5 recreation
3.3.6 environmental protection
3.3.7 other governmental services, including power, transit and
libraries
3.4
The following policies shall be
sanitary sewer service in the County
3.4.1
Relationship of Sewer Interceptors to Comprehensive Plans.
The timing, phasing and location of sewer interceptor
expansions shall be included in the capital facilities element
of the applicable municipal or County comprehensive plans
and shall be consistent with County-Wide Planning Policies,
the Urban Growth Area boundaries and the local
comprehensive land use plan. The phased expansions shall
be coordinated among the County and~aj).t¡i»picipalities
therein and shall give priority to existing .s._ßêJ] urbanized
uuincOlpolated areas within the Urban Growth Area and-io
3.4.2
SevverInterceptor
Extensions/Expansions
a. sewer interceptors shall only extend
outside of Urban Growth Areas where:
(i) sewer service will remedy ground water
contamination and other health problems by
replacing septic systems aüd cOllliììulÜty Oil-
site sewage systems, or
(ii) a formal binding agreement to service an
approved planned development was made
prior to the establishment of the Urban
Growth Area
Dc;CGhlbC:1 17, 1996 2004
ól
b. Slewer
Urban Growth Areas must follow Tier
ca ital facilities
(i) sewer service will remedy ground water
contamination and other health problems by
replacing septic systems and community on-
site sewage systems, or
a formal binding agreement to servIce an
approved planned development was made
prior to the establishment of the Urban
Growth Area;
c. sewer service connections from
interceptors shall not be made available to properties
along the intetceptot aligtuüent whele urban inteusity
development is not consistvnt with the Ulbali Gtowth
Atea bourlJaty Ot tiel desi~uãÜons aud the County 01
DCCGhlbc;, 17, 1996 2004
62
3.4.3 On-Site and Community Sewage Systems
a.
b. the County and tl1ulùcipallties ~llall a~k till; Tacuma-
Pielce Cow:rty DOàld of Ilealtll to dÜect the IlealtIl
Departtl1ent to develop tile; nece~6(1lY legulatioüs to
elit111üate the developlüent of new tesidential and
DGcGm!J", 17, 1996111
h:i
cOtllìUelcial uses on on-site and cotllllluniry sewage
~ystems witlÜn the urbwì aleas ill the û1lÍllGOtporated
Couuty Ot witi1Ìll lüunlcipal bOulldarie;~ consbtent
with the Courrty-wide plarl1ling pollcie:.. The goal of
these regulàtions shall be the elimination of ãllnew
petmarle;ut on-site êUìd cOl1ullWlity septic Syste;llì~
within tile wball areas iü the urÙl1cotpotated Courrtÿ
Ot vvithinüìullicipal boundarie:., but would allow fot
iüteÚm oll-::.ite approved septic sy~tems whele sewer
facilities ale not available. POt cOllûnercial
Je;vdopmellt, these teöulatioll:' shall te;cognize; the
diffetence:. ill tile :.tlengtil, nature arld qaarltity of
effluelÍt. These legalatiolls shall 'ue developed by
July 1, 1993.
~1t
dl. nIIew industrial development on community or on-
site sewage systems shall not be allowed in urban
areas in the unincorporated County or within
municipal boundaries. Sanitary facilities necessary
for recreation sites may be exempt from this policy.
tIt is not the intent of these policies to require any
individual property owner on an existing, properly
permitted and functioQing septic system to connect to
a public sewer unless. tile; septic ::.ystem fails 01 the
cwlent use of tile plOpetty cI1arlges or the den:.ity of
development on tile ptopetty increases.
l)(,c'c'lhb". 17, 1996 2004
64
3.4.41
C. Hew indu::.tlial development on community or on-
site sewage systelús shall not be allowed in UlOall
Meas iü the UnillGOtpOlateJ Coùnty 01 within
nlunicipalboundalies. SalÜtàly facilities neceSSalY
fOltecreation sites may be eAempt flom this policy.
d. it is !lot the intent of these policies to require a:l.'1J
illdi vidual propelty ownel on an eA~stillg, plOperly
pe;unitted MId functioning septic ::.ystem to connect
to a publ~c sewer ullless the septic sy::.tem fails Ot
the CuHent u::.e of the property dIàllges 01 the
de;llSÎty of development on the ptoperty illGleases.
The availability or potential for availability of sewer
treatment plant capacity shall not be used to justify expansion
of the sewer system or development in a manner inconsistent
with the County-Wide Planning Policy, Urban Growth Area
boundaries and the applicable municipal or County
DCGGmbGI 17, 1996 2004
65
comprehensive land use plans.
3.5 Non-Municipal Service-Provision Entities
3.5.1 Special purpose districts shall conform their capital facility
and service plans so as to be consistent with the capital
facility element of the County or municipal comprehensive
plans.
3.5.2 Where facilities and services will be provided by special
purpose, improvement or facility service provision entities,
such entities shall coordinate the provision of facilities and
services with the County, and each affected municipality in
the County, so that new growth and development is, in fact,
served by adequate public facilities and services at the time
of development.
3.6 The County, and each municipality in the County, shall adopt plans and
implementation measures to ensure that sprawl and leapfrog development
are discouraged in accordance with the following:
3.6.1 urban growth within UGA boundaries is located first in areas
already characterized by urban growth that have existing
public facility and service capacities to serve such
development;
3.6.2 urban growth is located next in areas already characterized by
urban growth that will be served by a combination of both
existing public facilities and services and any additional
needed public facilities and services that are provided by
either public or private sources;
3.6.3 "urban growth" refers to a predominance of areas or uses
within the Urban Growth Area which exhibit one or a
combination of the following:
a. intensive use of land for buildings and structures;
b. high percentage of impermeable surfaces;
c. incompatibility with the primary use of land for the
production of food, other agricultural products or
fiber, or the extraction of mineral resources;
d. need for urban governmental services.
D..WllbcI 17, 1996ÃI)1)4
óó
3.6.4 "Characterized by urban growth" refers to:
a. land having urban growth on it;
b. land located in relationship to an area with urban
growth on it as to be appropriate for urban growth.
3.6.5 Urban government services shall be provided primarily by
cities and urban government services shall not be provided in
rural areas.
3.7 Public facilities and services will be considered available "at the time of
development" as follows:
3.7.1 as to all public facilities and services other than
transportation, if the facility or service is in place at the time
demand is created, or if the County or municipality has made
appropriate provision to meet the demand for the public
facility or service through one or more of the following
techniques:
a. inclusion of the public facility or service in the
applicable County or municipal capital facilities plan
element and specification of the full source of the
funding for such project;
b. impact fees;
c. required land dedication;
d. assessment districts;
e. users fees and charges;
f. utility fees;
g. other.
3.7.2 as to transportation facilities, if needed transportation
improvements are within the then existing 6-year capital
facilities plan element and program, but only if a specific
financial commitment to the transportation improvement
project has been made.
3.7.3 public facilities and services will not be considered available
at the time of development unless they are provided
consistently with the applicable level of service standards
adopted in the capital facilities element of the
Comprehensive Plan.
D"""lIlbC;J 17, 1996 ~~Ø¥I
67
3.8 Public facility and service adequacy shall be determined by the County, and
each municipality in the County, based upon:
3.8.1 the specific public facility or service;
3.8.2 the adopted or established level of service standard;
a. established by each municipality for local facilities
and services;
b.
c. established through interlocal agreements for cross-
jurisdictional facilities and services.
3.8.3 the current usage of the existing public facilities and services,
existing development commitments and obligations, the
vested or non-vested status of pipeline approvals or existing
lots of record, and new development applications.
3.8.4 where development projects partially meet adequacy of
public facilities and services standards, development
approval may be authorized for that portion of the project
that meets the adequacy standards or the project may be
phased to coincide with the phasing of future availability of
adequate public facilities and services.
3.9 Facility and service provision/extension to new development areas shall be
subject to the following:
3.9.1 imposition of requirement for payment of the full, but fair,
share of costs of needed facilities and services on the new
development through:
a. impact fees;
b. assessment districts;
c. user fees and charges;
d. surcharges;
e. dedication;
f. utility fees;
g. other, as appropriate.
DC':;"ulbc;¡ 17, 1996 2004
6R
3.9.2 consideration of the total impact of the facility or service
extension on the achievement of other policies, goals and
objectives, in addition to the impact on the area being served.
3.9.3 if necessary to minimize off-site impacts, specify that such
service extensions (e.g., sewer, water) are not subject to
connection by intervening landowners.
4. Joint Pllanning. Designated Utban Growtll Aieas of niunicipalities, outside of
md1úcil-'al cOtpOtate limits, shall ùe subject to jOiilt municipal-County planning.
. . .. .
4.1
4.2
Dc,-"...\)Gf 17, 1996 20M
()9
DGCGlIIb,;,¡ 17, 1996 2004
70
When joint planning is required, the joint planning effort shall determine
and resolve issues including, but not limited to, the following:
4.3-1.1
4.3-1..2
4.3-4.3
4.3-4.4
4.3-1.5
how zoning, subdivision and other land use approvals in
designated urban growth areas of municipalities will be
coordinated;
how appropriate service level standards for determining
adequacy and availability of public facilities and services will
be coordinated;
how the rate, timing, and sequencing of boundary changes
will be coordinated;
how the provision of capital improvements to an area will be
coordinated;
to what extent a jurisdiction(s) may exercise extra
jurisdictional responsibility.
Joint planning may be based upon factors including, but not limited to, the
following:
4.45.1
4.45.2
4.41.3
contemplated changes in municipal and special purpose
district boundaries;
the likelihood that development, capital improvements, or
regulations will have significant impacts across a
jurisdictional boundary;
the consideration of how public facilities and services are
and should be provided and by whichjurisdiction(s).
5. Urban Development Standards.
5.1 The provisions of this section shall apply to all municipalities and urban
growth areas located in the County.
5.2 The following development standards shall be the minimum required for
urban developments and shall apply to all new development in urban growth
areas, except as provided in Section 5.6 below.
5.2.1 Streets, Roads and Arterials. All public streets, roads, and
arterials shall be constructed to the minimum requirements
outlined in the City and County Design Standards adopted
pursuant to RCW 35.78.030 and RCW 43.32.020. Curbs,
gutters, and sidewalks will be required on both sides. Private
streets and roads may be approved, but shall be required to
DGWllbGJ 17, 19961.
71
5.2.2
5.2.3
5.2.4
5.2.5
5.2.61
5.2.9-8
meet these requirements.
Street Lighting. Street lighting shall be required at signalized
intersections. Street lighting in new subdivisions shall be
provided at all intersections controlled by a traffic signal or
sign, and at certain road comers, elbows, and cul-de-sacs.
Installation and maintenance of street lighting in subdivisions
shall be the responsibility of the developer or homeowner's
association unless the local jurisdiction assumes
responsibility. When ownership of the street lighting has not
been assumed by the local jurisdiction, the light standards
shall be located on private property.
Domestic Water. A domestic water system must meet
requirements under RCW 70.119 and WAC 246-290 for
group "A" systems, or the functional equivalent.
Storm Water Facilities. A storm water drainage system shall
be designed and constructed in accordance with the
Department of Ecology Storm Drainage Technical Manual or
a locally adopted storm wªtermanual a roved by DOE.
Sanitary Sewer. At a minimum,
sanitaly seWe;l hook-up~ shall be tequired fot all new
development, if sewel lines ale 10Gàted withIn 300 feet of the
development. 11 those Gases whete sewel lines ate not
located V\iithin 300 feet of the devdopment, the juti~diction
may pewÜt su\.-h developll1ent to u~e interÏü1 septi\.- on-site
systems àüd dty sewet facilitie~. Dry ~ewet fa\.-aitles il1dude
alry meful6 effect~ ve to petm~t cOlllledloll to futule eAtended
sewet lille~. The petmitting julisdict~on allowing ~uch
fadlltles shall enforce; applicable desi~1l and petfollüance
~tal1datd1) alld admill~~tlati ve plocedUle~.
Fire Protection. Fire protection and flow requirements shall
be in accordance with Pierce County Code Chapter 15.12.
Solid Waste and Recycling. Garbage pick-up shall be
provided weekly, and recycling and yard waste pick-up
biweekly, consistent with federal and state laws and
regulations.
Dcc,,,,...bc,1 17, 1996 2004
72
5.3 It is desired by the signatories to these policies that the following Urban
Development Standards be the minimum goals for urban developments in
Urban Growth Areas.
5.3.1 Street Cleaning. Standards for street cleaning shall be
discussed and should be developed, consistent with
requirements of federal and state water quality standards.
5.3.2 Transit. Urban transit service plans adopted by the Pierce
County Public Transit Benefit Authority.
5.3.3 Library. Appropriate jurisdictions should provide 450 square
feet of library space per 1,000 persons.
5.3.4 Parks and Recreation. Provisions for parks at a level of 3.0
acres of neighborhood/community parks per 1,000
population should be made for all plats and short plats as
required by RCW 58.17. Such provision can be made either
through dedication to the public of land, or through provision
of funds, as mitigation, for park land purposes.
5.4 All development within an urban growth area shall be provided services
pursuant to the provision of this agreement and the joint planning
agreements adopted pursuant to it. It is recognized that the County may
provide certain urban services within an Urban Growth Area, and that cities
may provide certain urban services within the same area, but outside their
current municipal boundaries.
5.5 The County and each municipality shall enter into an interlocal cooperation
agreement providing for the approval and delivery of public facilities and
services in the Urban Growth Area. Such further agreements shall include,
where appropriate, provisions relating to services such as law enforcement
and schools and the services of special purpose districts and other service
providers.
5.6
dinances allowing variances and
deviations to the urban development standards may be adopted by each
responsible jurisdiction for those limited circumstances necessary to allow
for recognition of community plans and goals, recognized historic character,
or special physical or engineering circumstances, as long as such variances
and deviations are otherwise consistent with these policies. A legislative
DGCGuJbGJ 17, 1996 2_
71,
authority adopting a variance or deviation mmlmum urban
development standards under this section must share such adopt~Qg
County Regional Council (PCRC) Exe(.,uÜ ve Couu¡Üttee .
6. The County and each municipality shall adopt within their respective
comprehensive plans, policies to ensure that development within the urban growth
area uses land efficiently, provides for a wide variety of uses, conserves natural
resources, and allows for the connection of communities to an efficient, transit-
oriented, multimodal transportation system. Policies shall:
6.1 provide for more choices in housing types and moderate increases in density
to achieve at least an average net density of four units per acre;
6.2 support infill and compact development; and
6.3 provide for land uses that encourage travel by foot, bike and transit.
7. The County and each municipality shall provide for conveniently located,
appropriately scaled commercial development to serve the immediate local needs of
the surrounding community by encouraging revitalization of underused commercial
areas before establishing new areas.
8. The County and each municipality shall adopt plans to encourage concentrated
development within the urban growth area which will accommodate the twenty year
projected population and employment growth.
9. Satellite Cities and Towns are local focal points where people come together for a
variety of activities, including business, shopping, living and recreation. These
cities and towns may include the core of small to medium sized cities and towns and
may also be located in unincorporated areas. Often Satellite Cities and Towns
include a strong public presence because they are the location of city hall, main
street and other public spaces.
10. Satellite Cities and Towns will be characterized by a compact urban form that
includes a moderately dense mix of locally-oriented retail, jobs and housing that
promotes walking, transit usage and community activity.
10.1 Satellite Cities and Towns will be developed at a higher density than
surrounding urban and rural areas;
10.2 small scale forms of intensification such as accessory housing units and
development of vacant lots and parking lots help achieve the qualities of
Dc;ccmt.GJ 17, 1996 £GØ3
74
centers while preserving the neighborhood character.
11. At a minimum, Satellite Cities and Towns will be served by State Routes which
connect them to other centers and to the regional high capacity transit system. In
some instances, Satellite Cities and Towns may have direct connections to the local
public transportation system.
OVER AI .I, POI ,J(~IES FOR TJRßAN RRQtÐNAIJíQ..w6 CF,NTRRS
Vision
12.
be
based upon the following:
designated
12.1 consistency with specific criteria for Centers adopted in the County-Wide
Planning Policies;
12.2 the Center's location in the County and its potential for fostering a logical
and desirable county-wide system of Centers;
12.3 the total number of centers in the county that can be reasonably developed
based on twenty years projected growth over the next twenty years;
12.4 environmental analysis which shall include demonstration that urban
services including an adequate supply of drinking water are available to
serve projected growth within the Center and that the jurisdiction is capable
of ensuring concurrent urban services to new development;
12.5 if designates a
center, they must also adopt the center's designation and provisions in their
comprehensive plans and development regulations to ensure that growth
targeted to Centers is achieved and urban services will be provided;
12.6 Centers shall be characterized by all of the following:
12.6.6
clearly defined geographic boundaries;
intensity/density of land uses sufficient to support high
capacity transit;
pedestrian-oriented land uses and amenities;
urban design standards which reflect the local community;
provisions to reduce single-occupancy vehicle use especially
during peak hours and commute times;
provisions for bicycle use;
12.6.1
12.6.2
12.6.3
12.6.4
12.6.5
DC';Gmb". 17, 1996111
7~
12.6.7
12.6.8
sufficient public open spaces and recreational opportunities;
and
uses which provide both daytime and nighttime activities.
13. Each jurisdiction which designates a center within its comprehensive plan shall
define the type of center and specify the exact geographic boundaries of the center.
All Urban Centers shall not exceed one and one-half square miles of land.
Infrastructure and services shall be either present and available or planned and
financed consistent with the expected rate of growth.
13.1 pedestrian connections shall be provided throughout centers.
Design Features of Urban Centers
14. The County and each jurisdiction that designates a center within its comprehensive
plan shall encourage density and development to achieve targeted growth.
14.1 Ariy of the following may be used:
14.1.1
14.1.2
14.1.3
14.1.4
14.1.5
14.1.6
14.1.7
encourage higher residential densities within centers;
avoiding creation of large blocks of single-use zones;
allowing for greater intensity of use within centers;
increase building heights, greater floor/area ratios within
centers;
minimize setbacks within centers;
allow buildings to locate close to street to enhance pedestrian
accessibility; and
encourage placement of parking to rear of structures.
15. In order to provide balance between higher intensity of use within centers, public
and/or private open space shall be provided.
16. Streetscape amenities (landscaping, furniture, etc.) shall be provided within centers
to create a pedestrian friendly environment.
17. Ariy of the following regulatory mechanisms shall be used within Centers:
17.1 either use zoning mechanisms which allow residential and commercial uses
to intermix or limit the size and extent of single use districts.
17.2 adopt development standards to encourage pedestrian-scaled development
such as:
Dcwù!bu 17, 1996 III
7f1
17.2.4
buildings close to streets and sidewalks;
interconnections between buildings and sidewalks;
pedestrian links between residential and non-residential
areas;
street trees/furniture; minimize separations between uses.
17.2.1
17.2.2
17.2.3
Transportation, Parking and Circulation
18. To encourage transit use within centers, jurisdictions shall establish mechanisms to
limit the use of single occupancy vehicles. Such mechanisms could include:
18.1 charges for parking;
18.2 limiting the number of off-street parking spaces;
18.3 establishing minimum and maximum parking requirements;
18.4 commute trip reduction (CTR) measures; and
18.5 develop CTR programs for multiple employers not otherwise affected by
law.
19. Centers should receive a high priority for the location of high capacity stations
and/or transit centers.
20. Locate higher densities/intensities of use close to transit stops within centers.
20.1 create a core area to support transit use.
20.2 allow/encourage all types of transit facilities (transit centers, bus pullouts,
etc.) within centers.
20.3 establish incentives for developers to provide transit supportive amenities.
21. Allow on-street parking within centers in order to narrow the streetscape, provide a
buffer between moving traffic and pedestrians, and provide common parking areas.
22. Provisions for non-motorized transportation shall be provided, including but not
limited to:
22.1 bicycle-friendly roadway design;
22.2 wider outside lane or shared parking/bike lanes;
DCG~mbGI 17, 1996 ZQ04
77
22.3 bike-activated signals;
22.4 covered, secure bicycle parking at all places of employment;
22.5 bicycle racks; and
22.6 pedestrian pathways.
Implementation Strategies
23. Jurisdictions should consider incentives for development within Centers such as:
23.1 streamlined permitting;
23.2 financial incentives;
23.3 density bonuses or transfer of development rights;
23.4 master EISs to address environmental issues in advance of project proposals;
and
23.5 shared mitigation such as stormwater detention and joint parking.
24. Centers shall be given priority consideration for that portion of county-wide and
regional funding distribution oriented for urban transportation improvements.
MRTROPOI,IT AN CENTER
Vision
25. Metropolitan Centers function as anchors within the region for a high density mix of
business, residential, public, cultural and recreational uses, and day and night
activity. They are characterized by their historic role as the central business districts
and regional center of commerce. Metropolitan centers may also serve national or
international roles.
Design
26. Metropolitan Centers shall plan for a development pattern that will provide a
successful mix of uses and densities that will efficiently support high capacity transit
and shall meet the following criteria:
26.1 a minimum of 50 employees per gross acre of non-residential lands;
DGc"wba 17, 1996 iii
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26.2 a minimum of 15 households per gross acre;
26.3 a minimum of 30,000 employees; and
26.4 not exceed a maximum of 1-1/2 square miles in size.
Transportation, Parking and Circulation
27. Metropolitan Centers shall be planned to have fast and frequent high capacity transit
and other forms of transit.
TJRHANCENTF,R
Vision
28. Urban Centers are locations which include a dense mix of business, commercial,
residential and cultural activity within a compact area. Urban Centers are targeted
for employment and residential growth, excellent transportation service, including
fast, convenient high capacity transit service, as well as investment in major public
amenities.
Design
29. Urban Centers will plan for and meet the following criteria:
29.1 a minimum of 25 employees per gross acre of non-residential lands;
29.2 a minimum of 10 households per gross acre;
29.3 a minimum of 15,000 employees; and
29.4 not to exceed a maximum of 1-1/2 square miles in size.
Transportation, Parking and Circulation
30. Urban Centers have fast and frequent high capacity transit, as well as other forms of
transit.
TOWN CENTF,R
Vision
31. Town Centers are local focal points where people come together for a variety of
DCCGu'b<:,¡ 17, 1996 2()04
79
activities, including business, shopping, living and recreation. These centers may
include the core of small to medium sized cities and may also be located in
unincorporated areas. Often Town Centers include a strong public presence because
they are the location of city hall, main street and other public spaces.
Design
32. Town Centers will be characterized by a compact urban form that includes a
moderately dense mix of locally-oriented retail, jobs and housing that promotes
walking, transit usage and community activity.
32.1 Town Centers will be developed at a higher density than surrounding urban
areas to take advantage of connecting transit centers.
32.2 small scale forms of intensification such as accessory housing units and
development of vacant lots and parking lots help achieve the qualities of
centers while preserving neighborhood character.
33. Town Centers shall plan for a development pattern that will provide a successful
mix of uses and densities that will efficiently support transit. Each Town Center
shall meet the following criteria:
33.1 a minimum of 15 employees per gross acre of non-residential lands;
33.2 a minimum of7 households per gross acre;
33.3 a minimum of2,000 employees; and
33.4 not to exceed a maximum of 1-112 square miles in size.
Transportation, Parking and Circulation
34. At a minimum, Town Centers will be served by public transit and/or ferries which
connect them to other centers and to the regional high capacity transit system. In
some instances, Town Centers may have direct connections to high capacity transit.
<~tK:~1t!:t¡¡¡'¡t:,,-__
M A NTTF ACTTTRINGlTNDftêimmi.&T, CENTER
Vision
35. Manufacturinglll~11II1 Centers shall be locally determined and designated based
on the following steps:
Dcc(,wbc,! 17, 1996 2004
RO
35.1 consistency with specific criteria for
adopted within the County-Wide Planning Policies;
Centers
35.2
consideration of the Center's location in the county and region, especially
relative to existing and proposed transportation facil:~~~~.~:¡
consideration of the total number of Manufacturing.I~::~iilli Centers in the
county that are needed over the next twenty years based on projected need
for manufacturin land to satisfy regional projectiQns of demand
for manufacturin land uses;
35.3
35.4
environmental analysis which shall include demonstration that the
jurisdiction is capable of concurrent service to new development;
35.5 adoption within the jurisdiction's comprehensive plan of the center's
designation aq~yJat~~i~ions to ensure that job growth targeted to the
Manufacturinglll~¡IìI'1 Center is achieved.
Design
36. Manufacturingll'lII" Centers shall be characterized by the following:
36.1 clearly defined geographic boundaries;
36.2 intensity of land uses sufficient to support alternatives to single-occupancy
vehicle use;
36.3 direct access to regional highway, rail, air and/or waterway systems for the
movement of goods;
36.4 provisions to prohibit housing; and
36.5 identified transportation linkages to high density housing areas.
37. Provisions to achieve targeted employment growth should include:
3 7.1 preservation and encouragement of the aggregation of vacant land parcels
sized for manufacturing/indllswal uses;
37.2 prohibition~~'i'>F'~:~~" uses which are not compatible with
manufacturin~'.I.III· il1Justllal and advanced technology uses;
37.3 limiting the size and number of offices and retail uses and allowing only as
Dc~.;,ü,b'l 17, 1996 2004
Rl
an accessory use to serve the needs of employees within centers; and
37.4 reuse and intensification of the land.
Transportation, Parking and Circulation
38. Transportation network within Manufacturingllil1i1lillll Centers should provide for
the needs of freight movement and employees by ensuring a variety of transportation
modes such as transit, rail, and trucking facilities.
39. The transportation system within Manufacturingl.lll. Centers shall be built to
accommodate truck traffic and acceleration. Review of projects should consider the
infrastructure enhancements such as:
39.1 turn lanes and turn pockets to allow turning vehicles to move out of through
traffic lanes;
39.2 designing turn lanes with a width to allow freight vehicles to turn without
interrupting the flow of traffic in other lanes;
39.3 designing the far side of intersections with acceleration lanes for trucking
vehicles and heavy loads to facilitate traffic flow;
39.4 constructing climbing lanes where necessary to allow for slow moving
vehicles; and,
39.5 providing off-street truck loading facilities to separate goods loading and
unloading.
40. To facilitate traffic flow in the communities surrounding Manufacturingl.liliÎ:'!'j
Centers, truck delivery hours should be established.
Implementation Strategies
41. All jurisdictions will support transportation capital i~~'i~i~i~t projects which
support access and movement of goods to Manufacturingl.~ll$tlÌ~J Centers.
42. Jurisdictions having a designated Manufacturingllllt.'11 Center shall:
42.1 plan for and fund capital facility improvement projects which support the
movement of goods;
42.2 coordinate with utility providers to ensure that utility facilities are available
Dcc"...bcf 17, 1996 2()Q4
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to serve such centers;
42.3 provide buffers around the Center to reduce conflicts with adjacent land
uses;
42.4 facilitate land assembly; and
42.5 assist in recruiting appropriate businesses.
DGcc¡..b", 17, 1996 2004
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D"GGl!lb". 17, 19962()Q4
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Dcc,c,u.bc,1 17, 19962004
~5
COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICY ON AMENDMENTS
AND TRANSITION
.
H9ckeround - Requirements of Growth M9n9~ement Act
The Washington Growth Management Act contemplates that the County-Wide Planning
Policies will remain effective throughout the comprehensive plan preparation, adoption and
implementation processes to ensure that municipal and county comprehensive plans are
consistent, as required by the Act [RCW 36.70A.210(l)]. Because the factors, data and
analysis upon which the County-Wide Planning Policies have been formulated are subject
to change, it is important that a process be established to effectuate such changes, when
appropriate and needed.
The Washington Growth Management Act requires that each County which adopts a
comprehensive plan designate an urban growth area or areas within which urban growth
shall be encouraged and outside of which growth can occur only if it is not urban in nature
[RCW 36.70A.ll0(1)]. As discussed above, the factors, data and analysis upon which the
UGA designations are initially made are similarly subject to change.
The Comlty- 'vVide rlalìliing rol~Gy on Ul ban GlOwth Atea~, PlOmot~oü of Coutigu:ou;:, and
Otdetly Developll1ent and rtOvision ofUlLan Set vice;:, to Sllch Developme;ut plOvides that
the Count)' and each nUlllicipality in the County shäll designate "tiets" within their
designated mbcuì glOwth areas. The "tiet" delineations would be generally COll;:,~stent w~th a
pI ittlW y mbali gtowth area based on the 6-year complehensi ve plarl capital facility element,
a SeLUflU1UfY wban growth area ba~ed on tlle; 7-13 yecu GOlllplehell~ive plcul capital facility
element, arld a t¡;fticuy urbarl growth area based on the 14-20 year complehensive plan
capital faGility elellìent. The; "tiel" delineat101ls ale; not necessarily static, the;lefOte, the
Cowìty and each mWl~Gipalit)' iú the Comlty shOûld adopt a ptOGess, as well a;:, starldards
and GlÍteÚa by which lalid Call be; shifted ftow one tiet tvanotller.
.
C01lnty- Wide PI9nnine Poli~
1. County- Wide Planning Policies adopted pursuant to the Growth Management Act
may be amended by Pierce County and. ratified by the municipalities in the County
using the same process by which the County-Wide Planning Policies are originally
adopted as set forth in the Interlocal Agreement: Framework Agreement for the
Adoption of the County-Wide Planning Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution
No. R91-172, September 24, 1991).
1.1 of .ft ptoposed amendment shall
requireS the affirmative response vote of 60% of the affected
governments in the County (12 of 19) representing a minimum of 75% of
DCWllbcl 17, 1996 2004
R6
the total Pierce County population as designated by the State of VI a::.ll~ügtot~
Offic~, of Financial ,Management on JWle 28, 1991 (452,850 of 603,800) a't
the,;tm1eifthepröpÐsed ratification.
1.2 Demonstration of ratification shall be by execution of an interlocal
agreement or by adoption of an amendment to the initial Interlocal
Agreement.
1.3 An amendment to the County-Wide Planning Policies or to any individual
policy (all hereinafter referred to as proposed amendments) may be initiated
by the County or any municipal~~;;';;Ii~~i:~~:::;;;:~1~~~:';7~:'::;Ii~~\:~~:~~~eelltlg
ConlllÜttee or Its succeS5Ul elltiry "¡~íiÎ;i¡lö'i,.ìllI~t)$IIml~nn~iJ. The
proposed amendment shall include the following:
1.3.1 the exact language of the proposed amendment (shown in
"strike out" for deletions and "underlineation" for additions);
1.3.2 a brief explanation of the need for the proposed amendment,
including the factors, data or analyses that have changed
since the original adoption of the County-Wide Planning
Policies and/or the experiences with the existing County-
Wide Planning Policies that have prompted the proposed
amendment.
1.4 A proposed amendment to the County-Wide Planning Policies
:~~¡~i¡,\~:::mr,,~:'~i~~';;:~~:::~~~;"i~teering Comnl~ttee 01 its succe;ssor e;ütity
~o_.;;;.Ijg;i;II~~Ilol)m;lii;J; for analysis and recommendation.
2. Urban Growth Area boundaries designated by the County pursuant to the Growth
Management Act may be amended by Pierce County and accepted by the
municipalities in the County pursuant to the same process by which the Urban
Growth Areas were originally adopted and pursuant to subpolicies 1 and 2 of the
"County- Wide Planning Policy on Urban Growth Areas, Promotion of Contiguous
and Orderly Development and Provision of Urban Services to Such Development."
2.1 An amendment to Urban Growth Area boundaries may be initiated by the
County or any municipality in the County. Ot Ly the Steerin~ COlllluittee or
its SU",G¢S50r entity.
2.2 A proposed amendment to Urban Growth Area boundaries shall include:
2.2.1 a map indicating the existing urban growth area boundary
and the proposed boundary modification;
2.2.2 a statement indicating how, and the extent to which, the
DGCallb"J 17, 1996111
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proposed boundary modification complies with each of the
factors listed in subpolicies 2.2, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 of the
County-Wide Planning Policy on Urban Growth Areas,
Promotion of Contiguous and Orderly Development and
Provision of Urban Services to Such Development.
2.2.3 a statement indicating the factors, data or analyses that have
changed since the designation of the initial Urban Growth
Area boundaries and/or the experience with the existing
Urban Growth Area boundaries that have prompted the
proposed amendment.
2.3-4 A proposed amendment to the Urban Growth Area boundaries
referred to the Stee~~~~iII~A~~~nittee Ot it6 succe6S0t eüÜty
for Î~iim.\¡ anal)' sis and recommendation.
3: "Tiel" designations by the Count)', and each mUllidpalit)' in the County, pursuant to
subpolic:y 2.3 of the Couuty-VvTide; Planllillg Policy on Ulban GlOwth Areas,
PlO1110tioll of Contit;uous and Otdetly Development and Plovisioü of Ulban
Services to Such Developmeut may be à1llende;d, and laüd in oüe ÜellÌlaj' be; slùfted
to ahothel, only UPOll adoptioú by the County and/ol affected mtlllidpality of a
ptocess, standalds anJ clitelia iü aCCOtdà11Ce with these policies.
and Ithe
responsibilities
the following additional
specified in the Interlocal
Dcc"...bGI 17, 1996 2004
RR
Agreement: Framework Agreement for the Adoption of the County-Wide Planning
Policy (Pierce County Council Resolution No. R91-172, dated September 24,
1991.)!¡¡
I development of model, uniform implementation methodologies for the
County, and all cities in the County, to be used at their discretion;
assistance in resolution of interjurisdictional disputes;
input to joint planning issues in Urban Growth Areas;
input with respect to County-wide facilities;
advice and consultation on phased development, short plats, vested rights
and related issues;
coordination of these responsibilities with the Puget Sound Regional
Council;
making a recommendation on the respective location of municipal and the
County Urban Growth Area boundaries consistent with these policies;
making a recommendation with regard to dissolution of the Boundary
Review Board;
41.9 monitoring development in the County, including population and
employment growth and its effect on the development capacity within urban
growth areas;
10 advice and consultation on population disaggregation.
DccCu,bCJ 17, 1996 20i)ìi
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ERRATA SHEET
December 17, 2004
TO:
Pierce County Regional Council Members
FROM:
Paula Manning, Clerk
Pierce County Regional Council
Planning and Land Services
RE:
Editor's Error, Countywide Planning Policies
Please note corrections below:
Page 55, 1.6
1.6 Following an agreement between the County and municipality on the
designation of the urban growth area, or, in the case of an impasse,
following a designation determination via mediation by the State
De artment of
the legislative body of the County shall
the urban growth area designation by ordinance.
Page 62,3.4.2, d.
1
PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. 3805
This agreement is entered into by and among the cities and towns of Pierce County and Pierce
County. This agreement is made pursuant to the provisions of the Interlocal Cooperation Act of
1967, Chapter 39.34 RCW. This agreement has been authorized by the legislative body of each
jurisdiction pursuant to formal action and evidenced by execution of the signature page of this
agreement.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT
AMENDMENTS TO THE PIERCE COUNTY
COUNTYWIDE PLANNING POLICIES
BACKGROUND:
9
A.
10
11
12
13
14
15 B.
16
17
18
19 C.
20
D.
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The Pierce County Regional Council (PCRC) was created in 1992 by interlocal
agreement among the cities and towns of Pierce County and Pierce County. The
organization is charged with responsibilities, including: serving as a local link to the
Puget Sound Regional Council, promoting intergovernmental cooperation, facilitating
compliance with the coordination and consistency requirements of the Growth
Management Act (Chapter 36.70A RCW) and the Regional Transportation Planning
Organization (Chapter 47.80 RCW), and developing a consensus among jurisdictions
regarding the development and modification of the Countywide Planning Policies.
The Pierce County Countywide Planning Policies provide for amendments to be adopted
through amendment of the original interlocal agreement or by a new interlocal
agreement. The Pierce County Countywide Planning Policies may be amended upon the
adoption of amendments by the Pierce County Council and ratification by 60 percent of
the jurisdictions in Pierce County (13 of20) representing 75 percent of the total
population on June 28, 1991;
Substantive policy amendments are based on a comprehensive review and update to the
Countywide Planning Policies by the Pierce County Regional Council.
The Pierce County Regional Council conducted discussions in open public meetings in
2003 and 2004 to address the amendments. The Pierce County Regional Council
subsequently recommended adoption of the proposed amendments on November 18,
2004, related to buildable lands, joint planning, Endangered Species Act, sewer
provisions, centers, and phasing of growth.
PURPOSE:
This agreement is entered into by the cities and towns of Pierce County and Pierce County for
the purpose of ratifying and approving the attached amendments to the Pierce County
Countywide Planning Policies (Attachment).
Page 1 of3
1
DURATION:
2
This agreement shall become effective upon execution by 60 percent of the jurisdictions in
Pierce County, representing 75 percent of the total population on June 28, 1991. This agreement
will remain in effect until subsequently amended or repealed as provided by the Pierce County
Countywide Planning Policies.
3
4
5
SEVERABILITY:
6
If any of the provisions of this agreement are held illegal, invalid or unenforceable, the
remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
7
8
FILING:
9
A copy of this agreement shall be filed with the Secretary of State, Washington Department of
Community, Trade and Economic Development, the Pierce County Auditor and each city and
town clerk.
10
11
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this agreement has been executed by each member
12 jurisdiction as evidenced by the signature page affixed to this agreement.
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Page 2 of3
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT
1
2
AMENDMENTS TO THE PIERCE COUNTY
COUNTYWIDE PLANNING POLICIES
3
4
Signature Page
5
6
The legislative body of the undersigned jurisdiction has authorized execution of the
Interloca1 Agreement, Amendments to the Pierce County Countywide Planning Policies.
7
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
8
9
10
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BY:
This agreement has been executed
ityffown/County
.~
12
DATE:
/-,) Y-/J.s-
13
Approved:
14
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BY:
(Director/Manager/Chair of the Council)
18
19 Approved:
201 By:
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BY;
Page 3 of3