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33.3 The proposed amendment has merit and value for Kittitas County or a sub- <br />area of the county <br />The applicant states: <br />The proposed rezone of the property provides merit and value to Kittitas <br />County, as it will add to and increase the tax base while minimizing the <br />impacts to its operational costs. The Planned Unit Development will <br />provide private roads, private utilities and private recreational <br />opportunities for its residents as it increases the tax base for the county. <br />In light of the Upper County Well Moratorium within Kittitas County, <br />this project has a true merit and value for Kittitas County due to the <br />Ranch On Swank Creek LLC having obtained senior water rights that <br />can provide water for this proposal <br />Kittitas County has adopted the high population projections as provided <br />by the Washington State Office of Financial Management to guide growth <br />in the county for the next twenty years. It can be predicted, based on <br />these population projections that a large portion of this population <br />growth as well as most of the growth of the second home market will be <br />occurring in the Rural Lands of the county. There is merit and value in <br />directing this growth to a location that can provide the services that will <br />substantially reduce the impact to the environment through state of the <br />art utility systems. This is done as stated above by providing for a Group <br />A Water System and a Class "A" Reclaimed Water Facility as well as <br />providing for large open spaces and buffers between the existing <br />population and the anticipated growth in the population. By situating a <br />portion of the anticipated growth in this area with these services, open <br />spaces, and buffers increased merit and value Kittitas County occurs. <br />In addition, this rezone to a planned unit development will limit rural <br />sprawl, which is a goal under the Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan <br />GPO 8.13, which states "Methods other than large lot zoning to reduce <br />densities and prevent sprawl should be investigated." This is done by <br />removing the potential for development of the rangeland and agricultural <br />lands on the valley floor to the hill above these lands where it will be <br />clustered thereby removing growth and development pressure, not only <br />from this property but also from other lands within the county. As <br />provided for as a goal in the Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan, this <br />proposal limits rural sprawl therefore providing merit and value to <br />Kittitas County. <br />Z-07-08 and LL -08-02 <br />Dunford PUD Rezone and <br />Preliminary Large Lot Subdivision <br />Page 11 of 28 <br />