Comprehensive Plan Update Passes

December 6, 2016

Summary

My goals in this update were to amend policies to better serve King County residents and to change policies that negatively impacted unincorporated areas. I believe we achieved some success in doing this.

Story

The Metropolitan King County Council has approved updates to the King County Comprehensive Plan, the guiding policy document for land use and development regulations in unincorporated King County, and for regional services throughout the County, including public safety, transit, sewers, parks, trails, and open space.

The King County Code (K.C.C. 20.18.030) allows for updates to the Comprehensive Plan on either an annual or a once-every-four-years basis, depending on the scope of the change. This “four-year cycle” update is considered a major update to the plan and, unlike annual updates, allows for consideration of substantive policy changes and potential revisions to the Urban Growth Area.

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert said, “This was a heavily negotiated document, so I have some concerns with the final product. The draft of over 700 pages was worked on for 9 months and the remaining issues were discussed at final passage.” She continued, “My goals in this update were to amend policies to better serve King County residents and to change policies that negatively impacted unincorporated areas. I believe we achieved some success in doing this.”

Lambert offered several amendments to accomplish her stated purpose, including prioritizing economic development as a service for rural and unincorporated urban areas.

Lambert said, “Because this was a 9 month process on such a large document, there are still changes I want to continue to pursue in the next update. For instance, I intend to work towards a shorter, easier to read plan, so that King County residents can more easily determine the guiding policies behind King County government.” She continued, “I also intend to find new ways to protect the rural area while serving unincorporated area residents well and providing them with what they need to thrive.”