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Planning and Development Services


2021Comprehensive Plan (Full document June 30, 2016)

Skagit County Comprehensive Plan

Skagit County Planning is about to kickoff the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update process.
Follow the process and get upates here.

The primary purpose of comprehensive planning is to help the public and elected officials define objectives, set priorities, and seek solutions to long-term issues.

The Comprehensive Plan provides a sense of direction, a broad overview of where a community is (existing conditions), and where it is going (trends and vision). It is a way of ensuring that a community's health, safety, and general welfare are protected by striving for and creating a better, healthier, more efficient, and aesthetically pleasing environment in which to live.

The Skagit County Comprehensive Plan to addresses the planning elements required by the state Growth Management Act and to provide goals, policies, and strategies for managing growth over the next 20 years. The Comprehensive Plan can be amended annually, see the following amendments: 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2025

Comprehensive Plan Maps

Zoning in the County is based on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element. The official zoning map that is adopted as part of the Comprehensive Plan can be found in our Map Gallery, or available as an interactive map on Skagit GIS department’s iMap; (now updated to reflect the 2018 Update changes.)

Transportation Technical Appendix

Maps:
Appendix A1 Road Network
Appendix A2 - FGTS Maps
Appendix A3 Bike Map
Appendix A4 Trail Map

Map Gallery

Capital Facilities Plans

The Capital Facilties Plan is a technical appendix to the Skagit County Comprehensive Plan. It implements the Comprehensive Plan’s Capital Facilities Element (Chapter 10) and is updated annually. Capital facilities include:

General Government
Community Services
Law and Justice
Parks, Trails, and Recreation (including Fairgrounds)
Sewer System
Solid Waste
Stormwater Management
Transportation

Project Monitoring

The Comprehensive Plan contains to number of monitoring policies focused around natural resource land conversion, environmental mitigation, and growth rates. Many of which are outlined in Chapter 12. Many of these indicators are still in development. Population and Housing Annual Reporting by GMA Steering Committee

(SCOG external link) In Progress: Natural Resource Lands In Progress: Critical Areas Monitoring

Building Permit Reporting

Parks and Recreation Plan

This document is included by reference in the Skagit County Comprehensive Plan. (2013)

Parks & Recreation 2012-2018 Plan

Shoreline Management Plan

Officially known as the Shoreline Management Master Program of Skagit County, contains policies and development regulations for freshwater and marine shorelines of Skagit County. This is considered Chapter 6 of the Comprehensive Plan.

The Shoreline Program is being updated, for the latest drafts and announcements check the shoreline update webpage.

Shoreline Management Program (1976)

Subarea Plans

A subarea plan puts into action the general policies of the Comprehensive Plan at a much finer scale and level of detail. Patterns of land use, design, traffic are a function of local economic, social, physical health, safety and welfare issues of the people who live and work within the community planning area.

Alger Community Plan (2008)
Bayview Ridge Subarea Plan (2014)
Guemes Island Subarea Plan (2011)
Hamilton Subarea Plan (2008)
South Fidalgo Subarea Planning Process (Not adopted)

Countywide Planning Policies (January 2021)

Countywide Planning Policies

A countywide planning policy is a written policy statement or statements used solely for establishing a countywide framework from which county and city comprehensive plans are developed and adopted pursuant to the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A.210). A Countywide Planning Policy “clean-up” is underway. Countywide Planning Policy 1 (June 30, 2016) provides growth allocations between the unincorporated County, the cities and the Urban Growth Areas. This policy is updated in concurrently with the Comprehensive Plan periodic updates.

The Framework Agreement (November 26, 2002) sets the parameters for decision making related to the Countywide Planning Policies by jurisdictions on the Skagit Council of Government’s Growth Management Act Steering Committee.

Reports and Plans Related to the Comprehensive Plan

These documents are not necessarily part of the Comprehensive Plan, yet help guide land use and development across the Unicorporated Skagit County.

Archived Comprehensive Plan Documents

The adoption of a new comprehensive plan replaces older comprehensive plans. The following selected comprehensive plans are no longer in effect:

2007 Comprehensive Plan (September 10, 2007)

2005-2007 GMA Update Process

2000 Comprehensive Plan (July 24, 2000)
1997 Comprehensive Plan (May 19, 1997)
1982 Comprehensive Plan for the Eastern Planning District (May 1982)
1979 Comprehensive Plan for the Southwest & South Central Planning Districts (June 1979)
1975 Comprehensive Plan for the Islands District (August 1975)
1974 Comprehensive Plan for the Northwest District (September 1974)
1973 Comprehensive Plan for the North Central District (November 1973)
1968 Comprehensive Plan, adopted by motion (September 10, 1968)

Comprehensive Plan Amendments and Related Documents

Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendments:
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016
Sanfi Acres Comprehensive Plan Amendment Remand (2009)

Historical Plans & Studies
These documents are NOT part of the Comprehensive Plan:

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (2003)
Growth Management Indicators (GMI) Report (November 2002)
2005 GMA Update Population and Employment Forecasting and Allocation (December 2003)
Skagit County Housing Needs Assessment, March 1993

Planning and Development Services
Physical and Mailing Address
1800 Continental Place
Mount Vernon WA 98273

Contact the Department
General questions 360-416-1320 | fax (more info)
Request inspections 360-416-1330
Staff Contacts by Topic