Planning 2011-10-27 Southcenter Plan - Attachment A - Planning Policy Framework

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ATTACHMENT A TUKWILA'S PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK Here is a discussion of how Tukwila's Comprehensive Plan vision for the Southcenter area fits into the broader State, regional and county policy framework. Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) Establishing the land use planning hierarchy in Washington, the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A) mandates local comprehensive planning in heavily populated and high growth counties and their cities. It established 13 broad goals to guide the policy development of local comprehensive plans. The VISION 2040 plan adopted by the Puget Sound Regional Council provides the multicounty policy framework required by GMA to meet these goals at the regional, county, and local government levels. Vision 2040 Regional Growth Strateizv The central Puget Sound region is forecast to continue to grow in the coming decades up to 5 million people will live here by the year 2040. Vision 2040, the adopted Regional Growth Strategy, provides guidance to cities and counties for accommodating that growth. It is an integrated, long -range vision for maintaining a healthy region promoting the well -being of people and communities, economic vitality, and a healthy environment, see Attachment 1. It contains an environmental framework, a numeric regional growth strategy, six policy sections guided by overarching goals as well as implementation actions and measures to monitor progress. The strategy is designed to preserve resource lands and protect rural lands from urban -type development. The strategy promotes infill and redevelopment within urban areas to create more compact, walkable, and transit friendly communities. All levels of government in the central Puget Sound's four counties (King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish) will use VISION 2040 as a regional framework for making local decisions. The strategy is organized around categories of "regional geographies." The majority of the region's employment and housing growth is allocated to Metropolitan Cities and Core Cities, which together contain the more than two dozen designated regional growth centers. Tukwila is a Core City with a designated urban center. The multicounty planning policies provide guidance for implementing the Regional Growth Strategy. Under these policies growth is to occur first and foremost in the designated urban growth area, less development is to occur in rural areas. Centers are recognized for their benefits in creating compact, walkable communities that support transit and other services. Housing and jobs should be located in a manner that provides for easy mobility and accessibility. Investments in transportation and other infrastructure should be prioritized to centers. Countywide target setting processes for allocating population and employment growth are to be consistent with the regional vision. Countvwide Planning Policies The GMA further requires King County to prepare broad Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) that comply with both the growth principles of the GMA and the more directive policies of the Multi- County Planning Policies (Vision 2040). The CPPs provide the vision and policy framework for the development of each jurisdiction's comprehensive plan, including Tukwila. The CPPs are maintained by the Growth Management Planning Council and have recently been updated. Z:TC Laserfiche PacketTC packet 10 -27 -1 EAttaclunent A_Policy Framework Attachment A 7