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FINDINGS <br />In 2010 the Public Works Department began updating the Transportation element of Tukwila's <br />Comprehensive Plan as part of a phased review and update mandated by the State. The update included a <br />traffic modeling effort based on projected household and employment growth throughout the City until the <br />year 2030. These growth numbers were determined at a regional level and provided to each jurisdiction for <br />use in long range planning efforts. After Tukwila's updated element was adopted the Puget Sound Regional <br />Council (PSRC) developed revised growth projections that reflected the reduced economic activity due to the <br />2008-2009 recession. These numbers showed a small reduction in projected household growth and a <br />significant reduction in projected employment growth (nearly 50%). <br />The other elements of the Tukwila Comprehensive Plan were updated in later phases using the revised PSRC <br />numbers and a 2031 time horizon, leading to an internal discrepancy in the Plan. Tukwila received conditional <br />approval for its Plan update in 2016 with the requirement that the discrepancy be addressed through <br />adoption of an updated Transportation Element by December of 2017. Attachment B contains the proposed <br />revisions to meet the PSRC requirements for certification. <br />The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee was briefed on August 14, 2017 and they forwarded the <br />issue to the Planning Commission for review. <br />COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW CRITERIA <br />Planning Commission review is required for Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code amendments. The <br />Planning Commission may recommend approval, recommend approval with conditions or recommend denial <br />of the amendment based on a clear compliance with the criteria that follow. The Planning Commission's <br />recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council, which will make the final decision. (TMC 18.80 and <br />18.84) <br />1) Describe how the issue is addressed in the Comprehensive Plan. If the issue is not adequately <br />addressed, is there a need for it? <br />The proposed update is a technical correction to the growth projections used in the Transportation Element <br />needed to bring internal consistency to the Comprehensive Plan and meet PSRC conditions for certification. <br />The lower employment projections resulted in estimates of lower vehicle miles traveled and no lowering of <br />levels of service (LOS). As a result of this change no goals, policies or capital improvement project changes are <br />proposed as part of this action. The changes involve text edits to the narrative and updated maps. <br />2) If the issue is not adequately addressed in the Comprehensive Plan, is there a need for the proposed <br />change? <br />Under the original, higher projections we received from PSRC Tukwila had planned to accommodate <br />higher household and employment growth than currently projected. Much of this growth was anticipated <br />in the Tukwila South area, which remains largely undeveloped. The timeline for development is unclear, <br />though at least some is likely to occur within the 2031 time horizon of the current Comprehensive Plan. <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />42 <br />