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<br />Marian Meadows Rezone and Subdivision Final Environmental Impact Statement 3-22 <br /> Protecting private property rights. <br />A case study approach that included the small community of Roslyn in western Kittitas County used <br />photo-questionnaires to identify landscape characteristics that residents identified as “rural.” The <br />characteristics of the views most closely associated with rural character included farmland, open <br />landscapes with few structures, and the presence of features such as livestock. Reasons given for rating <br />these features as “rural” included the agricultural nature of the scenes, the presence of animals, low- <br />density residential character, peace and quiet, a slow pace, and access to nature. Non-visual features <br />associated with rural character include a sense of community, a sense of history, and opportunities for <br />connection to the land, including the opportunity to pasture animals (Tilt 2007). <br />Rural Residential Policies are most applicable to the proposed project area, and include the following <br />designation criteria: <br />Criteria 1. Lands outside UGAs and the Rural Transition designation. <br />Criteria 2. Lands located outside of the Commercial Agriculture or CF land use designations. <br />Criteria 3. Lands located within a fire district. <br />Criteria 4. Lands served by established county and/or state road networks that are in existence or can be <br />logically extended as provided in the Kittitas County Transportation Plan. <br />Criteria 5. Lands at the time of adoption of the ordinance designated or zoned Rural Residential, <br />Agricultural-3 (Ag-3), Agricultural-5 (Ag-5), R-3, or R-5. <br />Criteria 6. Lands that are otherwise located adjacent to and are logical extensions of this land use <br />designation. <br />Criteria 7. Lands that do not require extension or provision of public/urban levels of services. Utility <br />services may be provided by PUDs, and public or private utility providers. <br />Criteria 8. May include lands which have public values that must be protected under state law including <br />but not limited to: <br />o Shorelines <br />o Wetlands <br />o Sensitive fish and wildlife habitats. <br />Criteria 9. May include lands which have been mapped as floodway, or which have excessively steep <br />slopes, unstable soils, or where other mapped critical area features predominate. <br />The Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan includes the following general goals, policies, and <br />objectives (GPO) that apply to rural lands or uses on those lands: <br />GPO 8.5 Kittitas County recognizes and agrees with the need for continued diversity in densities and <br />uses on rural lands.