Dev Regs Report_from Study Session

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STATE REQUIREMENTS Under the Growth Management Act (GMA), counties in the state of Washington are required to complete a full review of their entire comprehensive plan and development regulations every ten years. This is referred to in the GMA as the periodic update. The periodic update includes revisions to the comprehensive plan to adjust for allocated growth and population projections, revise any applicable land use, transportation, or capital facilities changes needed to accommodate this growth. During the periodic update it is also required to make changes to the comprehensive plan and development regulations to address any changes in state laws that have passed since the jurisdiction's last periodic update or to correspond to changes in land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan. Since the County's last periodic update, the State has made significant changes to the GMA impacting development regulations. The most notable laws being HB 1220 to provide supportive housing types and accommodate future housing needs by income and HB 1181 which requires all counties and cities to adopt climate and resilience elements and adopt applicable development regulations. Kimley-Horn uses resources provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce, including the Periodic Update Fully -Planning Checklist for counties, to assess gaps in development regulations. EXISTING CONDITIONS Kittitas County Code The Kittitas County Code administers land use, development, and zoning regulations across several chapters. The most important sections related to the proposed changes addressed in this memo are: Title 15A Project Permit Application Process Title 16 Subdivisions Title 17 Zoning Ellensburg Interlocal Agreement for Zoning Kittitas County and the City of Ellensburg have adopted an interlocal agreement to facilitate the orderly transition of urban services from the County to the City throughout the Urban Growth Area (UGA) and to coordinate and manage growth and development within the UGA'. This is adopted in 17.11.030 of Kittitas County code. A lot of the recent changes to state laws related to emergency and supportive housing apply only to Urban Growth Areas. Ellensburg UGA has the highest population and the highest net developable acres. Kittitas County plans to adopt the City of Ellensburg's revised changes after they have been adopted by the City. Kittitas County Code (KCC) § 17.11.030, City of Ellensburg Urban Growth Area Interlocal Agreements.