HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-24-2023 - Agenda Packet
MEDINA, WASHINGTON
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Hybrid-Virtual/In Person
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 – 6:00 PM
AGENDA
COMMISSION CHAIR |
COMMISSION VICE-CHAIR |
COMMISSIONERS | Laura Bustamante, Li-Tan Hsu, David Langworthy, Mark Nelson, Laurel
Preston, Mike Raskin, Shawn Schubring
PLANNING MANAGER | Stephanie Keyser
Virtual Meeting Participation
Planning Commission has moved to hybrid meetings, offering both in-person and online meeting
participation. Members of the public may also participate by phone/online. In accordance with the
direction from Governor Inslee, masking and social distancing will be optional for those
participating in person. Individuals who are participating online and wish to speak live must
register their request with the Development Services Coordinator, Rebecca Bennett, at
425.233.6414 or email rbennett@medina-wa.gov and leave a message before 12PM on the day
of the January 24 Planning Commission meeting. Please reference Public Comments for January
24 Planning Commission Meeting in your correspondence. The Development Services
Coordinator will call on you by name or telephone number when it is your turn to speak. You will
be allotted 3 minutes for your comment and will be asked to stop when you reach the 3 minute
limit. The city will also accept written comments. Any written comments must be submitted by 12
PM on the day of the January 24 Planning Commission meeting to the Development Services
Coordinator at rbennett@medina-wa.gov.
Join Zoom Meeting
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1. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
2. ELECTIONS
2.1 2023 Chair and Vice Chair Elections
3. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1
4.1 Planning Commission Minutes of November 15, 2022
Recommendation: Approve Minutes
Staff Contact: Rebecca Bennett, Development Services Coordinator
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS
5.1 Staff/Commissioners
6. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Individuals wishing to speak live during the Virtual Planning Commission meeting will need
to register their request with the Development Services Coordinator, Rebecca Bennett,
via email (rbennett@medina-wa.gov) or by leaving a message at 425.233.6414 before
12pm the day of the Planning Commission meeting. Please reference Public Comments
for the January 24 Planning Commission meeting on your correspondence. The
Development Services Coordinator will call on you by name or telephone number when it
is your turn to speak. You will be allotted 3 minutes for your comment and will be asked to
stop when you reach the 3-minute limit.
7. DISCUSSION
7.1 Comprehensive Plan Update – Housing Element
Recommendation: N/A
Staff Contact(s): Stephanie Keyser, Planning Manager
Time Estimate: 120 minutes
8. ADJOURNMENT
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Planning Commission meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 6 PM, unless
otherwise specified.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need a disability-related modification
or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, to participate in this meeting, please
contact the City Clerk’s Office at (425) 233-6410 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
2023 UPCOMING MEETINGS
Tuesday, February 28th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, March 28th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, April 25th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, May 23rd – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, June 27th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, July 26th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, August 2nd – No PC Meeting
Tuesday, September 26th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, October 24th – Regular Meeting at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, November 28th – Regular Meeting Cancelled – Special Meeting Date TBD
Tuesday, December 26th – Regular Meeting Cancelled – Special Meeting Date TBD
2
CITY OF MEDINA
501 EVERGREEN POINT ROAD | PO BOX 144 | MEDINA WA 98039-0144
TELEPHONE 425-233-6400 | www.medina-wa.gov
MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 24, 2023
TO: Medina Planning Commission
FROM: Stephanie Keyser, AICP, Planning Manager
RE: Opening the Meeting and Electing the 2023 Chair and Vice Chair
Every January, the Planning Commission elects a chair to preside over the meeting and a
vice chair to preside over the meeting in the absence of the chair. Staff recommends using
the process set forth below, which is based on parliamentary procedural rules.
Opening the Meeting
Development Services Coordinator, Rebecca Bennett, will call the Planning Commission
meeting to order as the neutral party.
Roll Call and Call for Nominations
Ms. Bennett will follow with roll call and call for nominations for the Chair. Any
Commissioner may nominate him or herself or a fellow Commissioner. No second is
required. Commissioners may decline their nomination if desired. When all nominations
have been received, the nomination period shall be closed.
If there is more than one nominee, nominees and nominators may make a brief statement in
support of their nominations before the period is closed.
Nominees will be voted on in the order in which they were nominated. Once a nominee has
received a majority vote, they will be declared the Chair.
Once elected, the new Chair will move into his/her new seat.
Election of Vice Chair
The newly elected Chair will take over the call for nominations for Vice Chair. Any
Commissioner may nominate him or herself or a fellow Commissioner. No second is
required. Commissioners may decline their nomination if desired. When all nominations
have been received, the Chair shall close the nomination period.
If there is more than one nominee, nominees and nominators may make a brief statement in
support of their nominations before the period is closed.
The Chair will call for a vote beginning with the first nominee. Once a nominee has received
a majority vote, they will be declared the Vice Chair. 3
AGENDA ITEM 2.1
Once elected, the new Vice Chair will move into his/her new seat.
4
AGENDA ITEM 2.1
MEDINA, WASHINGTON
PLANNING COMMISSION SPECIAL
MEETING
Hybrid-Virtual/In Person
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 – 6:00 PM
MINUTES
COMMISSION CHAIR | Laurel Preston
COMMISSION VICE-CHAIR | Shawn Schubring
COMMISSIONERS | Laura Bustamante, Li-Tan Hsu, David Langworthy, Mark Nelson,
Mike Raskin
PLANNING MANAGER | Stephanie Keyser
1. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Chair Preston called the meeting to order at 6:02pm.
PRESENT
Chair Laurel Preston
Vice Chair Shawn Schubring
Commissioner Laura Bustamante
Commissioner David Langworthy
Commissioner Mark Nelson
Commissioner Mike Raskin
STAFF
Bennett, Burns, Keyser, Miner, Wilcox
2. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA
By consensus, Planning Commission approved the meeting agenda as presented.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
3.1 Planning Commission Minutes of October 25, 2022
Recommendation: Approve Minutes
Staff Contact: Rebecca Bennett, Development Services Coordinator
ACTION: Motion to approve minutes. (Approved 7-0).
Motion made by Commissioner Nelson, Seconded by Vice Chair Schubring.
Voting Yea: Chair Preston, Vice Chair Schubring, Commissioner Bustamante,
Commissioner Hsu, Commissioner Langworthy, Commissioner Nelson, Commissioner
5
AGENDA ITEM 4.1
Raskin
4. ANNOUNCEMENTS
4.1 Staff/Commissioners
Keyser announced that the Planning Commission meeting for next month with be a joint
meeting with the Council from 5:00pm - 6:00pm. The volunteer luncheon is December
8th. In January we will draft a housing plan for the first three months of 2023. There is a
city wide community vision event on January 19th from 5:00pm - 8:00pm.
5. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
There was no audience participation.
6. PUBLIC HEARING
6.1 Annual Code Update
Recommendation: Approve
Staff Contact(s): Stephanie Keyser, Planning Manager
Time Estimate: 60 minutes
Keyser presented the annual minor code amendments.
The Commissioners asked questions and staff responded.
ACTION: Motion to adopt minor changes to new code as presented (7-0).
Motion made by Commissioner Nelson, Seconded by Commissioner Hsu.
Voting Yea: Chair Preston, Vice Chair Schubring, Commissioner Bustamante,
Commissioner Hsu, Commissioner Langworthy, Commissioner Nelson, Commissioner
Raskin
7. ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 6:53pm.
ACTION: Motion to adjourn.
Motion made by Commissioner Bustamante, Seconded by Commissioner Nelson.
Voting Yea: Chair Preston, Vice Chair Schubring, Commissioner Bustamante,
Commissioner Hsu, Commissioner Langworthy, Commissioner Nelson, Commissioner
Raskin
6
AGENDA ITEM 4.1
MEDINA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA BILL
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Subject: Comprehensive Plan Update – Housing Element
Category: Discussion
Staff Contact(s): Stephanie Keyser, Planning Manager
Summary
Planning Commission will begin to discuss the Housing Element of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan
Update. It is anticipated that this element will see some of the most significant amendments in
response to new requirements from the State.
Attachment(s) 1. Housing Element (2015 Comp Plan)
2. GMA Checklist (Housing Element and Development Regulations
sections)
3. RCW 36.70A.070 Comprehensive Plans – Mandatory Elements
4. Fully Planning Guidebook (Dept. of Commerce)
5. PRSC Vision 2050 Draft Housing Element Guide
Budget/Fiscal Impact: N/A
Recommendation: N/A
Proposed Commission Motion: N/A
Time Estimate: 120 minutes
7
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
53
4.HOUSING ELEMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires a housing element that ensures the vitality and
character of established neighborhoods. This element includes:
1. An inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs;
2. A statement of goals, policies and objectives, and mandatory provisions for the
preservation, improvement, and development of housing, including single-family
residences;
3. Identification of sufficient land for housing, including, but not limited to, government
assisted housing, housing for low-income families, manufactured housing, multifamily
housing, and group homes and foster care facilities; and
4. Adequate provisions for existing and projected needs of all economic segments of the
community.
In addition, King County countywide planning policies (CPP) require that each jurisdiction take
actions that will collectively meet the expected growth in, and make housing available to, all
economic segments of the county population. Medina's ability to participate at this level is limited
by a lack of available and suitable building sites and the realities of the real estate market.
However, the City participates in region-wide planning efforts to address affordable housing and
homelessness through ARCH, A Regional Coalition for Housing, described further below.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
While Medina is an incorporated city, its character and function are more like that of a mature
residential neighborhood within a larger community. According to the 2010 U.S. Census of
Population and Housing, there are 1,162 total housing units in the City. Housing units are in the
form of detached single-family units on individual lots. There are no multiple-family structures
and current zoning does not allow such development. Medina is an established residential
community that abuts single-family residential areas of Hunts Point, Clyde Hill, and Bellevue.
Medina maintains a high percentage of owner-occupied units (89.1%) and a vacancy rate of 8.7
percent. Since 2000, the percentage of owner-occupied units has decreased from 98.7 percent,
while the vacancy rate has increased from 4.6 percent. Medina's development pattern is consistent
with that of neighboring communities.
Table 2. Medina Housing Statistics
Housing Measure Value
Housing units 1,162
Vacant housing units 101 (8.7%)
Occupied housing units (households) 1,061
- Owner occupied 945 (89.1%)
- Renter occupied 116 (10.9 %)
8
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
54
Persons per household 2.80
Source: 2010 U.S. Census
PROJECTED HOUSING NEEDS
According to PSRC’s 2013 Land Use Targets dataset, Medina is expected to accommodate 81
additional households by the year 2035.
Given the projected population increase of 46 persons, this increase in households would occur
through a gradual reduction of the current average household size from 2.80 persons per
household to 2.64 persons per household, which is consistent with anticipated demographic
changes (see discussion of Future Growth Issues in Land Use Element).
The adopted growth target for Medina is an additional 27 housing units by the year 2035.
Therefore, the majority of the projected additional households would be accommodated through
existing housing stock, increasing Medina’s occupancy rate to approximately 96 percent by the
year 2035.
For a thorough study of Medina’s existing and projected housing needs, including housing
affordable across a range of income levels, please refer to the East King County Housing Analysis
(ARCH 2013).
HOUSING PLAN
Medina has several mechanisms to assist in the provision of affordable housing. These are as
follows:
•Adult Family Homes are permitted within existing households as a home occupation.
This provides housing opportunities for a segment of the population that often has
difficulty obtaining reasonably priced, quality housing.
•Current regulations allow domestic employees to reside in separate units on the properties
where they work.
•Additional detached units are allowed to be constructed on properties where there is
sufficient lot size to meet the underlying, minimum zoning.
•Accessory dwelling units are permitted in all residential zoning districts subject to the
requirements of the Medina Municipal Code.
•The City makes contributions to ARCH (A Regional Coalition for Housing), to support
regional affordable housing. ARCH staff advises the City on addressing existing and
projected housing needs, and administers Medina’s affordable housing programs. The
ARCH trust fund helps create affordable housing for low- and very low-income
households and people who have special needs or are homeless.
Beyond these mechanisms, the City may actively explore other reasonable means to address
affordable housing issues. One consideration is to broaden the definition of accessory dwelling
units to allow them to be built as separate structures on the same lot, but subject to other existing
requirements. This would allow a measure of affordability without significantly changing the
City's character, provided that other existing requirements of MMC Section 23.34.020 are met.
9
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
55
GOALS
H-G1 The City shall preserve and foster housing development consistent with Medina’s
high-quality residential setting.
H-G2 The City shall explore affordable housing opportunities.
POLICIES
H-P1 The City shall minimize changes to existing zoning designations except as to meet
above goals when deemed necessary by citizens.
H-P2 The City shall consider ways to restrict the size of homes in order to retain the
character of the community.
H-P3 The City shall seek to maintain the informal single family character of its
neighborhoods, including preventing the intrusion of non-residential activities.
H-P4 When a home is constructed such that it may potentially have no feasible resale
market as a single family residence, the owners should be aware that this would not
set the stage for a future conversion to a nonresidential use.
H-P5 The City should work with cities and community representatives on countywide or
subregional funding sources for housing development, preservation, and related
services.
H-P6 The City should continue participation in inter-jurisdictional organizations to assist
in the provision of affordable housing on the Eastside.
H-P7 The City shall continue to make contributions to agencies that support affordable
housing.
H-P8 The City shall explore additional affordable housing options that are compatible
with the City’s high-quality residential setting.
H-P9 The City shall not discriminate between a residential structure occupied by persons
with handicaps and a similar residential structure occupied by a family or other
unrelated individuals.
H-P10 The City shall assure that zoning does not unduly restrict group homes or other
housing options for persons with special needs by making reasonable
accommodations in its rules, policies, practices, and services, when such
accommodations may be necessary, to afford persons with disabilities equal
opportunity to use or enjoy a dwelling.
H-P11 The City shall permit group living situations that meet the definition of “family
status”, including where residents receive such supportive services as counseling,
foster care, or medical supervision, within a single family house.
H-P12 To reduce the loss of households, the City should discourage lot aggregation that
impacts the scale and character of the neighborhood.
10
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
Housing Element
In the 2021 legislative session, HB 1220 substantially amended the housing -related provisions of the Growth Management Act (GMA), RCW
36.70A.070 (2). Local governments should review local comprehensive plan policies and countywide planning policies to be consistent with th e
updated requirements. Please refer to Commerce’s housing webpages for further information about the new requirements:
Updating GMA Housing Elements and Planning for Housing
In Current Plan?
Yes/No
If yes, cite section
Changes needed to
meet current statute?
Yes/No
Notes
a. Goals, policies, and objectives for the
preservation, improvement, and development of
housing. RCW 36.70A.070(2)(b) and WAC 365-
196-410(2)(a)
Yes; Land Use
Element (LU-G4,
LU-P4); Housing
Element (H-G1)
Yes Additional goals for preserving existing housing stock will be
discussed during update.
b. Within an urban growth area boundary,
consideration of duplexes, triplexes, and
townhomes. RCW 36.70A.070(2)(c) amended in
2021, WAC 365-196-300
No Yes New state requirements will be discussed during update.
c. Consideration of housing locations in relation to
employment locations and the role of ADUs.
RCW 36.70A.070(2)(d) amended in 2021
No Yes
While ADUs are not specifically called out in the 2015
Comprehensive Plan, they are allowed per Medina’s Municipal
Code 16.34.020
d. An inventory and analysis of existing and
projected housing needs over the planning period,
by income band, consistent with the jurisdiction’s
share of housing need, as provided by Commerce.
RCW 36.70A.070(2)(a) amended in 2021,
WAC 365-196-410(2)(b) and (c)
No Yes Is underway with the Housing Action Plan
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
PERIODIC UPDATE CHECKLIST FOR FULLY PLANNING CITIES – REVISED OCTOBER 2022 2
e. Identification of capacity of land for housing
including, but not limited to, government-assisted
housing, housing for moderate, low, very low, and
extremely low-income households, manufactured
housing, multifamily housing, group homes, foster
care facilities, emergency housing, emergency
shelters, permanent supportive housing.
RCW 36.70A.070(2)(c) amended in 2021, WAC
365-196-410(e) and (f)
No Yes Will draw from the Housing Action Plan currently underway
f. Adequate provisions for existing and projected
housing needs for all economic segments of the
community. RCW 36.70A.070(2)(d) amended in
2021, WAC 365-196-010(g)(ii), WAC 365-196-
300(f), WAC 365-196-410 and see Commerce’s
Housing Action Plan (HAP) guidance: Guidance
for Developing a Housing Action Plan
No Yes Will draw from the Housing Action Plan currently underway
g. Identify local policies and regulations that result
in racially disparate impacts, displacement, and
exclusion in housing, including:
Zoning that may have a discriminatory effect;
Disinvestment; and
Infrastructure availability
RCW 36.70A.070(e) new in 2021
No Yes Will add policies as required
In Current Plan?
Yes/No
If yes, cite section
Changes needed to
meet current statute?
Yes/No
Notes
h. Establish policies and regulations to address and
begin to undo racially disparate impacts,
displacement, and exclusion in housing caused by
local policies, plans, and actions.
RCW 36.70A.070(2)(f) new in 2021
No Yes Will add policies as required
12
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
PERIODIC UPDATE CHECKLIST FOR FULLY PLANNING CITIES – REVISED OCTOBER 2022 3
i. Identification of areas that may be at higher risk
of displacement from market forces that occur
with changes to zoning development regulations
and capital investments.1
RCW 36.70A.070(2)(g) new in 2021
Establish anti-displacement policies, with
consideration given to the preservation of
historical and cultural communities as well as
investments in low, very low, extremely low, and
moderate-income housing; equitable development
initiatives; inclusionary zoning; community
planning requirements; tenant protections; land
disposition policies; and consideration of land that
may be used for affordable housing.
RCW 36.70A.070(2)(h) new in 2021
No Yes Will add policies as required
1 This work should identify areas where anti-displacement tools may be applied, but may not need to be in the comprehensive plan. See Commerce’s housing guidance:
Updating GMA Housing Elements - Washington State Department of Commerce
13
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
PERIODIC UPDATE CHECKLIST FOR FULLY PLANNING CITIES – REVISED OCTOBER 2022 4
Section II: Development Regulations
Must be consistent with and implement the comprehensive plan. RCW 36.70A.040, WAC 365-196-800 and 810
Critical Areas
Regulations protecting critical areas are required by RCW 36.70A.060(2), RCW 36.70A.172(1), WAC 365-190-080 and WAC 365-195-900 through
925.
Please visit Commerce’s Critical Areas webpage for resources and to complete the Critical Areas Checklist. Critical areas regulations must be reviewed and
updated, as necessary, to incorporate legislative changes and best available science. Jurisdictions using periodic update grant funds to update critical areas
regulations must submit the critical areas checklist as a first deliverable, in addition to this periodic update checklist.
Zoning Code
In Current Regs?
Yes/No
If yes, cite section
Changes needed to
meet current statute?
Yes/No
Notes
a. Zoning designations are consistent and
implement land use designations that
accommodate future housing needs by income
bracket as allocated through the countywide
planning process (RCW 36.70A.070(2)(c) -
Amended in 2021 with HB 1220)
No
Yes Will be amended to include housing needs by income
bracket as allocated through the countywide planning
process
b. Permanent supportive housing or transitional
housing must be allowed where residences and
hotels are allowed. RCW 36.70A.390 New in
2021, (HB 1220 sections 3-5)
“permanent supportive housing” is defined in
RCW 36.70A.030; “transitional housing” is
defined in RCW 84.36.043(2)(c)
Yes; MMC
16.31.60
No No amendments anticipated at this time
c. Indoor emergency shelters and indoor
emergency housing shall be allowed in any
zones in which hotels are allowed, except in
cities that have adopted an ordinance
authorizing indoor emergency shelters and
indoor emergency housing in a majority of
zones within one-mile of transit. Indoor
emergency housing must be allowed in areas
with hotels. RCW 35A.21.430 amended in 2021,
RCW 35.21.683, amended in 2021, (HB 1220
sections 3-5)
“emergency housing” is defined in RCW
84.36.043(2)(b)
N/A N/A
Indoor emergency shelters and housing are not
required in Medina because Medina does not allow
hotels
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
PERIODIC UPDATE CHECKLIST FOR FULLY PLANNING CITIES – REVISED OCTOBER 2022 5
In Current Regs?
Yes/No
If yes, cite section
Changes needed to
meet current statute?
Yes/No
Notes
d. The number of unrelated persons that occupy a
household or dwelling unit except as provided in
state law, for short term rentals, or occupant
load per square foot shall not be regulated or
limited by cities. (HB 5235), RCW 35.21.682 new
in 2021, RCW 35A.21.314 new in 2022,
RCW 36.01.227 new in 2021
No Yes Need to amend Single-Family Dwelling definition as it limits
the number of people that can occupy a dwelling
e. Limitations on the amount of parking local
governments can require for low-income, senior,
disabled and market-rate housing units located
near high-quality transit service.
RCW 36.70A.620 amended in 2020 and
RCW 36.70A.600 amended in 2019
N/A N/A Medina doesn’t have low-income, senior, disabled, or
market-rate housing
f. Family day care providers are allowed in all
residential dwellings located in areas zoned for
residential or commercial RCW 36.70A.450.
Review RCW 43.216.010 for definition of family
day care provider and WAC 365-196-865 for
more information.
Yes; MMC
16.31.020 No No changes anticipated
g. Manufactured housing is regulated the same as
site built housing. RCW 35.21.684 amended in
2019, RCW 35.63.160, RCW 35A.21.312
amended in 2019 and RCW 36.01.225 amended
in 2019. A local government may require that
manufactured homes: (1) are new, (2) are set on
a permanent foundation, and (3) comply with
local design standards applicable to other
homes in the neighborhood, but may not
discriminate against consumer choice in
housing.
See: National Manufactured Housing
Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974
Yes; MMC
16.31.020 No No changes anticipated
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
PERIODIC UPDATE CHECKLIST FOR FULLY PLANNING CITIES – REVISED OCTOBER 2022 6
In Current Regs?
Yes/No
If yes, cite section
Changes needed to
meet current statute?
Yes/No
Notes
h. Accessory dwelling units: cities (and counties)
must adopt or amend by ordinance, and
incorporate into their development regulations,
zoning regulations and other official controls
the requirements of RCW 36.70A.698 amended
in 2021. Review RCW 36.70A.696 amended in
2021 through 699 and RCW 43.63A.215(3)
Watch for new guidance from Commerce on the
Planning for Housing webpage.
Yes; MMC
16.34.020 No Will review for compliance with most updated guidance
i. Residential structures occupied by persons with
handicaps, and group care for children that
meets the definition of “familial status” are
regulated the same as a similar residential
structure occupied by a family or other
unrelated individuals. No city or county planning
under the GMA may enact or maintain
ordinances, development regulations, or
administrative practices which treat a
residential structure occupied by persons with
handicaps differently than a similar residential
structure occupied by a family or other
unrelated individuals.
RCW 36.70A.410, RCW 70.128.140 and 150,
RCW 49.60.222-225 and WAC 365-196-860
Yes; MMC
16.31.020 No No changes anticipated
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
PERIODIC UPDATE CHECKLIST FOR FULLY PLANNING CITIES – REVISED OCTOBER 2022 7
In Current Regs?
Yes/No
If yes, cite section
Changes needed to
meet current statute?
Yes/No
Notes
j. Affordable housing programs enacted or
expanded under RCW 36.70A.540 amended in
2022 comply with the requirements of this
section. Examples of such programs may
include: density bonuses within urban growth
areas, height and bulk bonuses, fee waivers or
exemptions, parking reductions, expedited
permitting conditioned on provision of low-
income housing units, or mixed-use projects.
WAC 365-196-300
See also RCW 36.70A.545 and WAC 365-196-
410(2)(e)(i)
“affordable housing” is defined in RCW
84.14.010
Review RCW 36.70A.620 amended in 2020 for
minimum residential parking requirements
No No No programs anticipated
k. Limitations on regulating: outdoor
encampments, safe parking efforts, indoor
overnight shelters and temporary small houses
on property owned or controlled by a religious
organization. RCW 36.01.290 amended in 2020
No No
No city regulations preventing a religious organization from
allowing encampments, safe parking, shelters or temporary
houses
l. Regulations discourage incompatible uses
around general aviation airports. RCW 36.70.547
and WAC 365-196-455. Incompatible uses
include: high population intensity uses such as
schools, community centers, tall structures, and
hazardous wildlife attractants such as solid
waste disposal sites, wastewater or stormwater
treatment facilities, or stockyards. For more
guidance, see WSDOT’s Aviation Land Use
Compatibility Program.
N/A N/A No airports in Medina
17
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
RCW 36.70A.070
Comprehensive plans—Mandatory elements.
The comprehensive plan of a county or city that is required or chooses to
plan under RCW 36.70A.040 shall consist of a map or maps, and descriptive text
covering objectives, principles, and standards used to develop the comprehensive
plan. The plan shall be an internally consistent document and all elements shall be
consistent with the future land use map. A comprehensive plan shall be adopted
and amended with public participation as provided in RCW 36.70A.140. Each
comprehensive plan shall include a plan, scheme, or design for each of the
following:
(1) A land use element designating the proposed general distribution and
general location and extent of the uses of land, where appropriate, for agriculture,
timber production, housing, commerce, industry, recreation, open spaces, general
aviation airports, public utilities, public facilities, and other land uses. The land use
element shall include population densities, building intensities, and estimates of
future population growth. The land use element shall provide for protection of the
quality and quantity of groundwater used for public water supplies. Wherever
possible, the land use element should consider utilizing urban planning approaches
that promote physical activity. Where applicable, the land use element shall review
drainage, flooding, and stormwater runoff in the area and nearby jurisdictions and
provide guidance for corrective actions to mitigate or cleanse those discharges that
pollute waters of the state, including Puget Sound or waters entering Puget Sound.
(2) A housing element ensuring the vitality and character of established
residential neighborhoods that:
(a) Includes an inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing
needs that identifies the number of housing units necessary to manage projected
growth, as provided by the department of commerce, including:
(i) Units for moderate, low, very low, and extremely low-income households;
and
(ii) Emergency housing, emergency shelters, and permanent supportive
housing;
(b) Includes a statement of goals, policies, objectives, and mandatory
provisions for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing,
including single-family residences, and within an urban growth area boundary,
moderate density housing options including, but not limited to, duplexes, triplexes,
and townhomes;
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
(c) Identifies sufficient capacity of land for housing including, but not limited
to, government-assisted housing, housing for moderate, low, very low, and
extremely low-income households, manufactured housing, multifamily housing,
group homes, foster care facilities, emergency housing, emergency shelters,
permanent supportive housing, and within an urban growth area boundary,
consideration of duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes;
(d) Makes adequate provisions for existing and projected needs of all
economic segments of the community, including:
(i) Incorporating consideration for low, very low, extremely low, and
moderate-income households;
(ii) Documenting programs and actions needed to achieve housing
availability including gaps in local funding, barriers such as development
regulations, and other limitations;
(iii) Consideration of housing locations in relation to employment location;
and
(iv) Consideration of the role of accessory dwelling units in meeting housing
needs;
(e) Identifies local policies and regulations that result in racially disparate
impacts, displacement, and exclusion in housing, including:
(i) Zoning that may have a discriminatory effect;
(ii) Disinvestment; and
(iii) Infrastructure availability;
(f) Identifies and implements policies and regulations to address and begin to
undo racially disparate impacts, displacement, and exclusion in housing caused by
local policies, plans, and actions;
(g) Identifies areas that may be at higher risk of displacement from market
forces that occur with changes to zoning development regulations and capital
investments; and
(h) Establishes antidisplacement policies, with consideration given to the
preservation of historical and cultural communities as well as investments in low,
very low, extremely low, and moderate-income housing; equitable development
initiatives; inclusionary zoning; community planning requirements; tenant
protections; land disposition policies; and consideration of land that may be used
for affordable housing.
In counties and cities subject to the review and evaluation requirements of
RCW 36.70A.215, any revision to the housing element shall include consideration of
prior review and evaluation reports and any reasonable measures identified. The
housing element should link jurisdictional goals with overall county goals to ensure
that the housing element goals are met.
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
The adoption of ordinances, development regulations and amendments to
such regulations, and other nonproject actions taken by a city that is required or
chooses to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 that increase housing capacity, increase
housing affordability, and mitigate displacement as required under this subsection
(2) and that apply outside of critical areas are not subject to administrative or
judicial appeal under chapter 43.21C RCW unless the adoption of such ordinances,
development regulations and amendments to such regulations, or other
nonproject actions has a probable significant adverse impact on fish habitat.
(3) A capital facilities plan element consisting of: (a) An inventory of existing
capital facilities owned by public entities, showing the locations and capacities of
the capital facilities; (b) a forecast of the future needs for such capital facilities; (c)
the proposed locations and capacities of expanded or new capital facilities; (d) at
least a six-year plan that will finance such capital facilities within projected funding
capacities and clearly identifies sources of public money for such purposes; and (e)
a requirement to reassess the land use element if probable funding falls short of
meeting existing needs and to ensure that the land use element, capital facilities
plan element, and financing plan within the capital facilities plan element are
coordinated and consistent. Park and recreation facilities shall be included in the
capital facilities plan element.
(4) A utilities element consisting of the general location, proposed location,
and capacity of all existing and proposed utilities, including, but not limited to,
electrical lines, telecommunication lines, and natural gas lines.
(5) Rural element. Counties shall include a rural element including lands that
are not designated for urban growth, agriculture, forest, or mineral resources. The
following provisions shall apply to the rural element:
(a) Growth management act goals and local circumstances. Because
circumstances vary from county to county, in establishing patterns of rural
densities and uses, a county may consider local circumstances, but shall develop a
written record explaining how the rural element harmonizes the planning goals in
RCW 36.70A.020 and meets the requirements of this chapter.
(b) Rural development. The rural element shall permit rural development,
forestry, and agriculture in rural areas. The rural element shall provide for a variety
of rural densities, uses, essential public facilities, and rural governmental services
needed to serve the permitted densities and uses. To achieve a variety of rural
densities and uses, counties may provide for clustering, density transfer, design
guidelines, conservation easements, and other innovative techniques that will
accommodate appropriate rural economic advancement, densities, and uses that
are not characterized by urban growth and that are consistent with rural character.
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
(c) Measures governing rural development. The rural element shall include
measures that apply to rural development and protect the rural character of the
area, as established by the county, by:
(i) Containing or otherwise controlling rural development;
(ii) Assuring visual compatibility of rural development with the surrounding
rural area;
(iii) Reducing the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land into
sprawling, low-density development in the rural area;
(iv) Protecting critical areas, as provided in RCW 36.70A.060, and surface
water and groundwater resources; and
(v) Protecting against conflicts with the use of agricultural, forest, and mineral
resource lands designated under RCW 36.70A.170.
(d) Limited areas of more intensive rural development. Subject to the
requirements of this subsection and except as otherwise specifically provided in
this subsection (5)(d), the rural element may allow for limited areas of more
intensive rural development, including necessary public facilities and public services
to serve the limited area as follows:
(i) Rural development consisting of the infill, development, or redevelopment
of existing commercial, industrial, residential, or mixed-use areas, whether
characterized as shoreline development, villages, hamlets, rural activity centers, or
crossroads developments.
(A) A commercial, industrial, residential, shoreline, or mixed-use area are
subject to the requirements of (d)(iv) of this subsection, but are not subject to the
requirements of (c)(ii) and (iii) of this subsection.
(B) Any development or redevelopment other than an industrial area or an
industrial use within a mixed-use area or an industrial area under this subsection
(5)(d)(i) must be principally designed to serve the existing and projected rural
population.
(C) Any development or redevelopment in terms of building size, scale, use,
or intensity may be permitted subject to confirmation from all existing providers of
public facilities and public services of sufficient capacity of existing public facilities
and public services to serve any new or additional demand from the new
development or redevelopment. Development and redevelopment may include
changes in use from vacant land or a previously existing use so long as the new use
conforms to the requirements of this subsection (5) and is consistent with the local
character. Any commercial development or redevelopment within a mixed-use area
must be principally designed to serve the existing and projected rural population
and must meet the following requirements:
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
(I) Any included retail or food service space must not exceed the footprint of
previously occupied space or 5,000 square feet, whichever is greater, for the same
or similar use; and
(II) Any included retail or food service space must not exceed 2,500 square
feet for a new use;
(ii) The intensification of development on lots containing, or new
development of, small-scale recreational or tourist uses, including commercial
facilities to serve those recreational or tourist uses, that rely on a rural location and
setting, but that do not include new residential development. A small-scale
recreation or tourist use is not required to be principally designed to serve the
existing and projected rural population. Public services and public facilities shall be
limited to those necessary to serve the recreation or tourist use and shall be
provided in a manner that does not permit low-density sprawl;
(iii) The intensification of development on lots containing isolated
nonresidential uses or new development of isolated cottage industries and isolated
small-scale businesses that are not principally designed to serve the existing and
projected rural population and nonresidential uses, but do provide job
opportunities for rural residents. Rural counties may allow the expansion of small-
scale businesses as long as those small-scale businesses conform with the rural
character of the area as defined by the local government according to
RCW 36.70A.030(23). Rural counties may also allow new small-scale businesses to
utilize a site previously occupied by an existing business as long as the new small-
scale business conforms to the rural character of the area as defined by the local
government according to RCW 36.70A.030(23). Public services and public facilities
shall be limited to those necessary to serve the isolated nonresidential use and
shall be provided in a manner that does not permit low-density sprawl;
(iv) A county shall adopt measures to minimize and contain the existing areas
of more intensive rural development, as appropriate, authorized under this
subsection. Lands included in such existing areas shall not extend beyond the
logical outer boundary of the existing area, thereby allowing a new pattern of low-
density sprawl. Existing areas are those that are clearly identifiable and contained
and where there is a logical boundary delineated predominately by the built
environment, but that may also include undeveloped lands if limited as provided in
this subsection. The county shall establish the logical outer boundary of an area of
more intensive rural development. In establishing the logical outer boundary, the
county shall address (A) the need to preserve the character of existing natural
neighborhoods and communities, (B) physical boundaries, such as bodies of water,
streets and highways, and land forms and contours, (C) the prevention of
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
abnormally irregular boundaries, and (D) the ability to provide public facilities and
public services in a manner that does not permit low-density sprawl;
(v) For purposes of this subsection (5)(d), an existing area or existing use is
one that was in existence:
(A) On July 1, 1990, in a county that was initially required to plan under all of
the provisions of this chapter;
(B) On the date the county adopted a resolution under RCW 36.70A.040(2), in
a county that is planning under all of the provisions of this chapter under
RCW 36.70A.040(2); or
(C) On the date the office of financial management certifies the county's
population as provided in RCW 36.70A.040(5), in a county that is planning under all
of the provisions of this chapter pursuant to RCW 36.70A.040(5).
(e) Exception. This subsection shall not be interpreted to permit in the rural
area a major industrial development or a master planned resort unless otherwise
specifically permitted under RCW 36.70A.360 and 36.70A.365.
(6) A transportation element that implements, and is consistent with, the
land use element.
(a) The transportation element shall include the following subelements:
(i) Land use assumptions used in estimating travel;
(ii) Estimated traffic impacts to state-owned transportation facilities resulting
from land use assumptions to assist the department of transportation in
monitoring the performance of state facilities, to plan improvements for the
facilities, and to assess the impact of land-use decisions on state-owned
transportation facilities;
(iii) Facilities and services needs, including:
(A) An inventory of air, water, and ground transportation facilities and
services, including transit alignments and general aviation airport facilities, to
define existing capital facilities and travel levels as a basis for future planning. This
inventory must include state-owned transportation facilities within the city or
county's jurisdictional boundaries;
(B) Level of service standards for all locally owned arterials and transit routes
to serve as a gauge to judge performance of the system. These standards should be
regionally coordinated;
(C) For state-owned transportation facilities, level of service standards for
highways, as prescribed in chapters 47.06 and 47.80 RCW, to gauge the
performance of the system. The purposes of reflecting level of service standards for
state highways in the local comprehensive plan are to monitor the performance of
the system, to evaluate improvement strategies, and to facilitate coordination
between the county's or city's six-year street, road, or transit program and the
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
office of financial management's ten-year investment program. The concurrency
requirements of (b) of this subsection do not apply to transportation facilities and
services of statewide significance except for counties consisting of islands whose
only connection to the mainland are state highways or ferry routes. In these island
counties, state highways and ferry route capacity must be a factor in meeting the
concurrency requirements in (b) of this subsection;
(D) Specific actions and requirements for bringing into compliance locally
owned transportation facilities or services that are below an established level of
service standard;
(E) Forecasts of traffic for at least ten years based on the adopted land use
plan to provide information on the location, timing, and capacity needs of future
growth;
(F) Identification of state and local system needs to meet current and future
demands. Identified needs on state-owned transportation facilities must be
consistent with the statewide multimodal transportation plan required under
chapter 47.06 RCW;
(iv) Finance, including:
(A) An analysis of funding capability to judge needs against probable funding
resources;
(B) A multiyear financing plan based on the needs identified in the
comprehensive plan, the appropriate parts of which shall serve as the basis for the
six-year street, road, or transit program required by RCW 35.77.010 for cities,
RCW 36.81.121 for counties, and RCW 35.58.2795 for public transportation systems.
The multiyear financing plan should be coordinated with the ten-year investment
program developed by the office of financial management as required by
RCW 47.05.030;
(C) If probable funding falls short of meeting identified needs, a discussion of
how additional funding will be raised, or how land use assumptions will be
reassessed to ensure that level of service standards will be met;
(v) Intergovernmental coordination efforts, including an assessment of the
impacts of the transportation plan and land use assumptions on the transportation
systems of adjacent jurisdictions;
(vi) Demand-management strategies;
(vii) Pedestrian and bicycle component to include collaborative efforts to
identify and designate planned improvements for pedestrian and bicycle facilities
and corridors that address and encourage enhanced community access and
promote healthy lifestyles.
(b) After adoption of the comprehensive plan by jurisdictions required to
plan or who choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040, local jurisdictions must adopt
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
and enforce ordinances which prohibit development approval if the development
causes the level of service on a locally owned transportation facility to decline
below the standards adopted in the transportation element of the comprehensive
plan, unless transportation improvements or strategies to accommodate the
impacts of development are made concurrent with the development. These
strategies may include increased public transportation service, ride-
sharing programs, demand management, and other transportation systems
management strategies. For the purposes of this subsection (6), "concurrent with
the development" means that improvements or strategies are in place at the time
of development, or that a financial commitment is in place to complete the
improvements or strategies within six years. If the collection of impact fees is
delayed under RCW 82.02.050(3), the six-year period required by this subsection
(6)(b) must begin after full payment of all impact fees is due to the county or city.
(c) The transportation element described in this subsection (6), the six-year
plans required by RCW 35.77.010 for cities, RCW 36.81.121 for counties, and
RCW 35.58.2795 for public transportation systems, and the ten-year investment
program required by RCW 47.05.030 for the state, must be consistent.
(7) An economic development element establishing local goals, policies,
objectives, and provisions for economic growth and vitality and a high quality of life.
A city that has chosen to be a residential community is exempt from the economic
development element requirement of this subsection.
(8) A park and recreation element that implements, and is consistent with,
the capital facilities plan element as it relates to park and recreation facilities. The
element shall include: (a) Estimates of park and recreation demand for at least a
ten-year period; (b) an evaluation of facilities and service needs; and (c) an
evaluation of intergovernmental coordination opportunities to provide regional
approaches for meeting park and recreational demand.
(9) It is the intent that new or amended elements required after January 1,
2002, be adopted concurrent with the scheduled update provided in
RCW 36.70A.130. Requirements to incorporate any such new or amended elements
shall be null and void until funds sufficient to cover applicable local government
costs are appropriated and distributed by the state at least two years before local
government must update comprehensive plans as required in RCW 36.70A.130.
[ 2022 c 246 § 2; 2022 c 220 § 1; 2021 c 254 § 2. Prior: 2017 3rd sp.s. c 18 § 4; 2017
3rd sp.s. c 16 § 4; 2017 c 331 § 2; 2015 c 241 § 2; 2010 1st sp.s. c 26 § 6; 2005 c 360
§ 2; (2005 c 477 § 1 expired August 31, 2005); 2004 c 196 § 1; 2003 c 152 § 1;
prior: 2002 c 212 § 2; 2002 c 154 § 2; 1998 c 171 § 2; 1997 c 429 § 7; 1996 c 239 § 1;
prior: 1995 c 400 § 3; 1995 c 377 § 1; 1990 1st ex.s. c 17 § 7.]
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
We strengthen communities
A Guide to the
Periodic Update Process
Under the Growth
Management Act
Fully-Planning Counties & Cities
LOCAL GOVERNMENT DIVISION GROWTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
A GUIDE TO THE PERIODIC UPDATE PROCESS UNDER THE GMA – FULLY PLANNING – REVISED 2022 2
Table of Contents
Acronyms and terms used in this guide ........................................................................................................ 4
I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5
II. The basics: .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Who must complete the periodic update? ............................................................................................................... 6
Regional Requirements: ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Buildable Lands Program .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Vision 2050 & Multicounty Planning Policies (MPPs) in Central Puget Sound ......................................................... 7
Figure 1: Regional Variations in Planning Requirements ....................................................................................... 8
When is the update due? ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 2. Periodic Update Schedule for Fully & Partially Planning Counties ......................................................... 9
Deadline Extensions ................................................................................................................................................ 10
What is a small or slow-growing jurisdiction? ....................................................................................................... 10
Can a jurisdiction complete the update early? ...................................................................................................... 10
III: What’s new for the 2024-2027 cycle ...................................................................................................... 11
IV: Mandatory topics to review & revise ...................................................................................................... 12
Amendments to the GMA ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Urban growth areas & population projections ....................................................................................................... 12
Mandatory Elements of the Comprehensive Plan................................................................................................. 13
Development Regulations ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Critical Areas ............................................................................................................................................................ 14
Resource Lands ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
V. The review and update process .............................................................................................................. 15
Steps of the process: .............................................................................................................................................. 15
1. Create a work program .................................................................................................................................................. 15
2. Capital facilities data gathering and planning ........................................................................................................... 15
3. Initiate county-city collaboration .................................................................................................................................. 16
4. Begin review of existing regulations ........................................................................................................................... 16
5. Develop a community engagement plan ................................................................................................................... 17
6. Conduct SEPA environmental review & checklist ..................................................................................................... 18
7. Draft staff reports and maps ........................................................................................................................................ 18
8. Issue public notices ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
9. Make SEPA determination ............................................................................................................................................ 18
11. Take legislative action ................................................................................................................................................. 19
12. Submit notice of adoption to Commerce and publish updates .......................................................................... 19
VI: Additional Considerations ..................................................................................................................... 20
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
A GUIDE TO THE PERIODIC UPDATE PROCESS UNDER THE GMA – FULLY PLANNING – REVISED 2022 3
Periodic Update Grants ........................................................................................................................................... 20
Comprehensive plan optional elements ................................................................................................................ 21
Coordination with military bases ............................................................................................................................ 21
Tribal Participation in Planning .............................................................................................................................. 21
Figure 3. Federally Recognized Tribes ........................................................................................................ 22
Resources: ................................................................................................................................................ 23
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
A GUIDE TO THE PERIODIC UPDATE PROCESS UNDER THE GMA – FULLY PLANNING – REVISED 2022 4
Acronyms and terms used in this guide
Buildable Lands – The Review and Evaluation Program, RCW 36.70A.215
CAO - Critical Areas Ordinance
CARL – Critical Areas and Resource Lands
CFP – Capital Facilities Plan
Commerce – Washington State Department of Commerce (previously named the Department of Community,
Trade and Economic Development or CTED prior to July 2009)
Comprehensive plan - land use document that provides the framework and policy direction to manage where
and how growth needs are met. Plan elements address land use, housing, capital facilities, utilities,
rural/natural resources, transportation, economic development, environment, cultural resources, and other
topics.
Development regulations - controls placed on development or land use activities by a county or city, such as
codes for zoning, critical areas, planned unit developments, and subdivisions.
GMA – Growth Management Act, RCW Chapter 36.70A
GMS – Growth Management Services, a unit in the Department of Commerce Local Government Division that
helps counties and cities implement the GMA.
MRSC – Municipal Research and Services Center
OFM – Washington State Office of Financial Management
Periodic update – A regularly scheduled review and update of county and city comprehensive plans and
development regulations. For most communities, the update takes place every ten years under a schedule
established by the Legislature in the GMA.
Public Participation Program – a locally established program to ensure public participation is encouraged
early and often, and identifies how all persons who have requested notice of a comprehensive plan update are
given notice of the amendments and an opportunity to comment.
PSRC – Puget Sound Regional Council; responsible for certifying Puget Sound jurisdictions’ adopted plans &
policies
RCW – Revised Code of Washington (laws adopted by the state Legislature)
SEPA – State Environmental Policy Act
SMA – Shoreline Management Act
SMP – Shoreline Master Program
UGA – Urban Growth Area
WAC – Washington Administrative Code (rules adopted by state agencies)
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
A GUIDE TO THE PERIODIC UPDATE PROCESS UNDER THE GMA – FULLY PLANNING – REVISED 2022 5
I. Introduction
The Growth Management Act (GMA)1, first adopted in 1990, is a
series of statutes developed to address ways to accommodate
growth. It requires that the fastest-growing cities and counties
complete comprehensive plans and development regulations to
guide future growth. In addition, all jurisdictions are required to
protect critical environmental areas and conserve natural
resource lands, such as farms and forests.
Under the GMA, every county and city in the state is required to
conduct a thorough periodic update of its comprehensive plan
and/or development regulations that are consistent with, and
implement the plan. The obligation for a periodic update varies
depending on whether the jurisdiction is fully or partially planning.2 The GMA requires fully-planning counties
and cities to review their comprehensive plan and development regulations to bring them up to date with any
relevant changes in the GMA, recent case law and to respond to changes in land use and population growth.
The review and update also include critical areas and resource lands (CARL). If a county or city is a partially-
planning jurisdiction, the “Guide to the Periodic Update for Partially Planning Jurisdictions” should be used in
place of this guide.
Some jurisdictions have additional planning requirements. Population size, rate of growth and other factors
place local governments into different categories. Figure 1 shows the regional variation in planning
requirements. These variations are discussed throughout the guidebook.
In 2022, approval of HB 1241 by the Washington State Legislature changed the periodic update cycle
recurrence from eight years to ten years after the 2024-2027 update cycle.3
This guide explains when and how to go through the
necessary steps in the periodic update process. The level of
effort and timing of the update steps will vary depending on
how recently your community has comprehensively updated
its plan, the size of your community, and other factors. The list
of steps in this guide is not intended to be exhaustive.
This guide is intended as a user-friendly supplement to the
GMA statutes and administrative rules that describe
procedures that must be followed and substantive issues that
must be addressed.
This guide may not be able to answer all of your questions
about the periodic update. Commerce’s Growth Management Services team is available to help! Visit
Commerce’s Growth Management webpage for the Regional Assistance Map to contact the Commerce
planner assigned to your region. Additional resources and links can be found on the Periodic Update webpage
and the Growth Management Planning Topics webpage
1 The GMA is codified under RCW 36.70A
2 Statute describing fully and partially planning: RCW 36.70A.040; see also Figure 2 of this guide
3 RCW 36.70A.130(5)
Olympia, WA
Spokane, WA
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
A GUIDE TO THE PERIODIC UPDATE PROCESS UNDER THE GMA – FULLY PLANNING – REVISED 2022 6
II. The basics:
Who must complete the periodic update?
Every county and city in the state is required to conduct a periodic update, though the obligation varies
depending on whether the jurisdiction is fully or partially planning.
Fully planning means that a city or county must meet all GMA requirements, including adoption of a
comprehensive plan and a complete set of development regulations implementing the plan. Only the state’s
fastest growing counties and cities are required to plan fully, though a number of counties have “opted -in” by
choice.
Partially planning jurisdictions are the counties, and the cities within their boundaries, that do not meet GMA
population and growth rate thresholds and have not chosen to fully plan under the GMA. Partially planning
counties are required to designate and protect critical areas and resource lands (CARL). Partially planning
cities must designate and protect critical areas, but may also designate mineral resource lands. Currently,
there are eleven partially planning counties: Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Lincoln,
Okanogan, Skamania, Wahkiakum, and Whitman Counties.4
Fully planning counties and cities must complete the periodic update for their entire comprehensive plan and
development regulations within the designated timeframe. Drafts must be submitted to Commerce for
stakeholder 60-day review, followed by final update deliverables submitted to Commerce within 10-days of
final adoption by the local jurisdiction.
Some regions of the state with larger populations must include additional planning policies, which may include
the Buildable Lands Program and multi-county planning policies. Figure 1 illustrates the regional variations in
planning requirements.
Regional Requirements:
Buildable Lands Program
Included as a component of the Growth Management
Act (GMA) in 1997, the Review and Evaluation Program
under RCW 36.70A.215 is often referred to as the
Buildable Lands Program. It requires that Clark, King,
Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom (as
of 2017) Counties and the cities within them establish a
Program in their Countywide Planning Policies to
identify the methodology, data collection, and inter-
agency agreements to guide the completion of a
Buildable Lands report every ten years.5 This report is
due no later than two or three years, as specified by
RCW 36.70A.215, to the due date of the periodic review.6 The Buildable Lands reports are a look back at actual
development trends, patterns, and densities, to determine if cities and counties have designated adequate
4 RCW 36.70A.040 and Figure 2
5 Buildable Lands Guidelines 2018 https://www.commerce.wa.gov/serving-communities/growth-management/growth-management-
topics/buildable-lands/
6 RCW 36.70A.215
Lakewood, WA
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AGENDA ITEM 7.1
A GUIDE TO THE PERIODIC UPDATE PROCESS UNDER THE GMA – FULLY PLANNING – REVISED 2022 7
amounts of residential, commercial and industrial lands to meet the growth needs incorporated in their
comprehensive plans. See the Buildable Lands Program webpage for the updated Buildable Lands Guidelines
and additional resources. As a supplemental document to the Buildable Lands Guidance, the Department of
Commerce released its Housing Memo: Issues Affecting Housing Availability and Affordability to the public.
The memo addresses barriers to housing production and affordability in Washington, and provides tools aimed
at assisting local governments in improving housing affordability. The memo, requested by the 2017
Legislature’s E2SSB 5254 as part of an update to the Buildable Lands program, is relevant to cities and counties
statewide.
Vision 2050 & Multicounty Planning Policies (MPPs) in Central Puget Sound
VISION 2050 is the shared regional plan for moving toward a sustainable future in King, Kitsap, Pierce, and
Snohomish counties. VISION 2050’s multicounty planning policies, actions, and regional growth strategy guide
how and where the region grows through 2050.
To help coordinate regional and local planning efforts, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) works with
countywide planning groups, local jurisdictions, transit agencies, and others to ensure that adopted regional
policies and provisions are addressed in local plans. This happens through the review of countywide planning
policies, local comprehensive plans, including subarea plans for regionally designated centers and transit
agency plans.
State law requires PSRC to review and certify countywide planning policies, local comprehensive plans, and
Sound Transit’s long-range plans for the counties mentioned above and the cities within them.
PSRC has a Plan Review Manual and checklists to help local governments and agencies understand
certification requirements. Local governments and agencies are encouraged to review the checklists and
planning guidance throughout their plan update to understand the process in advance of certification review.
PSRC staff is available to assist and support in the development of plan updates and policy amendments,
including review of draft plans. Early coordination with PSRC helps local plans to be consistent with VISION
2050 and state planning requirements well in advance of final adoption and PSRC certification. Review the
process diagram below and contact PSRC staff for additional guidance: planreview@psrc.org
Source: Puget Sound Regional Council “Vision 2050 Planning Resources Plan Review Manual” May 2021
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Figure 1: Regional Variations in Planning Requirements
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When is the update due?
The Legislature established a deadline schedule for periodic updates in RCW 36.70A.130.7 Except for certain
small and slow-growing communities, each county and its cities must complete the periodic update by the
dates shown in Figure 2, and every ten years after that. See also Section V: The Review and Update Process of
this guidebook for steps to complete the update.
In the 2022 legislative session, HB 1241 changed the update cycle due date for 2024 jurisdictions to December
31, 2024. Jurisdictions whose updates are due in 2025-2027 are still required to submit completed Update
materials by June 30th of their respective year.
Figure 2. Periodic Update Schedule for Fully & Partially Planning
Counties
7 Periodic review schedule: RCW 36.70A.130(5)
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Deadline Extensions
Every city and county in the state is eligible for additional time to make substantial progress toward
completion of development regulations that protect critical areas (i.e., critical areas ordinance (CAO)). With the
exception of smaller or slower growing jurisdictions, all cities and counties are allowed an additional year
(twelve months).
Smaller or slower growing counties and cities that meet growth criteria outlined in RCW 36.70A.130 (b) or (c)
may be eligible for a two year (24 months) extension for all periodic update requirements (including CAO).
Deadline extensions are automatic and Commerce will determine which jurisdictions are eligible.8 Deadline
extensions are calculated from the dates shown in Figure 2.
For assistance with approaching deadlines or overdue periodic update submittals, please see the Regional
Assistance Map on Commerce’s Growth Management webpage to contact the planner assigned to your area.
No formal application is required and no discretionary action by Commerce is needed. Please also visit
Commerce's Critical Areas webpage for further information.
What is a small or slow-growing jurisdiction?
A county with a population of no more than 50,000 and a growth rate of no more than seventeen percent in the
ten years preceding the deadline shown in Figure 2.9
A city with a population of 5,000 or less and has had its
population increase by the greater of either no more than
one hundred persons or no more than seventeen percent
in the ten years preceding the deadline shown in Figure
2.
Growth rates are measured using the ten‐year period
preceding the regular due date.10
Official population estimates are provided by the
Washington State Office of Financial Management
(OFM), released in June of each year, reflecting counts
from April. A county or city will not know for certain what
their population is until nine months before the statutory
deadline if a jurisdiction is close, or expects any large annexations close to the due date, the population
information should be monitored closely. Commerce can help you make this determination.
Can a jurisdiction complete the update early?
Yes, a jurisdiction may complete the periodic update process before its deadline11. The deadline for its next
periodic update would still remain as ten years from the original deadline established in the GMA, with a
planning horizon extended twenty years from the periodic update deadline. For example, if a jurisdiction has an
update deadline of December 31, 2024, but it completes its update in 2023, then it would not be subject to
8 RCW 36.70A.130 (7)(a) and (b)
9 Periodic Update cycle and deadline years are listed in: RCW 36.70A.130(5)
10 RCW 36.70A.130 (6)(e) and (f)
11 RCW 36.70A.130(6)(a)
Steptoe, WA
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another required periodic update until 2034. In this example, the planning horizon of the updated
comprehensive plan would extend a total 21 years to 2044: 20 years from the periodic update deadline.
To help alleviate any confusion, Commerce recommends that the final legislative action taken upon
completion of the periodic update process clearly note the early adoption and the due date of the next
scheduled periodic update according to statute.
III: What’s new for the 2024 -2027 cycle
The Governor and the Legislature made a historic investment in GMA planning during the 2022 Legislative
Session. These new bills represent an investment in supporting growth management and addressing the
problems all of our communities are facing. The new bills are summarized below:12
HB 1220 Jurisdictions must plan for and accommodate, rather than encourage the availability of,
emergency and affordable housing
HB 1241 Changes the Periodic update and SMP cycles from 8 to 10 years. Requires a 5-year
implementation progress report and an annual work program for select jurisdictions
HB 1717 New regulations for cities and counties to include local and regional tribes in planning
processes and decisions
HB 2001 Expands the ability to build tiny houses
SB 5042 Changes the initial effective date of certain actions under the GMA
SB 5118 Supports successful reentry for juveniles, amending the definition of “essential public facilities”
SB 5235 Increasing housing unit inventory by removing arbitrary limits on housing
SB 5275 Enhances opportunity in LAMIRDs
SB 5368 Encourages rural economic development
SB 5593 Allows a county to make revisions to a UGA boundary to accommodate patterns of
development
SB 5818 Promoting housing construction in cities through amendments to and limiting appeals under
SEPA and GMA
12 2021-2022 Growth Management Legislative Reports: https://app.leg.wa.gov/bi/report/topicalindex/?biennium=2021-
22&topic=GROWTH%20MANAGEMENT
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IV: Mandatory topics to review & revise
The GMA calls out a number of specific items that must be reviewed as part of the periodic update.
Amendments to the GMA
The primary purpose of the periodic update is to ensure local plans and regulations are consistent with recent
changes to state law and updates to countywide planning policies, and to update information such as
population changes and infrastructure investments and needs. Although the basic structure of the GMA has
remained intact over the years, the state legislature has amended it frequently. Commerce reviews and
updates the administrative rules for the GMA and expects to finalize rulemaking by 2022 so that local
governments have clear guidance on how to implement GMA requirements before the 2024-2027 update
cycle.
Commerce has created checklists for counties and cities to use throughout the process. The checklists
include all requirements and highlight recent changes to state law. Commerce has also prepared a summary
of amendments by year to help you identify what needs to be updated, based on when your plans and
regulations were last amended.
Fully planning jurisdictions will need to conduct a review of all comprehensive plan provisions and
development regulations, and if needed, make revisions. One component of this requirement is that
jurisdictions must establish a public participation program to engage with residents, stakeholders, tribes and
state agencies early and often.
Jurisdictions often combine the annual comprehensive plan docket (annual amendments) with the periodic
update review when both are considered in the same year. When doing so, it is crucial to emphasize that the
amendments include periodic update review as established in the public participation program, including
notices for public hearings and legislative action(s). Hearings Board cases have faulted jurisdictions for not
informing the public about what actions are related specifically to the periodic update.
See the Periodic Update webpage for checklists, guidebooks and other resources. See the Growth
Management Laws and Rules webpage for links to state statutes and other amendment resources.
Urban growth areas & population projections
All fully planning counties, in conjunction with cities, must review UGAs as part of the periodic update.
Counties that fully plan under the GMA must designate urban growth areas (UGAs), which creates areas for
additional urban development and outside of which growth may occur only if it is not urban in nature. Planning
jurisdictions must include within their UGAs sufficient
areas and densities to accommodate projected urban
growth for the succeeding 20-year period. In addition,
cities must include sufficient areas to accommodate
the broad range of needs and uses that will accompany
the projected urban growth, including, as appropriate,
medical, governmental, institutional, commercial,
service, retail, and other nonresidential uses.
UGAs, which by definition include all cities, must allow
development densities sufficient to accommodate the
next twenty years of projected population and
employment growth. If zoning regulations don’t
authorize the densities to accommodate this growth, Wenatchee, WA
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jurisdictions need to increase allowed densities, expand the size of the UGA, or both.13 In the next round of
updates, cities must plan for and accommodate housing needs by income band, so communities will need to
make assumptions about the densities that will provide housing at various price points, and adjust accordingly
to meet housing need.
The GMA requires that jurisdictions use twenty-year population projections from the Washington State OFM.
These projections are developed every five years.14 The most recent twenty-year population forecasts from
OFM were issued in 2012 and 2017, with new projections expected to publish by the end of 2022.15
Mandatory Elements of the Comprehensive Plan
Fully planning cities and counties must include, at a minimum, the following mandatory elements in a
comprehensive plan, as outlined in RCW 36.70A.070. All elements must be consistent with each other and the
future land use map. RCW 36.70A.080 contains examples of optional elements.
Land Use Rural
Housing Transportation
Capital Facilities Plan Economic Development
Utilities Parks & Recreation16
Development Regulations
As defined in the GMA under RCW 36.70A.030, "Development regulations" or "regulation" means the controls
placed on development or land use activities by a county or city, including, but not limited to, zoning
ordinances, critical areas ordinances, shoreline master programs, official controls, planned unit development
ordinances, subdivision ordinances, and binding site plan ordinances together with any amendments thereto. A
development regulation does not include a decision to approve a project permit application, as defined in RCW
36.70B.020, even though the decision may be expressed in a resolution or ordinance of the legislative body of
the county or city.
Some jurisdictions develop "unified development codes" (or land use codes) that contain a range of
development procedures regulating how land is subdivided, used, and developed. Other jurisdictions have
separate titles of their codes for zoning, subdivision, environmental regulations, etc. In communities that are
planning under the GMA, development regulations are required to be consistent with adopted comprehensive
plans. To explore types of development regulations and to ensure your jurisdiction in compliant with the GMA,
please visit MRSC’s Development Regulations and Zoning webpage.
13 RCW 36.70A.130(3)(a)
14 RCW 43.62.035
15 OFM “Growth Management Act county projections” Growth Management Act county projections | Office of Financial Management
(wa.gov)
16 As of 2022, these elements have not received state funding to aid local jurisdictions in implementation. Therefore, these ele ments
are not required to be added to comprehensive plans at this time. Commerce encourages jurisdictions to begin planning for these
elements, pending the future mandate.
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Critical Areas
The GMA requires all counties and cities to review and
evaluate critical areas ordinances during the periodic
update.17 The GMA requires that best available science
(BAS) be included in developing regulations to protect
critical area functions and values.18 Meeting the BAS
requirement has been challenging for many
jurisdictions. Commerce and other state agencies,
including the departments of Ecology and Fish and
Wildlife, have published guidance for local communities
on how to identify what constitutes BAS for critical
areas protection and how local governments can
include science in their policies and development
regulations. Counties and cities should consult these
state agency recommendations for possible changes since their last periodic update. In addition, they should
include any other scientific information that may apply directly to their jurisdiction. It is recommended that
local governments check Commerce’s Update EZ View site for potential updates to WAC 365-195 (BAS) during
planning efforts for the 2024-2027 update cycle. Visit Commerce’s Critical Areas webpage for further
resources and links.
Resource Lands
Resource lands, as defined in RCW 36.70A.030 are:
agriculture, forest and mineral lands. Each county that
is required or chooses to plan under RCW 36.70A.040,
and each city within such county, shall adopt
development regulations on or before September 1,
1991, to assure the conservation of agricultural, forest,
and mineral resource lands designated under RCW
36.70A.170. Regulations adopted under this
subsection may not prohibit uses legally existing on
any parcel prior to their adoption and shall remain in
effect until the county or city adopts development
regulations pursuant to RCW 36.70A.040. Such
regulations shall assure that the use of lands adjacent
to agricultural, forest, or mineral resource lands shall not interfere with the continued use, in the accustomed
manner and in accordance with best management practices, of these designated lands for the production of
food, agricultural products, or timber, or for the extraction of minerals.
17 RCW 36.70A.060
18 RCW 36.70A.172
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, WA
Yakima Valley, WA
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V. The review and update process
Steps of the process:
Tips for completing steps in the process are included in this section. The summary of steps below is not
intended to be an exhaustive list of all requirements local jurisdictions may need to complete in order to
finalize the periodic review of comp plans and development regulations. Each step below is shown in
numbered-order, but many can be worked on concurrently throughout the process. Working alongside local
staff and stakeholders is essential for a thorough and transparent update process. Please contact
Commerce’s Growth Management Regional Assistance Team for additional guidance.
1. Create a work program
Before undertaking the update it is helpful for county and city staff to establish a work program that outlines
the entire periodic update process. See the Periodic Update webpage for an example work program.
Commerce encourages local governments to complete a checklist when designing a work program for the
update. As a required component of the periodic update, counties and cities must establish a program that
identifies procedures and schedules for the public to participate in the periodic update.19 The program should
clearly identify the scope of the review and identify when legislative action on the review and update
component are proposed to occur. Counties and cities must ensure that notice of the update process is
broadly and effectively disseminated.20
The program must also provide for early and continuous public participation.21 The best way for a county or city
to complete this requirement is to publish a complete public participation program (see step 5) or schedule at
the beginning of the update process. However, it is not required that a county or city establish the entire
schedule at the beginning of the process, as long as a program is established and effective notice is provided
for all update steps.
2. Capital facilities data gathering and planning
Planning for capital facilities22 is critical in the process of designating or expanding UGAs. Too often, GMA
Capital Facilities Plans (CFPs) have been prepared as an afterthought, rather than as an integral part of the
planning process. A particularly critical weakness of many CFPs has been the failure to demonstrate that
designated UGAs could be supported by adequate public facilities that would sustain urban development. Visit
Commerce’s Capital Facilities Planning webpage and the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) for
capital facilities and UGA planning resources.
Capital facilities plans can help jurisdictions use limited funding wisely and most efficiently to maximize
funding opportunities. By planning ahead to identify what each capital facilities’ needs are, including operation
and maintenance, local planners and elected officials can prioritize projects, coordinate related projects, and
apply successfully for loan and grant opportunities.
19 RCW 36.70A.035 and 130(2)(a)
20 RCW 36.70A.035
21 RCW 36.70A.140
22 Capital Facilities element: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=36.70A.070
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What does a capital facilities plan include?
An inventory of existing capital facilities owned by public entities, showing the locations and
capacities of the capital facilities;
A forecast of the future needs for such capital facilities;
The proposed locations and capacities of expanded or new capital facilities;
At least a six-year plan that will finance such capital facilities within projected funding capacities
and clearly identifies sources of public money for such purposes, often referred to as the Capital
Improvement Plan, or the financing implementation plan that is tied to the Budget; if a capital
improvement is not listed in the CIP or CFP, it should not be prioritized for funding.
A requirement to reassess the land use element, and future land use patterns, if probable funding
falls short of meeting existing needs and to ensure that the land use element, capital facilities plan
element, and financing plan within the capital facilities plan element are coordinated and
consistent. Park and recreation facilities shall be included in the capital facilities plan element.
Recent updated requirements to addressing nutrients at Puget Sound wastewater treatment
facilities, as identified in Ecology’s General Permit, should be considered when updating the Capital
Facilities Plan, where applicable.
3. Initiate county-city collaboration
At least two years prior to the update and continuously throughout the process, county-city collaboration is
crucial. Local governments must coordinate on regional issues such as: population projections, population
allocations, development of a countywide economic forecast, and the new housing forecast allocations.
Coordination of GIS data between counties and cities should be considered early in the process (for Buildable
Lands counties, Review & Evaluation data collection and methodology must be established in CWPPs).
Completion of the periodic update may result in
changes to spatial data and it is important to
coordinate with GIS staff, consultants and affected
agencies early to ensure updated maps can ‘go live’
soon after the periodic update is adopted and codified.
4. Begin review of existing regulations
The statute does not exempt any portion of a
comprehensive plan or any development regulations
from being subject to review and evaluation. However,
local governments may use common-sense factors in
determining the level of review, taking into account
when the plan and regulations were adopted and whether and how the GMA has been amended in the
intervening time.
The Department of Commerce periodic update checklists should be the foundation of your review. These
checklists provide a concise summary of the GMA requirements.
See the Periodic Update webpage for the latest checklists and guidebooks.
Filling out the checklists will help compare your local plan and regulations against the latest requirements,
determine what needs to be reviewed in greater detail, and identify what may need to be added, deleted, and
amended in plans and codes to maintain compliance with the act. The checklist can also be used at the very
Fred G. Redmon Memorial Bridge, Yakima County
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end of the update process to document what changes are proposed for adoption. Submitting a completed
checklist to Commerce, ideally with your update plans and materials during the 60-day review period, is
strongly recommended.
Counties and cities may elect to adopt an ordinance or resolution after reviewing and analyzing what will be
updated and determining the scope of changes needed. This is a formal way to let the public know early “what
is on the table” as part of the update. It also may help in limiting appeals. If there are no challenges to the
scope of revisions within 60 days after the legislative action, challenges to the jurisdiction’s final ordinance will
be limited to the subjects defined in the ordinance. See examples of legislative actions establishing the scope
of an update on the Periodic Update webpage.
Buildable Lands counties and cities are required to identify reasonable measures necessary to fix
inconsistencies identified by the Buildable Lands Reports, and if applicable, incorporate those reasonable
measures into their periodic update.
5. Develop a community engagement plan
“Effective community engagement practices create a vehicle for participatory local democracy by giving
members of the public the opportunity to become directly involved in guiding policy decisions that will shape
the future of their community. Meaningful engagement that is based upon a two-way communication process
between the public and their elected community leaders can play an important role in efforts to restore and
build trust in government. Community engagement and outreach programs will also be key components of any
efforts by local governments to address social equity and inclusion.”23
Local jurisdictions may want to formally adopt the public participation program by resolution or ordinance to
formalize the update process and help to meet the GMA requirements for early and continuous public
involvement. A public participation plan can be adjusted over time if needed. The GMA provides that “errors in
exact compliance with the established program and procedures shall not render the comprehensive land use
plan or development regulations invalid if the spirit of the program and procedures is observed.
Participation levels typically range from inform, consult,
involve, and collaborate, up to empower. The
engagement frameworks are usually presented in a
matrix, which can be helpful in deciding on the types of
meeting formats and engagement techniques that may
be best suited for specific engagement needs and
objectives. There are no one-size-fits-all approaches to
community engagement efforts. Local governments have
a range of options and methods from which they can
choose depending upon their particular needs and
circumstances.
New and rapidly evolving communications technologies
are creating more ways for local governments to connect and engage with the public through remote
meetings, email and text alerts, social media, mobile apps, and more. More people are online today and local
governments that take advantage of digital technologies will be more effective at engaging with them.”24
23 RCW 36.70A.140
24 MRSC “Community Engagement Resources” https://mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Governance/Citizen-Participation-and-Engagement/Community-
Engagement-Resources.aspx
Port Townsend, WA
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Workshops, open houses and public hearings on draft iterations are crucial to a successful and transparent
periodic update process. Local staff should provide opportunities for the public to participate in ideas for the
future of their community and weigh-in on choices that may or may not be compatible with priorities or visions
for the future.
Partnerships with state agencies should also be initiated early in the process. In addition to Commerce, many
state agencies are stakeholders in updates made to local comp plans and development regulations. For
example, agencies such as Ecology and the Department of Fish and Wildlife may have interests in draft
changes to critical area codes and the Departments of Transportation and Health may want to participate in
analysis of utilities and essential public facilities elements. Commerce recommends including state agencies
early and often in development of a community engagement plan to ensure adequate time for research and
analysis prior to their review during the 60-day comment period.
Some helpful resources for getting started: MRSC's Community Engagement Resources webpage and WAC
365-196-600
6. Conduct SEPA environmental review & checklist
The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), RCW 43.21C, requires all governmental agencies to consider the
environmental impacts of a proposal before making decisions. The Washington State Department of Ecology
(Ecology) is responsible for overseeing rules that implement SEPA. The environmental review process involves
the identification and evaluation of probable environmental impacts, and the development of mitigation
measures that will reduce adverse environmental impacts. Please review Ecology’s SEPA Guidance and State
Environmental Policy Act Handbook and contact your regional Ecology office to get started.
7. Draft staff reports and maps
Staff reports and supporting documents such as maps, exhibits and individual studies are required elements in
the periodic update. They must be legally defensible, factual and easy to understand. Staff reports join all of
the information of the process, findings of fact, stakeholder resources, conclusions, etc. into a transparent and
complete document for the public record. It may be helpful to draft a staff report outline early on to help guide
staff through documentation of the process. Tips for writing an effective staff report can be found on MRSC’s
site.
8. Issue public notices
Public notices are required and are essential to the periodic update process, allowing for an inclusive and
transparent path to successfully-adopted plans. Public notices for proposed updates to comprehensive plans
and development regulations must be issued in designated legal publications (RCW 65.16) and may be issued
on other platforms, such as social media outlets authorized by the local jurisdiction. Publishing environmental
review under SEPA is required and can be issued as a separate noticing period or in conjunction with the public
notice of the project. Check your local adopted policies prior to issuing public/SEPA notices.
9. Make SEPA determination
After conducting environmental review and meeting the requirements for public notice, a local jurisdiction
must make a SEPA determination in accordance with policies established by Ecology. Following local approval
of draft changes required by the periodic update, some local governments choose the SEPA/GMA integrated
comment period which aligns with Commerce’s 60-day notice requirements. Review your local policies
regarding SEPA review and noticing.
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Please review Ecology’s SEPA Guidance and State Environmental Policy Act Handbook or contact your
regional Ecology office
10. Submit notice to Commerce for 60-day review
Each county and city planning under the GMA is required to notify the Commerce Growth Management
Services office when adopting or permanently amending its comprehensive plans and/or development
regulations. State agency notice must be submitted to Commerce at least sixty (60) days prior to the
scheduled final adoption by the local government. The purpose of this notice requirement is to allow
Commerce and other state agencies the opportunity to participate during the public review process and may
provide comments on the proposed changes.
For more information on this notice requirement, please see RCW 36.70A.106 and WAC 365-196-630.
Notice of intent to adopt an amendment under the GMA is a statutory procedural requirement. It should be in
writing and include, at a minimum:
A copy of the proposed amendment text;
A description of the amendment, the local government
contact person, the contact phone number and address,
and proposed adoption date; and
Transmission to Commerce, Growth Management
Services online via the PlanView Data System or by
email: reviewteam@commerce.wa.gov
Completed Commerce Checklist (first deliverable under
your periodic update grant)
Copies of adopted development regulations and critical
areas ordinances
11. Take legislative action
Adopt an ordinance or resolution finding that a review has occurred and that identifies revisions made or
concludes that revisions were not needed (RCW 36.70A.130(1)(b)). Follow your local policies and processes
for preparing and taking legislative action. See examples of resolutions of adoption along with examples of
adopted comprehensive plans and development regulations on the periodic update webpage and in PlanView.
12. Submit notice of adoption to Commerce and publish updates
Submit a copy of the signed adopted ordinance or resolution to Commerce, Growth Management Services not
more than ten days after adoption. (RCW 36.70A.106)
Jurisdictions are encouraged to submit their completed Commerce checklist with the final package to be
eligible for periodic update grants. Completed checklists also help Commerce planners provide more informed
technical assistance across the state. Please contact our Regional Assistance Team anytime throughout the
process. Work with your department and code publishing service to codify and publish the updates.
Please note:
Documents such as noticing flyers,
adoption announcements or SEPA
materials, when submitted alone,
do not represent adequate 60-day
notice of intent to adopt because
they fail to provide sufficient
materials for Commerce and other
state agencies to review and
provide comment.
Commerce no longer accepts
paper copies of submittals.
Leavenworth, WA
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VI: Additional Considerations
Periodic Update Grants
The governor and Legislature made a historic commitment to GMA planning during the 2022 legislative
session. As a result, Commerce will provide grant funding to all counties and cities before upcoming
comprehensive plan and development regulation periodic updates (2024-2027 cycle).
Grant timelines and requirements
Grants will be awarded to counties and cities based on their scheduled deadlines under RCW 36.70A.130(5),
with funding available two years before these statutory deadlines for review and revision of comp rehensive
plans and development regulations.
Starting July 1, 2022, counties and cities with a 2024 deadline, which are King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish
counties and the cities within them, are eligible to receive the first half of their grant. The second half of this
grant is scheduled for the next state fiscal year.
Periodic update grant award notifications and instructions will be issued to counties and cities with 2024
updates in 2022. Commerce will work with you to finalize the grant agreements. Jurisdictions will be eligible to
request grant reimbursement for all periodic update grant work, defined in the grant agreements, beginning
July 1, 2022.
Grants are available to counties and cities based on fully planning or partially planning status under the GMA,
as well as population.
Periodic update grants are available under the following formula:
Fully Planning
Counties with 100,000 population and over $700,000
Counties under 100,000 population $350,000
Cities with 100,000 population and over $325,000
Cities with 50,000 to 99,999 population $175,000
Cities with 3,000 to 49,999 population $125,000
Cities under 3,000 population $100,000
Partially Planning
Counties with 10,000 population and over $150,000
Counties under 10,000 population $100,000
Cities (No population limits) $20,000
More information on GMA update grants (including middle housing and climate program grants) will be added
to the Growth Management Grants webpage as it becomes available.
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Comprehensive plan optional elements
A comprehensive plan may include additional elements, subarea plans, or studies dealing with subjects
relating to the physical development within its jurisdiction. Optional elements may include, but are not limited
to: climate change mitigation and resiliency, recreation and community-based behavioral health facilities.
These and other optional elements can be separate elements in a comprehensive plan, integrated into
mandatory elements or part of a subarea plan.
Please reference RCW 36.70A.080 and visit Commerce’s Growth Management webpage for additional topics
and resources.
Coordination with military bases
When developing and updating comprehensive plans and
development regulations, analysis for compatibility with area
military bases and ranges is essential.
GMA RCW 36.70A.530 cites the military’s significant role in
the economy and declares a state priority to prevent
incompatible development near military installations.
Incompatible development also poses health and safety
concerns for neighboring community members and military
personnel operating or training for active duty.
Ongoing communication and collaborative planning is critical to understanding civilian-military interests in the
landscape they share. Since 2015, Commerce has developed supportive resources for coordinated planning to
help address the unique needs of areas around military bases and ranges. Please visit Commerce’s Civilian-
Military Land Use Compatibility webpage and Defense Community Compatibility Account webpage for further
information.
Tribal Participation in Planning
Tribal communities have been the stewards of the lands of
Washington State since time immemorial. The Department of
Commerce respects their continued stewardship and actively
work to honor their Tribal Sovereignty by engaging in meaningful
government to government work as illustrated by the Centennial
Accord.
Tribes are partners in the planning process through public
participation, project noticing requirements and critical area
development.25 HB 1717 was passed in the 2021-2022
legislative session, bringing new requirements for better
collaboration with tribes in the planning process.
Please see Figure 3 on the following page for a map of the “Federally Recognized Tribes of Washington State.”
Also review the RCWs in the footnote below, HB 1717 and visit the Washington State Governor’s Office of
Indian Affairs webpage and Commerce’s Tribal Engagement webpage for further resources.
25 RCW 43.376, RCW 36.70A.035, RCW 36.70A.040, RCW 36.70A.210, RCW 36.70A.710, RCW 36.70A.715 and RCW 36.70A.720
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
AdobeStock_112565729.jpeg
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Figure 3. Federally Recognized Tribes
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Resources:
Department of Commerce Growth Management Services: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/serving-
communities/growth-management/
Department of Commerce Growth Management Act Laws and Rules: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/about-
us/rulemaking/gma-laws-rules/
Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC): https://mrsc.org/Home.aspx
Puget Sound Regional Council: https://www.psrc.org/
Washington State GMA RCW: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=36.70A
Washington State GMA WAC: https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=365-196
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VISION 2050 PLANNING RESOURCES
Draft Housing Element Guide
November 2022
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American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information
Individuals requiring reasonable accommodations may request written materials in alternate formats, sign
language interpreters, physical accessibility accommodations, or other reasonable accommodations by
contacting the ADA Coordinator, Thu Le, at 206-464-6175, with two weeks’ advance notice. Persons who
are deaf or hard of hearing may contact the ADA Coordinator, Thu Le, through TTY Relay 711.
Title VI Notice
PSRC fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes and regulations
in all programs and activities. For more information, or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, visit
https://www.psrc.org/about-us/title-vi
Language Assistance
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Español Spanish | Tagalog | Tiếng việt Vietnamese
For language assistance, visit www.psrc.org/contact/language-assistance.
Additional copies of this document may be obtained by contacting:
Puget Sound Regional Council
Information Center 1011
1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500
Seattle, Washington 98104-1035
206.464.7532 | info@psrc.org | psrc.org
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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 2
Addressing Racial Inequities in Housing ....................................................................... 3
Policy Framework ....................................................................................................... 3
Background and PSRC’s Role ................................................................................. 3
Growth Management Act ......................................................................................... 4
Housing in VISION 2050 .......................................................................................... 5
Regional Housing Strategy ...................................................................................... 6
Countywide Planning Policies .................................................................................. 7
Public Engagement ................................................................................................. 7
Housing Needs Assessment ....................................................................................... 9
Data to Understand Housing Need ........................................................................... 9
Racially Disparate Impacts .................................................................................... 25
Data Sources ........................................................................................................... 26
Local Policy and Implementation Evaluation ............................................................... 30
Increase Neighborhood Stability by Mitigating Residential Displacement .................. 30
Evaluate Effectiveness of Existing Policies and Tools ............................................... 31
Consistency With Growth Targets and Addressing Projected Housing Need .............. 34
Setting and Implementing New Goals and Policies .................................................. 35
PSRC’s Plan Review ............................................................................................. 39
Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 41
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Introduction
Local governments play a critical role in housing. While most local jurisdictions do not build
housing, they do have regulatory control over land use and development. Planning for
housing needs—including updating the housing element of local comprehensive plans—is
an essential function of local governments to help address housing access and affordability.
The Growth Management Act (GMA) and VISION 2050 call for the adoption of policies and
tools that encourage housing that meets both existing
and future needs. The Puget Sound Regional Council
(PSRC) Housing Element Guide is a resource for
developing effective housing elements that address
housing choices and affordability in local
comprehensive plan updates due in 2024.
PSRC’s Plan Review Manual and VISION 2050
Consistency Tool for Comprehensive Plans include a
Housing section that provides a crosswalk between
VISION 2050’s multicounty planning policies and policy
objectives for local plans and policies. This guide also helps jurisdictions meet the policy
objectives for consistency with VISION 2050 and implement H-Action-2.
Jurisdictions have been preparing housing elements over the last three decades. This guide
complements and references the Washington State Department of Commerce Guidance for
Updating Your Housing Element and other Commerce resources. This guide focuses on
aspects that are new under VISION 2050 and recent amendments to the Growth
Management Act, new PSRC data sources and housing strategies that address the central
Puget Sound housing context. Despite many bold efforts to address housing, the region’s
housing market remains impacted by underproduction, limited funding for affordable
housing, a history of exclusion and zoning that is out of date.
The document is organized into four sections that address:
• Policy framework and engagement
• Housing needs assessment
• Data sources
• Local policy and implementation evaluation
• Monitoring
“Meeting the housing needs of all
households at a range of income levels
is integral to promoting health and
well-bring and creating a region that is
livable for all residents, economically
prosperous, and environmentally
sustainable.”
-Regional Housing Strategy
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This guide profiles needs assessment methods, data sources and caveats. It includes
proven and innovative housing policies and tools that provide a range of affordable, healthy,
fair, and safe housing choices. It also has references that jurisdictions may find useful in
developing their housing elements.
Jurisdictions have their own opportunities, challenges and resources for planning and
implementation. The PSRC Housing Element Guide recognizes this and provides options for
the local context. This guide urges jurisdictions to complete local analyses of current
conditions and best available data to advance comprehensive housing policies that respond
to existing and future housing needs.
Addressing Racial Inequities in Housing
The central Puget Sound region’s housing landscape reflects more than market forces and
conditions. It is also the product of decades of public policies and private practices that,
throughout the 20th century, often excluded lower-income households, immigrant
communities and people of color from accessing housing and living in certain areas.
Practices such as restrictive covenants, redlining and loan discrimination limited where
people could live based on their race. These actions contributed to patterns of white flight
and racial segregation still seen today, paired with lower quality of life outcomes such as
reduced access to education, living wage employment, a healthy environment and
transportation.
Together, past and current housing practices have perpetuated substantial inequities in
wealth, ownership and opportunity, and they continue to create barriers to rectifying these
conditions. Updates to the Growth Management Act and new policies in VISION 2050 now
require housing elements to directly address inequalities and racial disparities and to
identify long-term work needed to redress it.
Policy Framework
Background and PSRC’s Role
PSRC works with countywide planning groups, local jurisdictions and other public agencies
to coordinate regional and local planning efforts and implement VISION 2050. The Housing
Element Guide is designed to further this coordination and to provide technical assistance
that complements PSRC’s ongoing role in the areas of:
• Implementing VISION 2050 and the multicounty planning policies
• Implementing the Regional Housing Strategy
• Reviewing and certifying local comprehensive plans
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• Providing technical assistance and a framework for regional coordination and
cooperation
The guide focuses on PSRC resources and regional requirements to address housing,
including policy goals of affordability, choice, fair housing and sustainable development
patterns throughout the region.
Growth Management Act
Cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act have been required to
include a housing element in their comprehensive plans since the act was first adopted.
RCW 36.70A.070(2) establishes the requirements for a housing element, which must
include:
• Housing Needs Assessment: An inventory and analysis of existing and projected
housing needs that identifies the number of housing units necessary to manage
projected growth.
• Residential Land Capacity Analysis: Analysis to identify sufficient land to
accommodate housing growth targets, including by income level.
• Goals, Policies and Objectives: A statement of goals, policies, objectives and
mandatory provisions for the preservation, improvement and development of
housing.
• Provisions for All Economic Segments: Adequate provisions to address existing and
projected needs of households at all income levels.
• Racially Disparate Impacts: Begin to undo racially disparate impacts, displacement
and exclusion in housing.
Commerce’s Guidance for Updating Your Housing Element outlines the specific state
requirements and detailed steps for updating the element.
Since the 2015/16 plan updates, House Bill 1220 substantially amended the housing-
related provisions of the Growth Management Act. Among other changes in the bill, these
updates strengthen the housing goal, require additional planning for demonstrated need by
income level, address moderate density housing and require additional analysis and
policies to address racially-disparate impacts and exclusion in housing.
As described in the Housing Needs Assessment section, under the new provisions of GMA
jurisdictions must now document the housing need for moderate-, low-, very low- and
extremely low-income households, emergency housing, emergency shelters and
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permanent supportive housing using county-level need figures provided by Commerce.
Local housing needs analyses must now take a more detailed look at housing needs for
these different housing segments.
In urban areas, updated housing elements must address moderate density housing—
sometimes discussed as “middle housing”—such as duplexes, triplexes and townhomes.
Communities must also identify local housing policies that result in racially disparate
impacts, displacement and exclusion. Commerce is also developing guidance to support
this work.
Housing in VISION 2050
VISION 2050 is the shared regional plan for moving toward a sustainable and more
equitable future. The region is expected to reach a total population of 5.8 million people by
2050. The population in 2050 will be older and more diverse, with smaller households than
today. PSRC estimates that this growth will require the production of about 810,000
additional housing units. Planning for this much growth is difficult, and VISION 2050
recognizes that local, state and federal governments are all challenged to keep up with the
needs of a growing and changing population.
Housing is a top priority among the region’s residents. Despite a strong surge in housing
construction, the region continues to experience a housing affordability crisis that requires
coordinated efforts to expand housing options and create greater affordability. This won’t be
easy. Market pressures and strong employment result in rising prices and rents. The
region’s cities need more housing supply to catch up with demand, but even with more
housing options, housing will remain unaffordable to those earning the lowest incomes.
Local governments generally do not build housing but do play an important role in shaping
the type, location and amount of housing available by establishing zoning, setting density
limits and providing funding and incentives for affordability.
VISION 2050 includes multicounty planning policies, actions and a regional growth strategy
that guides how and where the region grows through 2050. VISION 2050 sets the stage for
updates to countywide planning policies and local comprehensive plans done by cities and
counties.
VISION 2050 calls for cities and counties to support the building of more diverse housing
types, especially near transit, services and jobs, to ensure all residents have the opportunity
to live in thriving urban places. VISION 2050 now includes a goal of 65% of the region’s
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housing growth occurring in centers and near transit stations. VISION 2050 also calls for
more housing affordable to low- and very low-income households. It recognizes that
providing long-term affordable housing for the region’s most vulnerable residents requires
public intervention through funding, collaboration, and jurisdictional action and cannot be
met by market forces alone.
Regional Housing Strategy
The Regional Housing Strategy is a playbook of regional and local actions to preserve,
improve and expand housing stock in the region. It was adopted in 2022 to guide the
implementation of VISION 2050 housing policies. The aim is to make a range of affordable,
accessible, healthy and safe housing choices available to every resident and to promote fair
and equal access to housing for all people.
The Regional Housing Strategy is organized around the areas of supply, stability and
subsidy as a way to recognize the multiple facets of housing challenges. It seeks to identify
those strategies that are most important to address through regional and multijurisdictional
coordination, along with effective ways for local jurisdictions to work to address housing
needs in a regionally-coordinated manner.
Both the Regional Housing Needs Assessment and the Regional Housing Strategy provide
important regional context for local housing elements. The Regional Housing Strategy also
identifies strategies that can be taken at the local level to further regional housing goals.
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As a strategy document, the Regional Housing Strategy identifies potential local actions but
is not a requirement for PSRC plan certification. Jurisdictions may point to the Regional
Housing Strategy to indicate how they have incorporated its strategies into local efforts as a
means to demonstrate plan consistency with VISION 2050.
Countywide Planning Policies
Comprehensive plans must be consistent with both the countywide planning policies (CPPs)
and the Growth Management Act and, in the central Puget Sound region, must be
consistent with the multicounty planning polices in VISION 2050.
Countywide planning efforts play an important role in addressing housing. Countywide
planning policies were updated in 2022 to be consistent with VISION 2050 and to prepare
for the periodic update of local comprehensive plans by December 2024. Consistent with
VISION 2050, the four counties also set housing/population and employment growth targets
for cities and unincorporated areas. Commerce will publish countywide housing need
numbers. Once released, some counties may also choose to allocate specific affordable
housing needs to individual jurisdictions.
Countywide planning policies in each of the
counties include policies that encourage local
consideration of a variety of housing tools and
incentives. The CPPs also generally encourage
coordination around monitoring housing
outcomes over time. The King County CPPs, in
particular, include a significant number of
changes compared to previous versions, and
jurisdictions should closely review the CPPs for
new county requirements.
Public Engagement
Public participation is an integral step in comprehensive planning for several important
reasons. First and foremost, planning at all levels of government should reflect community
vision and values. Stakeholder engagement improves accuracy of information by providing
expertise and perspectives from a wide range of participants, including residents with
special housing needs and affordable housing developers who understand housing markets
and financing. It also incorporates the experiences of residents of all ages, incomes and
abilities. Engaging stakeholders, especially from historically marginalized communities, can
Countywide Planning Policies
Read more about the countywide
planning policies:
•2021 King County CPPs
•2022 Kitsap County CPPs
•2022 Pierce County CPPs
•2021 Snohomish County CPPs
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empower participating communities in public policy and decision-making processes and
work to address past harms and current disparities in access to housing.
Discussions about planning for growth and housing can be difficult for communities.
Housing is a personal issue for many, yet it exists within the context of regional and national-
scale market forces and policy decisions. Neighborhood change can stir up intense
feelings, and it is important to understand different perspectives while also recognizing
broader community-level needs and benefits.
Public engagement for updating a local housing element will most likely be part of the larger
comprehensive plan update engagement program. For public engagement specific to
housing, it is critical to engage residents with a variety of lived experiences and
professionals in the housing industry, including:
• Renters
• Homeowners
• People who have or are experiencing housing instability
• For- and non-profit housing developers
• Service providers
• Employers
PSRC’s Equitable Engagement Guide provides more information on engaging stakeholders
in the housing element update process. The guide can be used as a starting point for
engagement and includes resources throughout the document with information on carrying
out these strategies.
The final housing element should be responsive to the feedback and new ideas presented
through the public and stakeholder participation process. Participants can provide insights
that influence both the assessment of housing needs and how best to meet the need
through new and revised policies and implementation tools.
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Housing Needs Assessment
The first step in planning for housing is to assess and
understand the housing needs in a community. A needs
assessment is beneficial to highlight housing gaps and
point to potential solutions. It is likely that housing needs
in each community have changed in the last decade due
to price increases, population changes and other
variables. Planning for the housing needs of 2044 will
require a renewed understanding of the community and
how it anticipates growing.
The 2022 Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)
provides data and analysis for the central Puget Sound
region. Some data are available by county and/or
subareas in each county. The RHNA can help to contextualize and support local housing
need assessment findings.
Data to Understand Housing Need
The housing element must include an inventory and analysis of existing and projected
housing needs. Using the housing need figures provided by Commerce and determined
through countywide coordination, the element should identify the number of housing units
necessary to accommodate projected growth, including government-assisted housing,
housing for low-income families, manufactured housing, multifamily housing, group homes
and foster care facilities. Determining the existing need for housing at all income levels is an
important step for jurisdictions in evaluating current policies and provides the basis for
determining future housing needs of projected growth. Depending on the population and
housing characteristics, the existing and projected housing needs analysis can highlight
community-wide and neighborhood-specific concerns.
The Department of Commerce’s Guidance for Updating Your Housing Element and
Guidance for Developing a Housing Needs Assessment (see sidebar) provide detailed
instructions for meeting the requirements of the Growth Management Act. The 2024
periodic update will be the first time the Department of Commerce provides countywide
need numbers for housing at extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderate-income
households, permanent supportive housing and emergency housing. The county and cities
will then determine if and how to develop unique allocations at the jurisdictional level.
The Department of Commerce’s
Guidance for Developing a Housing
Needs Assessment provides a step-by-
step approach for collecting and
analyzing data for a Housing Needs
Assessment to be consistent with state
law. Planners preparing a housing needs
assessment and housing element should
review the Commerce guidance as a
starting point.
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Housing elements will need to address these need projections and document how need will
be accommodated, including documenting gaps in funding and policy.
In addition to the quantitative needs identified through the Commerce and countywide
allocations, additional measures can help understand aspects of housing need and
determine the types of housing that best correlate with the housing needs of current and
future community members. The measures described here address various aspects of
housing need:
• Affordability by income level
• Housing availability
• Cost burden
• Income-restricted housing
• Workforce housing
• Jobs-housing balance
• Housing + Transportation Costs Index
• Life-cycle housing
• Racially disparate impacts
• Affordable housing gaps
Evaluating the alignment between the local housing inventory and the housing needs of
residents is a critical component of the housing element. This analysis helps to identify the
amount and the types of housing needed over the next 20 years to ensure residents will
have access to housing that meets their needs.
A household’s housing may not meet their needs for several reasons, including:
• Affordability. The household may not be able to afford the unit. This could result from
a lack of more affordable housing options, an increase in rent or a change in income,
employment or the cost of repairs and maintenance.
• Housing Size. The dwelling may be too small (overcrowding).
• Substandard Housing. The unit may lack plumbing or kitchen facilities to make it fit
for habitation.
• Other Needs. The household may be looking for a unit that better suits their needs,
such as one with lower maintenance costs, ADA accessibility, opportunities to build
equity, or fewer restrictions.
• Experiencing Homelessness. The household may lack housing or housing may
consist of shelter space, a vehicle or a tent.
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• Location. The household may need a unit that is closer to their community, job or
other services.
This section examines some of these factors. PSRC’s Housing Innovations Program
provides example tools and policies that best address specific housing needs and gaps.
Affordability by Income Level Analysis
Providing housing affordable to households earning different incomes requires different
approaches. To craft effective strategies, it is imperative to understand the types and costs
of housing needed in a community relative to the supply of housing available for every
income level.
As shown in Figure 1, future demand by lower-income households is anticipated to be
similar to today, with 11% of households at the extremely low-income level (0-30% of AMI1)
and 23% at low- to moderate-income levels (31-80%of AMI). Applying these shares to the
total housing units needed to accommodate future population growth through 2050
(810,000 units) means the region will need to produce 275,000 units affordable at 80% or
less of median income.
1 Area median income (AMI) commonly refers to the area-wide median family income (MFI) calculation provided
by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a county or metropolitan region. Income limits
to qualify for affordable housing are often set relative to AMI or MFI and adjusted based on household size. In this
report, unless otherwise indicated, both AMI and MFI refer to the HUD Area Median Family Income (HAMFI).
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Figure 1. Anticipated Future Housing Need by Income Group, 2020- 2050
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? The current housing crisis is not
something that we can “build our way out of” with market rate housing alone. It will require
significant incentives, subsidies and funding as the private market cannot produce housing
affordable to these households without public intervention. Public intervention is necessary
to ensure housing units are affordable to households at the lowest income levels now and in
the future.
As shown in Figure 7, 34% of future regional housing demand is anticipated to be for
households earning 80% of AMI or less. Commerce is developing projections of need at the
countywide level. Most local jurisdictions in the region have a shortfall of housing affordable
at income levels below 80% of AMI, indicating an existing need that should be addressed
through new policies in the housing element. As part of the comprehensive plan update,
local jurisdictions should “show their work” on addressing housing need by identifying a
range of policies and future implementation actions to help address barriers to housing
development, particularly for units affordable to moderate- and lower-income households.
Each jurisdiction will need to determine if there is sufficient zoning capacity for the types of
housing needed. Most housing at 80% of AMI and below will be forms of multifamily and
middle density housing in order to keep construction costs within reach of lower incomes
and to support projects by housing agencies.
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Cities and counties will most likely also require new and innovative policies, tools and
programs to provide greater public intervention for units affordable at lower income levels.
Bonuses and incentives may be useful tools for near-median income levels. Greater forms
of public assistance will be necessary for the lowest income households.
Housing Availability
It is important to consider that market-rate rental units affordable at or below a given income
threshold can be occupied by households with incomes higher than that threshold.
Understanding whether rental housing is affordable to renters requires finding out ifunits
affordable to households at or below the 30%, 50% and 80%of AMI thresholds are actually
available to these households.
Figure 2. Rental Units Affordable and Available to Households Below 80% AMI, 2018
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample
Overall, there are substantial shortfalls in both total affordable units as well as available units
in all three AMI categories in all four counties, as shown in Figure 2. These findings can also
be expressed in ratios. For example, for every 100 renter households who have incomes at
or below 80% of AMI, there are 74 affordable units. However, 31 of these affordable units
are occupied by households with incomes above 80% of AMI. Thus, for every 100 renter
households with incomes at or below 80% of AMI, there are estimated to be only 43 rental
units that are affordable and available.
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What does this mean for comprehensive plans? Assessing housing availability can help
to explore the realities of current housing need and the existing housing stock. For instance,
while a jurisdiction may appear to have a surplus of units at 50-80% of AMI on paper, a
housing availability analysis can bring to light who is living in those units and if more units are
needed to address down renting. Policies can then be tailored to address the need for more
housing and to encourage the production and preservation of income-restricted housing to
ensure lower- and moderate-income households have opportunities to live in units they can
afford in the long-term.
Cost Burden Analysis
Households that pay more than 30% of their income for housing are considered cost-
burdened and may face additional financial challenges purchasing food, education,
transportation and medical care. Lower-income cost-burdened households are of particular
concern since they are more likely to have to choose between housing costs and other
necessities. Extremely cost-burdened low-income households are at high risk of being
displaced and experiencing homelessness.
The affordable housing challenge is not distributed evenly among residents based on
income, race, age or household size, nor is it evenly spread geographically. Assessing cost
burden by income level, tenure and race/ethnicity can help to identify disparities and needs
in communities and areas for policy intervention. Commerce’s projections of countywide
need address eliminating cost burden for renters in the future.
Figure 3 is an example of a disaggregated cost burden analysis for renter households by
race/ethnicity for subareas2 in the region.
2 Subareas disaggregate each county (both incorporated and urban unincorporated areas) into two or three housing market subareas. See
Figure 2 in the Regional Housing Needs Assessment for more information.
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Figure 3. Cost-Burdened Renter Households by Race/Ethnicity, 2016
Source: Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy dataset, 2012-2016
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? Housing cost burden is one important
measure of how well the existing housing market is meeting the actual needs of residents.
Even in communities with relatively low housing costs, high cost burden would indicate that
many lower-income residents cannot afford what housing is available. Policy implications
could include measures to stimulate housing production and a variety of housing types.
Commerce’s projection of housing need focuses on cost-burdened renters, since these
residents are in a fundamentally different economic position than cost-burdened
homeowners. Local cost burden analysis could consider strategies for all cost-burdened
households. Cost burden analysis by tenure and race/ethnicity can underscore the need for
policies to better support and protect tenants, and to redress current and past inequities in
housing access. However, there are limits to meeting affordability needs through new
housing production alone. A full range of other tools targeted to preserving and producing
affordable, below market-rate housing is also necessary.
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Income-Restricted Housing
https://www.psrc.org/our-work/income-restricted-housing-puget-sound-region
PSRC’s Income-Restricted Housing Database is a geocoded database of subsidized
housing developments and units throughout King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
The full database includes federal, state and local funding sources, incentives and
subsidies. It also has additional attributes, such as physical address, project sponsor,
number of units, affordability level by % AMI, unit size and mix, tenure, and expiration of
subsidy.
A housing needs assessment should include a count of subsidized units available to those
who qualify for income-restricted affordable housing. The local assessment should also
consider the general location of these units to understand the access to jobs, schools and
other local amenities that are important features for affordable housing units.
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? Assessing the amount, types of units
and location of income-restricted housing units in a local jurisdiction can help to better
prioritize local planning and funding. Areas with higher concentrations of income-restricted
housing but lower access to jobs, services and transportation options should be prioritized
for local investments and infrastructure improvements. This analysis can also be coupled
with the Displacement Risk Analysis (see page 30) as the creation and preservation of
income-restricted units is an effective tool to mitigate displacement.
Workforce Housing
Workforce housing refers generally to housing that is affordable to individuals employed in
the community, especially housing at affordability levels that are not provided for adequately
by the private market. The wage levels of workers employed in your community is a key
factor in calculating housing needs. If there is no housing affordable to employees at local
public and private employers, workers may have longer commutes, undermining goals for
transportation and the environment.
PSRC conducted an analysis of low- and moderate-wage jobs in relation to local housing
costs. These maps can be used for local analysis and also to identify areas for subregional
collaboration. The low-wage affordable housing fit map (Figure 4) is based on an approach
created by the University of California Davis.3 This measure provides insight into whether
3 Benner, Chris, and Alex Karner. "Low-wage Jobs-housing Fit: Identifying Locations of Affordable Housing Shortages." Urban Geography 37,
no. 6 (2016): 883-903
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low-wage workers have access to affordable housing near their place of employment.
Affordable low-income housing is defined as rental housing that costs less than $750/month
(including utilities), while low-wage jobs are jobs that pay gross wages of $15,000/year or
less. Areas (or census tracts) with balanced or greater access to affordable housing options
relative to the low-wage jobs base are shown in lighter greens, while places with more low-
wage jobs but fewer affordable housing options are shown in darker greens and blues.
Figure 4: Affordable Housing and Low-Wage Job Fit - Low-Income, 2017
Source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) dataset
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The moderate-wage affordable housing fit map (Figure 5) defines affordable housing as
rental housing that costs less than $1250/month (including utilities), while moderate-wage
jobs pay up to $40,000/year. Areas with balanced or greater access to affordable housing
options for moderate-wage earners are shown in lighter greens while places with more
moderate-wage jobs but fewer affordable housing options are shown in darker greens and
blues.
Figure 5: Affordable Housing and Low-Wage Job Fit - Moderate-Income, 2017
Source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) dataset
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? An analysis of housing needs for the
local workforce will strengthen planning efforts to ensure housing affordability for individuals
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who work within the jurisdiction. Gaps in affordable housing may mean workers can’t afford
to live near their jobs. They may have to travel long distances to work, increasing their cost
burden and demands on the transportation system. Or they may have to live in unsafe and
overcrowded conditions.
. This could be factored into the overall assessment of housing need. Programs and
regulations may be needed to create opportunities for more affordable ownership or rental
housing. Development incentives tied to affordability have proven successful for providing
housing that meets the needs of the workforce.
Jobs/Housing Balance
Jobs/housing balance is a measure that compares the amount of employment versus the
amount of housing in a specific geographic area. Typically, a jobs/housing balance is
calculated by dividing jobs within a geography by the number of housing units in that
geography.
Providing an appropriate balance between jobs and housing ensures that workers have
access to housing near their places of employment. Measuring jobs/housing balance
around major employment centers and within individual communities provides jurisdictions
an opportunity to work with neighboring cities and towns to reconcile the geographic
distribution of housing and employment opportunities.
Figure 6 highlights variation in jobs-housing ratio among regional geographies of the region.
Figure 6: Jobs-Housing Balance by Regional Geography, 2019
2019
Jobs
2019
Housing
Jobs-Hsg
Ratio
Indexed
Ratio
Metropolitan Cities 1,103,700 590,473 1.87 1.39
Core Cities 674,987 385,960 1.75 1.30
High-Capacity Transit Communities 277,743 357,541 0.78 0.58
Cities & Towns 107,559 129,678 0.83 0.62
Urban Unincorporated 83,120 62,396 1.33 0.99
Rural 93,644 213,572 0.44 0.33
Total 2,340,753 1,739,620 1.35 1.00
Source: WA State Office of Financial Management, PSRC
Figure 7 shows variation in jobs-housing ratio among subareas in the region.
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Figure 7: Jobs-Housing Balance by Subarea, 2019
Subarea 2019
Jobs
2019
Housing
Jobs-Hsg
Ratio
Indexed
Ratio
East King 431,800 250,900 1.72 1.28
Sea-Shore 702,000 400,200 1.75 1.30
South-King 395,700 305,100 1.30 0.96
North Kitsap 51,700 61,000 0.85 0.63
South Kitsap 59,200 52,500 1.13 0.84
East Pierce 25,400 31,400 0.81 0.60
Peninsula 20,900 30,700 0.68 0.51
Tacoma/Central Pierce 330,800 290,900 1.14 0.85
Central Snohomish 33,700 52,400 0.64 0.48
North Snohomish 48,500 57,700 0.84 0.62
Southwest Snohomish 241,100 206,800 1.17 0.87
Region 2,340,800 1,739,700 1.35 1.00
Source: WA State Office of Financial Management, PSRC
Planning for jobs/housing balance occurs at several distinct geographic scales. At the
regional level, the Regional Growth Strategy in VISION 2050 promotes jobs/housing
balance between counties. At the county level, countywide growth targets promote
jobs/housing balance among cities and unincorporated areas. The local comprehensive
plan is the appropriate policy document to address jobs/housing balance at a finer scale,
within districts and neighborhoods, and in particular providing a mix of housing and jobs in
close proximity in regional and countywide centers and other activity nodes.
It is important to note that a jobs/housing balance is already reflected in each jurisdiction’s
housing targets developed at the countywide level. Jurisdictions should not modify their
housing target based on a jobs/housing analysis, but may use this analysis at a
neighborhood level to plan effectively for projected household and employment growth.
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? For job-rich neighborhoods within
cities, planning for increased housing stock can mitigate upward market pressure on
housing prices and rents. For housing-rich neighborhoods, adding employment can provide
more access for current residents to economic opportunities. In both cases, planning to
move toward more balanced distribution of housing and jobs within a jurisdiction can help to
achieve a number of transportation and environmental goals as the need to commute long
distances by private auto declines.
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Housing + Transportation Costs Index
http://htaindex.cnt.org/map/
A Housing + Transportation Costs Index represents the percentage of household income
spent on housing and transportation. This tool expands on the cost burden analysis to
account for transportation costs. Housing costs may be lower in areas further from job
centers for moderate- and low-income households, but the Housing + Transportation
analysis incorporates the resulting increase in transportation for a more comprehensive
definition of affordability.
The Center for Neighborhood Technology has partnered with the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development to create a user-friendly online tool for jurisdictions to
complete their own Housing + Transportation analysis. The modeling tool creates a full
picture of affordability as a combined measure of housing and transportation costs. It
combines the variables of auto ownership, auto use, transit use, median income, per capita
income, average household size, average commuters per household, residential density,
gross density, average block size, intersection density, transit connectivity, transit access
shed and employment access.
A comparison of the standard cost-burdened households approach versus the housing and
transportation affordability index from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is
presented in Figure 8, below, highlighting the Puget Sound region.
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Figure 8. Transportation and Housing Affordability Index
Housing Costs as Percent of Income
by Block Group Model Data
Housing and Transportation Costs as Percent of Income
by Block Group Model Data
Data not available Data not available
0 to 30% 0 to 48%
Greater than or Equal to 30% Greater than or Equal to 48%
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? The Housing +Transportation analysis
may be used to develop affordable housing policies that focus the development of housing,
and specifically affordable housing, in areas with lower transportation costs. A Housing
+Transportation analysis provides the basis for developing policies and investing financial
resources to support equitable transit-oriented development.
Life-Cycle Housing
While income is one key factor defining the housing needs of a community, household size,
composition, cultural background and age of household members are also crucial factors in
determining the amount, type and location of housing. Specifically, it is useful to consider
the housing needs and choices that are common among households at various life stages
and backgrounds. This concept is called “life-cycle housing.”
There are many different life-cycle stages and household compositions to plan for in every
community. The list in Figure 9 summarizes several life-cycle stages and matches them to
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housing type and tenure4. The community demographic profile based on Census data
provides a snapshot of households, including such indicators of life-cycle housing needs as
age, household size, presence of children and others. In anticipation of future life-cycle
housing needs, comprehensive plans may consider addressing recent and ongoing trends
in the region, including:
• Growth in racial and ethnic diversity, especially among youth. This increases the
importance of fair housing enforcement and provision of housing that meets the
needs of all cultural preferences.
• A growing share of seniors in the population necessitates planning for universal
design and accessible units near services and transit.
• A growing number of singles living on their own represents a market opportunity for a
greater variety of unit sizes and designs to meet the needs of individuals.
• Interest in non-traditional living arrangements, such as shared housing and cottages,
necessitates flexibility and innovation in the zoning code.
• A growing market for families staying in cities can be supported by planning for
mixed uses, housing development in commercial activity areas, open space and
access to transit.
4 Special housing types, such as Permanent Supportive Housing, emergency housing and shelters are important parts of the local housing
inventory, but are considered a separate topic for the sake of this analysis.
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Figure 9. Life-Cycle Housing Categories
Household Type Tenure Housing Type Desired Characteristics
Young couples Rent Multi-family One-bedroom units
Single parents Rent or own Multi-family, single-family 2+ bedroom units
Families with young
children Rent or own Multi-family, single-family
Family sized units with two or more
bedrooms. Access to services, schools,
parks, and employment.
Singles established in
workforce Rent or own Multi-family, single-family One-bedroom units. Access to transit,
amenities, services, jobs.
Middle-income
Couples Rent or own Multi-family, single-family One or two-bedroom units. Access to
transit, amenities, services, jobs.
Young singles and
students, entering
workforce
Rent Multi-family, accessory
units
Studios or one-bedroom units. Access to
transit, amenities, services, jobs.
Empty nesters Rent or own Single-Family, multi-family
One or two-bedrooms, age-restricted
buildings. Access to employment, services
and amenities.
Older Workers
More likely to
own, but may
rent
Single-family, multi-family Access to employment, transit, services and
amenities.
Multi-generational
households Rent or own
Single-family with
attached/detached
accessory unit, multi-family
Large units, multiple bedrooms. Access to
employment, transit, services and
amenities.
Elderly residents Rent or own Single-family, multi-family
Age-restricted buildings with variable levels
of health care and other supportive
services, universally designed units. Access
to transit and services.
Families with older
children
More likely to
own, but may
rent
Single-family, multi-family Access to employment, schools, and
services.
What does this mean for comprehensive plans? Housing preference variation for
different life stages is not the only factor that jurisdictions should take into account when
determining housing need; Special considerations should be made for different types of
demographic groups. Cultural preferences, income, age of residents and household type
can determine preferences for unit size and number of bedrooms, tenure and proximity to
resources like transit, cultural assets, schools, parks, services and community spaces.
Planning for affordability in a range of housing types and locations will further ensure that
current and projected housing needs are met for all ages and abilities, as well as
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communities of all racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and all household sizes and
types.
Racially Disparate Impacts
Addressing equity in the planning and decision-making processes of the comprehensive
plan update is essential to ensure the plan benefits all people and reflects the needs and
lived experiences of all residents and businesses in the community. Using a racial equity
lens can also help to redress past inequities and ensure future planning, policies, and
programs do not disproportionately burden BIPOC communities. This is particularly
important for the Housing Element and Housing Needs Assessment since current and past
policies, programs and systems have excluded people of color from homeownership
opportunities and created and continue to perpetuate disparities in housing.
More information on the Growth Management Act requirements to assess and address
racially disparate impacts in the housing element are available in Commerce’s Racially
Disparate Impacts Guidance.
Opportunity Mapping
https://www.psrc.org/our-work/opportunity-mapping
Not all households have the same access to jobs, services, transit and other determinants of
quality of life. Assessing access to opportunity, particularly for lower-income and
underserved communities, is critical when assessing future public investments. Access to
affordable housing can be addressed both through creating more housing options in high-
opportunity areas and by increasing access to opportunity through investment in more
affordable communities.
PSRC’s Opportunity Mapping shows access to opportunity based on an index of
neighborhood characteristics and positive life outcomes. The index includes education,
economic health, housing and neighborhood quality, mobility and transportation, and health
and environment. The level of opportunity score (very low, low, moderate, high, very high) is
determined by sorting all census tracts into quintiles based on their index scores. Areas of
opportunity with greater proportions of growth may experience an increased risk of
displacement.
More information on the methodology behind Opportunity Mapping is available online.
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Displacement Risk Mapping Tool
https://www.psrc.org/our-work/displacement-risk-mapping
For many communities, an important step in assessing housing needs is to identify the
community's risk factors related to displacement. This term refers to instances where a
household is forced or pressured to move from their home against their wishes.
The Displacement Risk Mapping Tool uses a composite of indicators representing five
elements of neighborhood displacement risks: socio-demographics, transportation
qualities, neighborhood characteristics, housing and civic engagement. The tool compiles
census tract data from these five categories of measures to determine level of risk by
neighborhood: lower, moderate and higher. It can be used to better understand how growth
may impact existing communities and when steps are needed to help existing residents and
businesses remain in their communities.
More information on the methodology behind the Displacement Risk Mapping Tool is
available online.
Equity Resources
https://www.psrc.org/our-work/equity
PSRC has developed several equity resources and assessment tools that can be applied to
the full comprehensive plan update. These resources may be particularly helpful when
analyzing and addressing racially disparate impacts in housing.
Data Sources
Housing is one component of a complete community and is tied to transportation and
infrastructure, jobs, the environment, services and other amenities. In addition to the
analysis and data sources described earlier in this guide, more general data can help a local
jurisdiction to better understand current and future housing need. The data sources listed
below may be helpful to the larger comprehensive plan update and are not specific to
housing.
Community Profiles
http://dataexplorer.psrc.org/community-profiles/
The purpose of a community profile is to describe your community's population with a focus
on characteristics that shape current and future needs for housing. A good community
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profile includes a presentation of quantitative demographic data along with additional local
knowledge to help put the data into context. PSRC’s Community Profiles data dashboard
provides easily accessible information to help develop a local community profile.
As a State Data Center affiliate for the central Puget Sound region, PSRC keeps an
extensive inventory of data released from the U.S. Census Bureau. Cities and counties use it
to track the well-being of children, families and the elderly, as well as to determine where to
locate new public facilities. This portal includes demographic profiles on a variety of topics
for all cities, towns and counties in the PSRC region.
The data on the dashboard is a snapshot of the information that is available from the U.S.
Census Bureau. In order to view data for all the cities and towns in the Puget Sound region,
we are limited to using American Community Survey (ACS) five-year data. For this reason,
you will only find two non-overlapping sets of data on this dashboard. By only including non-
overlapping data, users can analyze the data for changing trends. The data on this
dashboard is divided into five categories:
• People Measures
• Household and Housing Measures
• Job and Income Measures
• Transportation Measures
• Transportation Projects
Estimates of Covered Employment
https://psrc-
psregcncl.hub.arcgis.com/search?groupIds=acfa746d62734c8e9240f21520fb5fdcPSRC’s
Analyzing the characteristics of the workforce and reaching out to local employers can help
shed light on the housing needs of these workers as well as possible solutions. Addressing
the housing needs of the local workforce can reduce the prevalence of long commutes and
aid local employers in recruiting and maintaining a stable workforce.
The Covered Employment database is derived from the Washington State Employment
Security Department's (ESD) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) series.
This series consists of employment for firms whose employees are covered by the
Washington Unemployment Insurance Act. Covered employment excludes self-employed
workers, proprietors, CEOs and other non-insured workers. Typically, covered employment
has represents 85-90% of total employment.
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The dataset for March of each year is presented here as a representative month when
seasonal fluctuations are minimized. The unit of measurement is jobs, rather than working
persons or proportional full-time employment equivalents; part-time and temporary
positions are included.
To provide more accurate workplace reporting, PSRC gathers supplemental data from the
Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction (OSPI) and governmental units throughout the central Puget Sound region.
Residential Permit Database
https://psrc-
psregcncl.hub.arcgis.com/search?groupIds=f3783a41aa504ae1ba05fcdd71ba1ffb
It is helpful to compare a static count of units with production trends from a recent time
period to evaluate how trends are changing over time. A local jurisdiction will have its own
permit data. Comparing local permit trends to regional trends may help to understand local
market conditions and if public incentives and subsidies are needed to spur housing
development.
PSRC collects residential building permit records authorizing construction, demolition and
any other gain or loss in housing units during a given year. Permit data is collected on an
annual basis; each data file represents one calendar year’s worth of permit data. Permit
data is collected from the permitissuing bodies, the individual jurisdictions and counties in
the central Puget Sound region.
Household Travel Survey
https://household-travel-survey-psregcncl.hub.arcgis.com/
It is helpful to understand travel patterns and behaviors when assessing the current and
future location of housing.
The Puget Sound Regional Travel Survey seeks to capture quality, regionally representative
data for residents’ travel behavior on a typical weekday. This data includes household and
person demographics, household vehicle information and information about daily travel
patterns (e.g., locations, travel times, travel modes).
The spring 2019 household travel survey is part of a six-year survey program for three waves
(two-year survey cycles). This effort builds upon the 2017, 2014/2015 and 2006 household
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travel surveys to continue to support a wide variety of agency and member data and analysis
needs. The final wave for the current program is set for 2021.
Land Use Vision-Implemented Targets Forecast Product (LUV-it)
PSRC is updating the Land Use Vision growth projections for counties, cities and other
communities to reflect the updated Regional Growth Strategy, as well as countywide growth
targets developed to align with VISION 2050. The forecast is a useful resource for
transportation modeling to be consistent with future growth planning in communities
throughout the region.
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Local Policy and Implementation Evaluation
Over the past 30 years counties and cities have successfully implemented a range of
housing actions to improve housing supply and access, from major planning efforts to
funding in support of low-income housing projects. The region now has more active housing
efforts than ever. Nonetheless, the housing market continues to change rapidly, and state
laws and regional policies have new requirements. Housing policies that may have been
prudent 10 years ago may now not fully reflect today’s housing needs. This section provides
guidance on evaluating housing policies and implementation strategies to ensure that they
address current requirements and meet community needs. A few key questions to aid
review of a housing element include:
• Does the housing element support sufficient housing to address the community’s
population and housing growth targets? Each jurisdiction must demonstrate that its
comprehensive plan supports accommodating its adopted growth target and growth
that is consistent with VISION 2050.
• Does the housing element support housing growth where it will be supported by
regional and local transportation infrastructure? Housing located near jobs, services
Increase Neighborhood Stability by Mitigating Residential Displacement
VISION 2050, the region’s long-range plan for growth, calls for creating a region where growth benefits all
residents by increasing economic development and access to jobs, expanding housing and
transportation choices, promoting neighborhood vitality, and improving public health and environmental
quality. However, without public intervention, growth can benefit some and exacerbate burdens for
others. This can push people away from their current communities, resources and jobs. Taking steps to
mitigate displacement can help to ensure all residents have the choice to stay in their neighborhoods.
Local governments can play a key role in helping to provide opportunities for residents to stay in place .
Many jurisdictions are working to reduce the likelihood of displacement. While some jurisdictions report
having displacement mitigation tools in place, many communities have continuing questions and need
more technical assistance. Displacement is a complex topic with myriad approaches to address the
various types of displacement and local conditions.
PSRC developed a displacement risk tool to identify areas at greater risk of residential displacement
based on neighborhood conditions. In addition to this tool, PSRC is developing further guidance on
residential displacement for local jurisdictions.
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and transportation options provides people with greater access and opportunity. It
creates broader support for a full range of households. It also reduces traffic
congestion and related impacts on the environment.
• Do housing policies support the provision of housing to meet the needs of
households with lower incomes and special needs? About one third of future
housing needs are anticipated to be for households earning less than 80% of AMI.
Addressing this housing need will require planning and zoning that supports more
affordable housing types, as well as incentives, subsidies and funding to reach the
lowest- income households.
• Do policies work to address racially disparate impacts? Policies may have an
unintentional impact on some populations. These may be legacies of redlining or
other racially motivated actions in the past that continue to be echoed in today’s
zoning and regulations.
Cities and counties will most likely require new and innovative policies, tools and programs
to provide more housing options to their communities and to address the full range of
community needs.
Evaluate Effectiveness of Existing Policies and Tools
The state-required updates to local comprehensive plans due in 2024 represent the fourth
round of GMA comprehensive plans. As such, they represent an opportunity to take stock of
the effectiveness of existing policies and tools to achieve community goals and meet local
and regional housing needs.
Inventory and analysis are resources for jurisdictions to evaluate the success of current
housing element goals, policies and implementation tools. Data showing successful
outcomes can support retention and expansion of existing policies and programs. Data
showing weak performance suggest the need to revise or replace existing tools in a
jurisdiction. Figure 10, below, shows examples of how jurisdictions can structure evaluation
of outcomes, factors and potential implications of existing goals and policies.
Given changes in the Growth Management Act about looking specifically at need by income
level, this analysis should also consider the effectiveness of existing tools to produce
housing at different income levels. Data may not be available for all development, but the
analysis should consider what types of tools can credibly be used to create very low-, low-
and moderate-income housing.
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Figure 10. Housing Policy Evaluation Template
Policy or Tool Outcome Factors Policy Considerations
(Illustrative examples)
Example:
Policy: Meet housing target
Implementation Tools:
• Land-use code
25% of target
accommodated in 50% of
planning period
Region still catching up from
slowdown in housing
production following the Great
Recession.
Most of the city’s housing
capacity is downtown in MF
and MU zones where little
development has occurred.
Economic development and
market incentives for new
development downtown.
Provide additional infill capacity.
May satisfy reasonable measures
under Buildable Lands.
Policy: Encourage the
production of housing
affordable for all incomes
Implementation Tools:
• Multi-family tax
exemption
• Density bonus incentive
for workforce housing
Two projects used the 8-
year MFTE option
No projects under the 12-
year provision with
affordability
37 new units built under
incentives affordable to
HH with income below
80% of AMI
Developers indicate tax break
insufficient for below-market
units.
Feedback from developers:
density bonus only effective in
highest-demand locations.
Overall low development
activity in the zones where
incentive is in place.
Provide additional incentives for
new market rate and especially
mixed-income development.
Consider new or expanded
incentives, such as flexible
parking requirements or permit
expediting.
Consider new implementation
approaches, such as inclusionary
zoning, support for non-profit
housing developers and a local or
regional housing fund.
Policy: Encourage family-
sized rental housing
Implementation Tool: N/A
10% of recently permitted
MF units are two-
bedroom or larger
Private market decisions Strengthen policy to identify
specific approaches for
implementation like zoning
incentives for larger units around
transit, schools and parks.
Policy: Promote accessory
dwelling units
Implementation Tool:
Accessory dwelling units
ordinance
25 permits (5 per year),
70 existing. Average
rental price is $900/
month for one-bedroom
Size and design of many
existing SF homes cannot
accommodate ADUs.
Consider an expanded ADU
ordinance that would allow
detached ADUs, or perhaps an
incentive in zoning for ADUs to be
included in new homes.
Policy: Promote middle-
density housing
Implementation Tools:
• Code audit
• Flexible single-family
development standards
30% of new construction
in low-rise residential
zone is 2-6 units per lot.
Feedback from financing and
development industry:
development regulations do
not allow middle-density
projects to be financially
feasible.
Conduct a code audit to identify
and address development
regulations that are inadvertently
hindering the development of
middle-density housing.
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• Relax minimum parking
requirements
Single family zones need
infrastructure to support
modest increases in density.
Policy: Mitigate residential
displacement
Implementation Tools:
• Tenant protections
• Incentive/inclusionary
zoning
• Equitable community
engagement
• Create an equitable
development fund
Neighborhood
stabilization. Majority of
current residents have
option to continue living in
community as
investments are made.
History of systemic racism in
housing.
Disenfranchisement of minority
communities.
Engage residents to better
understand their lived experience
with risk of displacement.
Compensate people and
organizations for their time and
expertise.
Policy: Address racially
disparate impact in access to
housing
Implementation Tools:
• Tenant protections
• Inclusionary zoning
• Down payment assistance
• Foreclosure resources
• Alternative ownership
models
Increased share of
minority residents owning
a home.
Share of cost-burdened
renters is more consistent
among different
racial/ethnic groups.
History of systemic racism in
housing.
Consider partnerships with
community and financial
institutions to provide education
and payment assistance.
Policy: Regulatory
streamlining for housing
development
Implementation Tool: N/A
Average permitting period
reduced by two weeks
Updated web-based “one-
stop-shop” permit application
process for by-right
development
Look for additional opportunities
to streamline regulatory
processes.
Policy: Support the
development of special needs
housing
Implementation Tool: N/A
12 new universally
designed units developed
within ½ mile of transit
station
Partnered with developers of
special needs housing to
develop incentive program.
Continue to strengthen
partnership with special needs
housing advocates and revise
policies as needed.
Policy: Support the
preservation of transitional
housing units for homeless
families
Implementation Tool:
Transitional housing program
More households applied
than units available, 50
households moved from
transitional housing to
permanent housing
Recession has increased
likelihood of households in
poverty to become homeless,
resulting in increased demand.
Work with rapid rehousing pilots
or other emerging practices
A policy evaluation table like the one shown above is intended to serve as internal guidance
for jurisdictions to evaluate existing policies and implementation tools. The policy
implications column can aid local planning staff in prioritizing a work plan for the update of
the housing element and provide background materials for new proposals for policymakers.
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Consistency With Growth Targets and Addressing Projected Housing Need
For PSRC certification, VISION 2050 states that plans need to demonstrate substantial
consistency between the land use assumptions used throughout the plan and the adopted
countywide growth targets. See p. 42 of VISION 2050 and the VISION 2050 Consistency
Tool for Comprehensive Plans for more information. A growth target is the amount of growth
for the 20-year planning period that each jurisdiction has agreed to through the countywide
process. A jurisdiction must provide sufficient capacity to accommodate the growth targets.
Capacity for growth can exceed growth targets, which may be particularly important in
planning for growth under new affordability requirements in HB 1220.
VISION 2050 emphasizes that where growth happens is important. Coordination and
consistency among jurisdictions is critical in planning for transportation, achieving climate
goals, understanding forecast growth jobs-housing balance and other reasons. Planning for
growth targets that have been developed through the countywide process ensures
coordinated growth throughout the region.
Capacity and targets are related but different. Growth targets represent total growth
expected during the 20-year planning period and are determined through the countywide
process to allocate projected growth. Targets and forecasted growth inform planning for
transportation investments, capital facilities and the size of the urban growth area. VISION
2050 and the comprehensive plan review checklist state that capacity for growth can
exceed targets. PSRC recognizes that additional capacity will help achieve adopted growth
targets based on the type, location and timing of development. Many jurisdictions may lack
sufficient capacity to accommodate growth at deeply affordable income bands. That may
mean revisiting capacity but doesn’t necessarily mean the total amount of growth should
change. The counties should have a process in place to adjust the targets if necessary.
One caveat is that VISION 2050 includes a policy discouraging adding capacity in regional
geographies that do not have high-capacity transit. When a community substantially
increases capacity beyond its adopted target it should document how the additional
capacity is necessary to support regional policies. Commerce will be releasing guidance on
land capacity to accommodate housing need in late 2022.
Recommended steps to address need:
• Reflect projected countywide need in your plan or other countywide-adopted
allocations specific to your jurisdiction.
• Demonstrate capacity at different affordability levels based on guidance provided by
Commerce.
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• Identify barriers to addressing housing needs for all income levels, such restrictive
zoning and regulations and limits in available funding.
Identify appropriate tools and strategies that can meaningfully address the need at different
income levels. For example, could an affordable housing provider develop units in your
community based on existing land use and development regulations?
Comprehensive planning is about setting up the preconditions for growth to occur. The
housing market is complex, and the price of housing is influenced by a broad set of
economic and policy factors. Some are in the control of local governments, but many are
not. The GMA requirements are to identify appropriate tools and strategies to enable
housing development to occur, not to guarantee development or preservation of units at
different income levels.
Setting and Implementing New Goals and Policies
Through the update process, new or revised policies arise from input from community
members and other stakeholders, state laws and rules, multicounty and countywide
planning policies, as well as the housing inventory, analysis and evaluation steps described
above.
VISION 2050 encourages local jurisdictions to adopt and implement available best housing
practices and innovative techniques to advance the provision of affordable, healthy and safe
housing for all residents in the region. Multicounty planning policies on housing highlight the
following issues to be addressed in local comprehensive plans:
• Equitable distribution of housing for low-income, moderate-income, middle income,
and special needs individuals.
• Homeownership opportunities for low-income, moderate-income, and middle-
income families and individuals.
• A range of housing choices for workers at all income levels in proximity to jobs and
employment opportunities.
• Increasing the supply and range of housing choices in regional growth centers.
• Prioritizing regional funding for transportation facilities, infrastructure and services in
regional growth centers.
• Streamlining development standards and regulations to increase public benefit and
flexibility and minimize additional costs.
• Innovative techniques for providing a broad range of housing.
• Inter-jurisdictional cooperation.
While revising and setting new goals and policies should be informed by state, regional and
countywide policies, they should be tailored to meet the needs of local communities and
enable jurisdictions to contribute to meeting regional needs.
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Commerce’s Racially Disparate Impacts Guidance recommends evaluating each policy to
understand which policies advance the community’s overall goals, which ones may
undermine other goals and which may be strengthened. Policies may have been
substantially unchanged across multiple plan updates or may use poorly defined terms or
coded language that implies exclusion in the housing market. This plan update is an
opportunity to look closely at all policies and strategies to assess whether the plan will help
confront regional challenges in the housing market.
In addition, the strength of a policy is determined by its specificity: the more specific the
greater likelihood that results and outcomes will reflect desired intent. Figure 11 below,
adapted from the City of Bellevue Transit Master Plan, provides guidance on crafting strong,
active policies.
Figure11. Policy Strength Continuum
Policy Implementation
In terms of implementing policy tools that increase the supply of affordable housing, the
Washington Administrative Code includes guidelines to implement RCW 36.70A.540,
amended in 2010, which sets minimum standards to enact or expand affordable housing
incentive programs that are consistent with local needs and adopted comprehensive plans.
Programs can include strategies like density bonuses, height and bulk bonuses, fee waivers
or exemptions, parking reductions and expedited permitting.
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In anticipation of countywide and local planning to implement VISION 2050 and the
Regional Housing Strategy, the Puget Sound Regional Council has developed several
resources that address housing and housing affordability.
PSRC’s Housing Innovations Program (HIP): PSRC’s Housing Innovations Program (HIP) is
a collection of planning resources for local governments—including planners and planning
commissions, housing staff, and elected officials—in the central Puget Sound region. The
program aims to provide local jurisdictions with information about available best housing
and planning practices that have been successfully used to facilitate the production and
preservation of affordable housing opportunities and compact development in their
communities. The HIP includes profiles of 49 regulatory tools, incentives and other local
government strategies for fostering affordable housing production/preservation and
innovative, compact development.
Place Typology for Housing Actions and Tools: Both the Regional Housing Strategy and the
Housing Innovations Program identify strategies that can be taken at the local level to further
regional housing goals. This typology identifies six types of places across the region based
on access to opportunity and displacement risk. It also identifies appropriate housing
strategies for each type of place. This classification framework assesses future growth
based on the Regional Growth Strategy to link appropriate implementation strategies to
communities with common characteristics. The typology is forthcoming and will be available
in early 2023.
Housing Incentives and Tools Survey: PSRC fielded a survey to local jurisdictions to learn
how they use regulatory incentives and tools to promote housing development and
affordability. The survey can be useful in understanding what tools have proven effective,
common barriers, and which tools have been adopted around the region. Findings from
surveys fielded in 2009, 2019 and 2021 are available online. Findings from the 2022 survey
are forthcoming and will be available in early 2023.
Housing 101: Creating a Shared Understanding: Housing is a complex topic that has a long
history and uses specific terminology. This presentation summarizes key terms and
grounding information to provide stakeholders with a common language as work moves
forward on the Regional Housing Strategy. This overview covers Key Terms, Role of
Government, Housing and Equity, VISION 2050.
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The PSRC housing resources complement a range of additional resources available
through other agencies that local governments are encouraged to use in updating their
housing elements:
• Washington State Department of Commerce: Planning for Housing: An online
resource providing guidance on how to develop a local housing needs assessment
and update a housing element to meet state law.
• Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC): An online resource
providing guidance on “housing issues, legal authority, sample ordinances,
programs, plans, best practices and resources for local governments, particularly
Washington cities and counties.”
• PolicyLink’s Equitable Development Toolkit: PolicyLink is an organization committed
to “Lifting Up What Works,” which is a “way of focusing attention on how people are
working successfully to use local, state, and federal policy to create conditions that
benefit everyone, especially people in low-income communities and communities of
color.” The Equitable Development Toolkit “includes 27 tools to reverse patterns of
segregation and disinvestment, prevent displacement, and promote equitable
revitalization.”
• Center for Housing Policy/National Housing Policy Toolbox: provides a
comprehensive “overview of successful housing policies and examples of how they
have been used to achieve key goals, including ensuring the availability of affordable
homes, meeting the housing needs of older adults, and improving home resistance
to natural disasters.”
Figure 12 provides a full range of housing tools that can be incorporated into local housing
elements. Each of these tools is discussed and illustrated further in the HIP online Housing
Toolkit.
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Figure 12. Effective Housing Tools
Development Types
Accessory Dwelling Units
Cluster Development
Cottage Housing
Infill Development
Mobile/Manufactured homes
Master Planned Communities
Microunits
Mixed-Use Development
Multifamily Development
Planned Unit Development
Small Lot Development
Townhomes
Zero Lot Line Development
Incentives
Density Bonuses
Fee Waivers or Reductions
Incentive Zoning
Multifamily Tax Exemption
Parking Reductions
Public Land for Affordable Housing
Renter/Homeowner Assistance
Direct Household Assistance
Foreclosure Resources
Tenant Protections
Project-Level Tools
Affordability Covenants
Alternative Homeownership Models
Development Agreements
Other Regulatory/Zoning Tools
Design Guidelines
Flexible Single Family Development Regulations
Form-Based Zoning
Inclusionary Zoning
Lot Size Averaging
Minimum Densities
No Maximum Densities
Performance Zoning
Planned Action EIS
Preservation & Rehabilitation
Regulatory Streamlining
SEPA Categorical Exemptions
Short Plats
Transit Oriented Development Overlays
Transfer of Development Rights for Affordable
Housing
Upzones and Rezones
Other Financial Tools
Commercial Linkages Fees
Credit Enhancement
Local Housing Fund
Education & Outreach
Community Outreach Plans & Strategies
Training for Permitting Officials
NIMBY and Community Opposition
Partnerships
Interjurisdictional Cooperation
Nonprofit Partnerships
PSRC’s Plan Review
A major emphasis of the Growth Management Act is coordination of local, regional and state
planning efforts. To advance this coordination, state law (RCW 47.80.023) requires PSRC to
review and certify that local comprehensive plans conform to regional guidelines and
principles (multicounty planning policies), the regional transportation plan and planning
requirements in the Growth Management Act. Through plan certification, local jurisdictions
become qualified to apply for federal transportation funds managed by PSRC.
During VISION 2050, PSRC’s Growth Management Policy Board recognized that access to
housing, employment and transit are directly related to the region’s transportation system.
To reflect the policy direction of VISION 2050 and the board’s emphasis, PSRC will
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emphasize housing during the plan review process. With the more detailed direction of the
Regional Housing Strategy, greater data available in the Regional Housing Needs
Assessment and information from the Department of Commerce regarding the
implementation of HB 1220 now available, PSRC’s review will look at housing elements and
other housing strategies and actions. Comprehensive plans will be reviewed for whether
plans show their work to address new state requirements for jurisdictions to demonstrate
planning for need and housing capacity across the income spectrum, as well as analyzing
and addressing racially disparate impacts.
Ultimately, whether a policy area of a local plan is a “transportation-related provision” is a
decision for the Growth Management Policy Board to consider in making a certification
recommendation to the Executive Board.
Figure 13, adapted from the PSRC Plan Review Manual, summarizes key points in VISION
2050 that should be considered in local housing elements. The PSRC Policy and Plan
Review Process is designed to further coordination between local jurisdictions, counties and
transit agencies to satisfy requirements in the Growth Management Act to certify countywide
planning policies and the transportation-related provisions in local comprehensive plans.
For more information on PSRC’s Plan Review program and the Plan Review Manual, visit the
PSRC website.
Figure 13. PSRC Plan Review Manual Housing Element Checklist for Local Comprehensive Plans
Housing
The plan guides the preservation, improvement and expansion of the housing stock to
provide a range of affordable, accessible, healthy and safe housing choices to every
resident. It continues to promote fair and equal access to housing for all people.
Policies and programs should:
Assess housing needs
Address affordable housing needs by developing a housing needs assessment and
evaluating the effectiveness of existing housing policies, and documenting strategies
to achieve housing targets and affordability goals. This includes documenting
programs and actions needed to achieve housing availability including gaps in local
funding, barriers such as development regulations, and other limitations (H-Action-4)
Increase housing supply and choices
✓ Increase housing supply and densities to meet the region’s current and projected
needs at all income levels consistent with the Regional Growth Strategy (MPP-H-1)
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✓ Expand the diversity of housing types for all income levels and demographic groups,
including low, very low, extremely low, and moderate-income households (MPP-H-2-
6, H-9)
Expand housing capacity for moderate density housing, i.e., “missing middle” (MPP-H-9)
Promote jobs-housing balance by providing housing choices that are accessible and
attainable to workers. Include jobs-housing balance in housing needs assessments to
better support job centers with the needed housing supply (MPP-H-1, H-6, H-Action-
4)
✓ Expand housing choices in centers and near transit (MPP-H-7-8)
✓ Promote flexible standards and innovative techniques to encourage housing
production that keeps pace with growth and need (MPP-H-10)
Support the development and preservation of affordable housing
Use inclusionary and incentive zoning to provide more affordable housing when creating
additional housing capacity (H-Action-5)
Jurisdictions planning for high-capacity transit stations: Create and preserve affordable
housing near high-capacity transit5 (MPP-H-8, H-Action-1)
Address inequities in access to housing
Identify potential physical, economic, and cultural displacement of low-income
households and marginalized populations and work with communities to develop anti-
displacement strategies in when planning for growth (MPP-H-12, H-Action-6)
Promote homeownership opportunities while recognizing historic inequities in access to
homeownership opportunities for communities of color (MPP-H-5)
Identify and begin to undo local policies and regulations that result in racially disparate
impacts, displacement, and exclusion in housing including zoning that may have a
discriminatory effect and areas of disinvestment and infrastructure availability
Source: Plan Review Manual, 2022
Monitoring
Policy implementation and monitoring work best as two sides of the same coin. The housing
element should be crafted in a way that facilitates continual monitoring of outcomes and
changing community needs. Indicators tracked through annual monitoring should link back
to explicit policies and implementation actions in the plan. The stronger the monitoring
program is tied to desired policy outcomes, the better position a community will be in to
achieve its housing objectives and make targeted updates to its policies and tools to ensure
community housing needs are met.
PSRC is developing a program to track regional performance trends as part of the
implementation of VISION 2050. Tracking performance trends provides a critical feedback
5 Transit-oriented development near stations located in or near manufacturing/industrial centers need to function differently , with
different uses than other centers, to maintain a focus on protecting industrial zoning, jobs and the region’s overall economic vitality.
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loop and basis for evaluating how well PSRC is meeting its stated planning/program goals
and objectives. This supports informed decision-making, e.g., by telling us where we’re
succeeding and where we’re not, and by helping us think about how we might adjust current
policies or programs to produce better results. The regional performance trends on housing
focus on the supply, cost, density and location of housing, including:
• Amount of housing produced compared to targeted growth
• Home prices versus income
• Rental housing supply vs. demand
• Income spent on housing and transportation costs
• Cost-burdened households
• Distribution of affordable rental and ownership housing units
• Housing units by structure type
• Housing in regionally designated centers
• Jobs-housing balance
Some examples of monitoring programs have been developed around countywide planning
policies and comprehensive plans:
• King County CPPs: King County monitors the supply of housing that’s affordable at
all income levels and accessible to all residents, as well as its progress in meeting
current and project housing needs. In addition, the King County CPPs suggest that
jurisdictions “review and amend, a minimum every five years, the countywide and
local housing policies and strategies,” especially in jurisdictions where current and
projected housing needs are not adequately met. The monitoring dashboard is
available online.
Five-Year Implementation Reports
HB 1241, adopted by the state Legislature in 2022, now requires jurisdictions that meet certain criteria to
submit an implementation progress report detailing the progress they have achieved in implementing their
comprehensive plan five years after the review and revision of their comprehensive plan.
The specifics of the reports are forthcoming, but is it critical to note that the law does include specifics for
implementation of the housing element. The Department of Commerce will adopt guidelines for indicators,
measures, milestones and criteria for use by counties and cities in the implementation progress report.
The new state law requires that the report must cover the implementation of previously adopted changes
to the housing element and any effect those changes have had on housing affordability and availability
within the jurisdiction.
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• Redmond Benchmarks: Since 2006, the City of Redmond has had a benchmarks
program designed to assess progress “toward achieving the eight broad community
goals that underpin Redmond's Comprehensive Plan.” These include several
measures of housing choice. One example of a statistical indicator is the “Affordable
Dwellings Created through Inclusionary Housing Program.” It is one of several
indicators used to determine if the city’s “Emphasize choices in housing,
transportation, stores and services” outcome is met in the Redmond 2022 program.
• Mountlake Terrace Comprehensive Plan Performance Measures: As part of its
housing element, the City of Mountlake Terrace has adopted a performance
measure and will annually report on its progress. The measure is a target of 49
housing units permitted per year.
• Snohomish County CPPs: Through the CPPs, jurisdictions are required to “develop
and implement a coordinated, growth monitoring program” through Snohomish
County Tomorrow (SCT). Specifically, SCT performs annual reviews of population,
employment and housing growth targets to determine progress in meeting projected
and allocated growth. Yearly, SCT publishes a report with information outlining
residential development trends and the availability and affordability of affordable
housing. The full report is available at the Snohomish County website.
For more information on this guidance paper and the data contained in it, please contact
PSRC at planreview@psrc.org.
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