Joint Rural Team

Updated Through September 24, 2024

Mission

Ensure the State Growth Management Act (GMA) is implemented to: (1) Foster sustainable cities, including affordable housing, that address social, environmental, and economic impacts through proper planning to meet the needs of people; (2) Prevent sprawl outside the Urban Growth Area, so that limited regional resources for infrastructure and services are not diverted from cost-effective urban areas to more costly fringe areas; and (3) Protect and restore rural lands to continue to provide clean water for people and wildlife, trees for clean air and flood control, and local healthy food sources.

Membership

The GMVUAC’s Regional Coordinator currently serves as the Coordinator of the Joint Rural Team.

Major Regional Tasks

The Joint Rural Team has collaborated on the following:

DOC Proposed Changes to GMA WACs
PSRC Regional Transportation Plan
PSRC VISION 2050
CPP 2021 Update
KCCP 2024 Major Update
KCCP 2020 Mid-Point Update
Adult Beverage Ordinance
Emergent Traffic Corridors

Task Details

King County Comprehensive Plan [see KCCP page, accessed through the top-level menu above, for more details and schedules.]

The Joint Rural Team coordinates all King County Comprehensive Plan (KCCP) efforts, including all Major Updates (every 10 years when the entire document is reviewed and subject to change, with the next update in 2024), Mid-Point Reviews (every 5 years, with the last such review conducted in 2020), and Annual Changes through the Docket Process. Please see the KCCP page (accessed through the top-level menu above) for more details and schedules.

2024 KCCP 10-Year Major Update

Starting on January 11, 2022, the Joint Rural Team has reviewed and commented on all aspects of the Update:

Scoping: 2/13/22: Proposed Scoping Items; 4/22/22: Detailed Comments to KC C LS & L-U Comm; 6/3/22: Scoping Comments to KC Council; 1/17/23: Response to Comments on EIS Scoping

Conceptual Proposals: 2/24/23: Comments on Exec’s Conceptual Proposals

Growth Management Planning Council: 3/10/23: Written Tstmy; 4/17/23: Written Tstmy; 4/29/23: Written Tstmy & Written Tstmy; 5/16/23: Written Tstmy; 9/1/23: Add’l Comments–WSDOT Ltr; 9/5/23: SUPPLEMENT to Add’l Com’ts

Public Review Draft: 7/14/23: PRD Comments; 8/29/23: PRD-Add’l Comments-Code Amendments

Draft Environmental Impact Statement: 1/30/24: DEIS Comments

KC Executive’s Recommended Plan: 2/6/24: Comments–Exec’s “Recmd’d Plan”; 3/29/24: CAO Comments

KC Council’s Local Services & Land-Use Committee: 4/1/24: Smry–Hi-Level Comments; 5/22/24 Prop’d Line Amendments to “Striker”; 6/7/24: Oral Testimonies Qtr 1 & 2 ’24

KC Council: Summer ’24: Prop’d Line Amendments

For further details see KCCP 2024 Major Update.

2020 KCCP Mid-Point Update

On June 8, 2020, the Joint Rural Team submitted Detailed Comments to the King County Council on the “Striking Amendment.” Also, on June 8, 2020, the KCCP SEPA Responsible Official issued a Determination of Significance accompanied by a SEPA Addendum.

On June 26, 2020 the Joint Rural Team submitted an ADDENDUM to its June 8, 2020, submittal to account for additional proposed King County Council Amendments and the partial SEPA review. On July 6, 2020 the KCCP SEPA Responsible Official issued a an Updated SEPA Addendum.

On July 13, 2020, the Joint Rural Team submitted a Revision to ADDENDUM to its June 26, 2020, submittal related to the King County Council proposed “Striker 3” Amendments and full SEPA review.

On July 20, 2020 the Joint Rural Team submitted a Response to S4 Amendments to its July 13, 2020, submittal related to the King County Council proposed “Striker 4” Amendments.

On July 23, 2020, the Joint Rural Team submitted a Response to S4.1 Amendments to its July 20, 2020, submittal related to the King County Council proposed “Striker 4.1” Amendments. On July 24, 2020, the King County Council finalized and voted to approve the 2020 KCCP Mid-Point Update.

On February 15, 2019, the Joint Rural Team submitted a set of comments to the King County Council on the Executive’s Scoping Document: UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on Scoping.

On July 31, 2019, the Joint Rural Team submitted a set of comments to King County Council on the Executive’s Public Review Draft (PRD): UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on PRD.

King County Ordinance 2018-0153 Comprehensive Planning and Subarea Planning Restructure

The Joint Rural Team prepared and submitted detailed comments to King County on its proposed Ordinance to extend the timing between major KCCP updates and modify the Subarea Plan cycles. See Area Council correspondence (KCCP Process Changes–Cover Letter (08 30 2018) and KCCP Process Changes–Comments (08 30 2018)). On October 29, 2018, the King County Council approved the annual update to the King County Comprehensive Plan Update.  The approved Update addressed many of the concerns expressed by the Joint Team. For more detailed information, please click on the following link: 2018 KC Comprehensive Plan Update

 

King County Countywide Planning Policies [see 2021 CPP Update link in “Major Issues” box on Home page]

The King County Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) which serve as the framework for all jurisdictional (both Urban, i.e., cities, and Unincorporated Areas, i.e., urban and rural) Comprehensive Planning.

The KC Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) reviewed the 2012 CPPs (as amended in 2016) CPPs in order to update them in 2021. The Joint Rural Team took advantage of multiple Public Comment opportunities. The GMPC completed its work and submitted its proposed CPP revisions to the King County Council for review and approval. That approval took place on December 14, 2021. After King County and all King County cities gave their final approvals, the 2021 CPP Update was submitted to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) in the first half of 2022 for final approval.

PSRC VISION 2050 [see PSRC VISION 2050 link in “Major Issues” box on Home page]

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) prepartes and maintains VISION planning dosuments for the four-county area–King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap.

In the Fall of 2019 the Joint Rural Team conducted an in-depth review of the PSRC’s draft VISION 2050 Draft Plan.

On July 19, 2019, PSRC released its Draft VISION 2050 Plan with a 60-day Public Comment period through September 17, 2019.

On September 16, 2019, the Joint Rural team prepared and submitted Detailed Public Comments (UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on PSRC’s VISION 2050 Draft Plan) on the PSRC’s VISION 2050 Draft Plan.

In the Spring of 2019 the Joint Rural Team conducted an in-depth review of the draft VISION 2050 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). Detailed Public Comments (UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on PSRC’s draft VISION 2050 SEIS) were prepared on the PSRC’s VISION 2050 SEIS that were submitted on April 29, 2019.

Permitting and Code Enforcement

The Joint Rural Team has identified several issues with how King County provides permits and conducts code enforcement. It has provided the following presentations to King County Regional Planning Director, Lauren Smith:

Proposed Ordinance on Code Enforcement Reform
Permitting and Code Enforcement

Also, the Joint Rural Team submitted the following letterb to King County Executive, Dow Constantine:

Joint Team Letter to KC Executive–Time For Fundamental Changes at DLS

Correspondence

2024

Joint Team Comment Letter on BESS Regulation Ordinance
Joint Team Comment Letter on Growth Target Reconciliation
Joint Team Comment Letter on Proposed Ordinance on Code Enforcement Reform
Joint Team Oral Testimonies–KC Council LS&L-U Comm Briefings–2024 KCCP Major Update
Joint Team “Striker” Proposed Line Amendments–KC Council LS&L-U Comm–2024 KCCP Major Update
Joint Team 2024 KCCP Major Update Comments, Recommendations, & Implementation Paths
Joint Team 2024 KCCP Major Update CAO/BAS Comments
Joint Team Comments–TUP-TEMP23-0011–Carnation Farms Event Center
Joint Team Letter to KC Executive–Time For Fundamental Changes at DLS
Joint Team Comments–TUP-TEMP23-0008–Snoqualmie Event Center
Joint Team Comments–KC Exec’s Recommended Plan–2024 KCCP Major Update
Joint Team Comments on DEIS–2024 KCCP Major Update

2023

Joint Team–SUPPLEMENT to Additional Comments on 4:1 Pgm Rev–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Additional Comments on 4:1 Pgm Rev–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Additional Comments on Public Review Draft–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Comments on Public Review Draft–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Written Testimony on Concurrency to KC Council’s Local Services & Land-Use Committee
Joint Team–Comments on 4:1 Pgm Rev–Member Amendments–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Comments on 4:1 Pgm Rev–IJT Recommendations–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Proposed Changes to Title 21A.08.030–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Written Testimony to GMPC–4:1 Program–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Requested Land-Use & Zoning Study–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Proposed Changes to Title 21A.30.085 & 21A.30.090–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Comments on KCCP 2024 Major Update–KC Executive’s Conceptual Proposals
Joint Team–Proposed Changes to Title 21A32 TUPs–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Oral Testimony to GMPC–4:1 Program–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Comments on Temporary-Use Permit Application TUP-TEMP22-0008–KCCP 2024 Major Update
Joint Team–Response to Comments on 2024 KCCP Update EIS Scoping

2022

Joint Team Public Comments–Proposed KC Council PBRS Enhancement Ordinance
Joint Team Proposed Changes–KCCP 2024 Major Update–Rural Area Policies
Letter of Support–City of Maple Valley Fish Passage Project
Joint Team Comments–DOC Proposed Changes to WACs Related to the GMA
Joint Team Comments–Adult Beverage Moratorium
Joint Team Letter–Adult Beverage Ordinance
KCCP 2024 Major Update–Comments on KC Council LS & L-U Committee’s ‘s Recommended Scope
KCCP 2024 Major Update–Comments on KC Executive’s Recommended Scope
KCCP 2024 Major Update–Scoping Items

2021

CPP Update Testimony to KC Council
KCCP Docket Item–Periodic Reviews
CPP Update Testimony to GMPC
CPP Update Testimony to KC Council M&E Committee–3
CPP Update Testimony to KC Council M&E Committee–2
CPP Update Testimony to KC Council M&E Committee–1
Comments on Search & Rescue Facilities
Comments on Search & Rescue Facilities–DNS
Cover Letter and CPP Update Amendment Comments
Cover Letter and CPP Update PRD Comments
Cover Letter and KCCP Docket–Request–KC Code 21A.06.742
Cover Letter and CPP Policy Matrix Markup
CPP Proposed Policy Changes

2020

Response to S4.1 Amendments on KCCP Mid-Point Update
Response to S4 Amendments on KCCP Mid-Point Update
Revision-to-ADDENDUM to Detailed Comments on KCCP Mid-Point Update
ADDENDUM to Detailed Comments on KCCP Mid-Point Update
Detailed Comments on KCCP Mid-Point Update
Comments on KCCP Update Process and Schedule
Comments on Queen City Farms Grading Permit Application
Comments on 2020 KCCP Docket Item Requests
Letter to State House Environment and Energy Committee–HB 2206 and HB 2536

2019

UACs/UAAs Joint Written Testimony on KC’s Proposed Adult Beverage Ordinance
UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on PSRC’s VISION 2050 Draft Plan
UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on 2020 KCCP Mid-Point Update Public Review Draft
UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on KC’s Proposed Adult Beverage Ordinance
UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on PSRC’s VISION 2050 Draft SEIS
UACs/UAAs Joint Comment Letter on 2020 KCCP Mid-Point Update Scoping
Response Comments on Proposed Asphalt Facility Notice of Application

External Links

(see also GMVUAC King County and Links webpages: Links to key agency sites, planning documents, and reports of interest.)

King County (KC):
KC Department of Local Services–Permitting Division
KC Comprehensive Plan (KCCP)
KC Code
Countywide Planning Policies
Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC)

Regional:
Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)
VISION 2050

State:
WA Department of Commerce (DOC) [Comprehensive Planning Guidelines]
Growth Management Act (GMA)–RCW 36.70A

 

Greater Maple Valley

The GMVUAC serves the residents of unincorporated King County living in the Tahoma School District No. 409 (outside the city limits of Maple Valley).  Our Washington nonprofit corporation was established in 1977; we serve a population of 16,100 (2010 Census); and our service area is 116 sq mi.  Below is a map of our Service Area and the four Community Areas: