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Page 8 Land Use Patterns Kittitas County is located at the geographic center of Washington State, midway between the heavily populated Puget Sound region and the eastern farming areas centered around Moses Lake. More than half of the County is covered by coniferous forests, while approximately thirty percent (30%) is in pasture or unimproved grazing land. Less than two percent (2%) of the County is in urban development. The County covers 1,481,814 acres (2,315 square miles) of highly varied terrain and climates. Beginning in the high Cascades, the land slopes generally to the east and south to the Columbia River. Land use in Kittitas County ranges from residential uses to resource based activities. In the Snoqualmie Pass area, resource allocation in the form of timber harvesting is the predominant land use with additional areas used for recreation. Resource lands still predominate the mid-elevations, though residential development increases in these areas. In the lower elevations, agricultural activities are the main land use, with residential development intermixed in the area. The Department of Defense’s Yakima Training Center is located in the southeastern portion of the County and makes up approximately 164,132 acres within the lower Kittitas Valley. Allowed Zoning Densities GMA mandates that cities and counties focus growth toward population centers, i.e. cities and UGAs, to ensure that growth is both environmentally and economically sustainable over time. While there are a number of approaches to facilitate urban growth, a key approach is to ensure that growth is targeted to populated areas through zoning. While cities are required by the GMA to ensure that they have enough urban density zoning to accommodate future growth, Counties are required to demonstrate that they have adequate rural zoning. Rural zoning is mandated by the GMA to accomplish the following:  Preserve rural character.  Focus density to cities and UGAs – reduce sprawl.  Decrease the costs of infrastructure – sewer, water, and transportation.  Protect valuable resource lands – mineral lands, forests and agriculture. Zoning and Land Use Designations Table 2-1 shows the land use designations assigned in this Comprehensive Plan, along with the corresponding zone classifications present in each land use designation and the total area in acres occupied by that zone.