HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 2011-09-22 Item 6 - Southcenter Plan - Atachment A - Planning Policy FrameworkATTACHMENT 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 Strateuv
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 Planninu 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.
H:AX \Attaclunent A Polio• Framework Attachment A
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The CPPs require that urban centers have:
15,000 employees within a half mile of a transit center
Average 50 employees per gross acre
Average 15 households per gross acre
See Attachment 2 for a comparison of the urban center criteria to Tukwila's urban center
characteristics. Tukwila made a presentation to PSRC in January on the status of our efforts to
achieve the urban center goals.
Local C Pla1is.
Local comprehensive plans direct land use planning regulations and activity in unincorporated
King County and each of the county's 39 jurisdictions. Each local plan establishes the land use
and development regulations within its jurisdiction. Local plans, when next updated, are expected
to align with the planning hierarchy described above. Anticipating completion of the CPPs in
2010, many cities including Tukwila have begun the planning effort to revise their comprehensive
plans.
Kinu County Growth Taruets
In 2009 after an extensive process involving staff from the affected cities, including Tukwila, the Growth
Management Planning Council adopted updated employment and housing growth targets for 2031. As a
core city Tukwila, including its annexation areas, has a target of 4,850 net new housing units and 17,550
net new jobs over the next 21 years. While no city can guarantee a certain level of development we must
provide for zoned capacity and infrastructure to accommodate that growth.
It is unclear how Tukwila could accommodate our housing growth target by 2031 without encouraging
housing development in the urban center. The Tukwila South Master Plan calls for between 700 and
1,900 units to be developed over up to 30 years. The recent addition of the Urban Renewal Overlay to the
Neighborhood Commercial Center zone will allow for more intensive development along a section of the
Tukwila International Boulevard Corridor and accommodate another portion of the target. Tukwila's
single and multi family zoned land is largely built -out at the current lot sizes and densities and so has
limited ability to absorb additional units. If the vision for the Southcenter area changes to exclude
housing the most straightforward alternative to meeting our targets would be to upzone existing
residential neighborhoods to allow for more intensive development.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Vision 2040 Executive Summary
2) Comparison of the urban center criteria to Tukwila's urban center characteristics
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