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TUKWILA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN <br />Southcenter, Tukwila "s Urban Center <br />S OUTHCENTER TUKWILA' S URBAN <br />CENTER <br />PURPOSE <br />Urban centers are described in King County's Countywide Planning Policies as areas of <br />concentrated employment and housing, with direct service by high- capacity transit. They are to <br />encompass a wide range of land uses, including retail, recreation, public facilities, parks, residential, <br />and open space. <br />In 1995 Tukwila's urban center, Southcenter, was designated one of the region's urban centers, in <br />keeping with a desire for development as a high- density, regionally oriented, mixed -use center. <br />The vision for Southcenter is consistent with Puget Sound Regional Council's Vision 2040, the <br />adopted regional growth strategy which provides guidance to cities and counties for <br />accommodating future growth. The strategy is designed to preserve resource lands and protect rural <br />lands from urban -type development by promoting infill and redevelopment within urban areas to <br />create more compact, walkable, sustainable and transit friendly communities. <br />All levels of government in the central Puget Sound's four counties use Vision 2040 as a regional <br />framework for making local decisions. King County was required to prepare broad Countywide <br />Planning Policies (CPPs) that comply with both the growth principles of the Growth Management <br />Act and the more directive policies of the Multi- County Planning Policies (Vision 2040). <br />Under this strategy the majority of the region's employment and housing growth is targeted to <br />occur in Metropolitan Cities and Core Cities. Tukwila is a Core City with a designated urban center <br />intended to become a compact, sustainable community where housing and jobs are located in a <br />manner that provides for easy mobility and accessibility. <br />Planning for a regional urban center as defined by the Countywide Planning Policies earns <br />preferential treatment by the transit providers for fixed -rail transit service and other transit service <br />and facility improvements. The idea is to help ensure the long -term economic viability and <br />competitiveness of urban centers in the region as energy costs escalate, congestion increases and <br />consumer preferences shift. In 2002, the City began a planning process to create a plan for <br />Southcenter. A primary focus of the Plan was retaining the urban center's competitive edge and <br />economic strength as retail development grows within the region. <br />The City held six public workshops and found that participants supported the following concepts: <br />1) Making the Southcenter area a more attractive destination for shopping and leisure <br />activities; <br />2) Relieving critical congestion points, improving circulation, and making alternative <br />modes of transportation available; <br />Planning Commission Recommended Draft, October 2012 <br />rA <br />