Planning and Development Services
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2005
Growth Management Act Update September
25th, 2008 The below listed documents comprise Skagit County’s proposed legislative response to the Final Decision and Order issued by the WWGMHB in Case No. 07-2-0025c, Friends of Skagit County, June Kite and Evergreen Islands v. Skagit County. Written comments on the proposal will be accepted at the Planning & Development Services Department through close of business on Friday, October 10, 2008. Comments may also be submitted at the public hearing before the Skagit County Planning Commission commencing at 6 pm on Tuesday, Oc tober 14, 2008. See the below Notice of Availability and Public Hearing for more information.
October
16th, 2007 September 10th, 2007 COMMISSIONERS SIGN ORDINANCE ADOPTING GROWTH MANAGEMENT ACT UPDATE
SKAGIT COUNTY – The Board of Skagit County Commissioners signed an ordinance today adopting the Growth Management Update. The ordinance officially adopts the County’s update of its comprehensive plan, development regulations, land use/zoning map, and countywide planning policies which has been underway for several years. The ordinance will go into effect 30 days from signing on October 10, 2007
The ordinance adopted approximately 135 changes to Skagit County Code, 30 changes to the comprehensive land use/zoning map, and a new more streamlined comprehensive plan.
Every seven years, the Washington State Growth Management Act requires Skagit County to update its comprehensive plan and development regulations to ensure compliance with the Act. Skagit County first adopted its comprehensive plan, under the Growth Management Act, in 1997. This update was initially scheduled to be completed by December 1, 2005, but due in part to a large amount of public comment, including more than 1,800 pages of written comments submitted by the public and 107 requests to change the comprehensive plan land use/zoning map, the process took longer than expected, according to Director of Planning and Development Services Gary Christensen.
Christensen acknowledged several groups for their hard work during the process including the 15-member Skagit County GMA Update Steering Committee, the 9-member Skagit County Planning Commission, the Skagit County Agricultural Advisory Board and the Skagit County Forest Advisory Board. He also thanked several staff people from his department, as well as other Skagit County departments involved in the process, including Health, Public Works, Assessor, Parks and Recreation, Administration and Finance, Mapping Services, and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office.
Skagit County Commissioner Chair Sharon Dillon thanked Christensen and his staff. “You really reached out to the people and made sure everyone was heard,” said Dillon.
By 2025, Skagit County is expected to be home to nearly 50,000 additional people, a 45 percent increase in population. “This growth should bring economic opportunities and more diversity to our communities, while also conserving our natural land resource base and protecting our rural lifestyles,” said Christensen. “In order for the quality of life in Skagit County to remain high and its resources to be sustained, we need to work together in the coming years to ensure that the Comprehensive Plan remains a strong blueprint to guide growth.”
For further information,
contact: Kirk Johnson, AICP
Planning Commission Recommended 7-year GMA Update:
Archived GMA documents are available here. For
additional information about the 2005 GMA Update schedule, please contact
Guy McNally (ext. 5818), Carly Ruacho (ext. 5582), or Kirk Johnson (5916),
Planning and Development Services, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon,
WA, (360) 416-1320, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday. Summary of the GMA Update Proposal 1. Amendments to the Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) that: a) modify the urban commercial and industrial acreage allocations under CPP 1.1 for certain municipal Urban Growth Areas to account for projected employment growth to 2025; and b) move provisions regarding rural commercial and industrial development from CPP 1.1 to CPP 2. 2. Amendments to the Skagit County Comprehensive Plan to reflect changes in local needs and circumstances, new data, and changes in state law since the last adoption of Comprehensive Plan amendments. The Proposal would reorganize the Comprehensive Plan by consolidating 16 chapters (elements) into 12, and modifying the format and streamlining policies to improve readability and user friendliness. A report and other supporting documents, below, addresses the proposed changes in greater detail. 3. Amendments to Skagit County Code, Title 14, Unified Development Code, to ensure consistency within the code and with the Comprehensive Plan policies; to clarify certain processes and requirements; and to address typographical errors and inadvertent additions or omissions. Minor changes will also be made to Title 15, Buildings and Construction, to correct outdated references to the Planning and Development Services Department; and to delete a chapter, 15.20, that is now addressed in Title 14 (14.34, Flood Damage Prevention). 4. Amendments to the Skagit County Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Map, that are necessary to comply with the Growth Management Act, to reflect local needs and circumstances, and to advance comprehensive planning goals. Skagit County received more than 100 Map amendment requests from property owners, members of the public, municipalities, and others. The Planning and Development Services Department and several County advisory bodies have also recommended changes to the map. All of these map proposals are shown on a map titled Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment Requests, 2005 GMA Update. The Proposal consists of a Preferred Alternative map that includes only those amendment proposals determined by the Department to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan land use designation criteria and the Growth Management Act, and timely to be considered as part of this update process. See below for links to maps. Certain
additional Comprehensive Plan policies were released for public comment,
but are not considered a part of the formal Proposal under consideration
for adoption through the 2005 Update. These policies are referred
to as Group B policies. These policies are being released with the
Proposal to gather public comment on whether and how to further develop
these policies for consideration in a future Comprehensive Plan Amendment
cycle. Partial List of Skagit County Zoning Districts*
*The major differences
from one zone to the next are the allowed uses and building setback requirements.
About the 2005 GMA Update Every seven
years, the Growth Management Act (36.70A RCW) requires Skagit County to
update its Comprehensive Plan and development regulations to ensure compliance
with the Act. Skagit County adopted its Comprehensive Plan, under the
Growth Management Act, in 1997. The County must complete its first seven-year
update of the Plan by December 1, 2005. This update process is referred
to as the "2005 GMA Update."
By 2025, Skagit
County is expected to be home to nearly 50,000 more people. That's a 45%
increase. This growth should bring more economic opportunities and more
diversity to our communities. In order for the quality of life in Skagit
County to remain high and its resources to be sustained, we need to work
together this coming year to ensure that the Comprehensive Plan remains
a strong blueprint to guide the growth.
Most of the
new residential, commercial, and industrial development will likely occur
in the urban areas - the cities and the immediate areas surrounding them
as well as on Bayview Ridge near the airport. While accommodating this
growth Skagit County must also ensure that the farms, forests, and other
rural areas are protected to produce the natural resources that our economy
depends on. But there are, and will have to be, many compromises to balance
growth with life-!--style choices, government services, roads, schools,
rural economic development, and all the other things we want and need
in Skagit County.
The Comprehensive
Plan is where it all comes together. The 2005 GMA Update involves reviewing
and renewing the goals and policies that we use to regulate development
and plan for new facilities and services. The State Growth Management
Act (GMA) and other legislation has changed, and our plans must be consistent
with those changes. In addition, we want to make sure that the Plan truly
reflects the vision of our citizens - many of whom bring new perspectives.
Skagit
County Population and Employment Forecasts and Allocations through 2025
This report
analyzes population and employment forecasts for Skagit County through
the year 2025, and provides recommendations for allocating those population
and employment numbers to the county and the municipalities in Skagit
County for purposes of the 2005 GMA Update. Download the
report here.(Pdf)
GMA Update &
Public Outreach Steering Committee:
Note:
The committee members below met once or twice monthly, for over a year,
to advise Skagit County on Comprehensive Plan policy, and to bring the
many perspectives of the community to the table. These volunteer
citizens worked outside the committee meetings to engage citizens in dialogue
about how best to plan for the future. They are all to be commended
for their efforts.
More
Information and Links
Contact Information
2005 GMA Update
Skagit County Planning & Development Services 1800 Continental Place Mount Vernon WA 98273 Call:
Guy McNally, AICP Associate Planner 360-416-1320, ext. 5818 Internet
Links:
Links
to Currently Adopted Policies, Regulations and Other Online Documents
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