King County Comprehensive Plan

Updated May 23, 2024

The King County Comprehensive Plan (KCCP) is required under the State’s Growth Management Act (GMA). It that guides residential, commercial, and industrial development and growth and zoning in our rural area.

KCCP 2024 10-YEAR MAJOR UPDATE

For details on all Area Council acivities dealing with the Update, please visit KCCP 2024 Major Update.

For more information on King County’s Process and Schedule, please visit: King County Comprehensive Planning.

KCCP 2020 MID-POINT UPDATE

On July 1, 2019, as part of a “Mid-Point Update” (which occurs midway between 8-yr Major Updates), the King County Executive published a Public Review Draft (PRD) of proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan:  2020 KCCP Public Review Draft Website.  These amendments proposed to make substantial and significant changes to the policies applicable to the Rural Area. On July 31, 2019, an Area Council-led effort of all King County Rural Area UACs and UAAs submitted Joint Detailed Comments to King County on its PRD.

On October 1, 2019, following a thorough review of Public Comments, the King County Executive submitted his Proposed KCCP Update to the King County Council. Accompanying this, the Executive published a Public Comment and Response Report. On pp. 94-113 all Joint King County Rural Area UAC/UAA Comments (LH-side of the page), the Executive’s response, and actions taken thereupon (RH-side of the page) can be reviewed.

The King County Council assigned its review to its Mobility and Environment Committee which meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the 10th floor of the King County Courthouse. This committee will hold Public Hearings and accept written comments from the public. The full King County Council has until June 30, 2020, to approve the Final KCCP Mid-Point Update. This Update is Proposed Ordinance 2019-0413.

In April and May, 2020, the King County Council released “Striker” Amendment “concepts” for Public review. On June 5, 2020, the King County Council released specific details on its “Striker” Amendments. The GMVUAC, again, organized many of the King County Rural Area UACs/UAAs/Organizations (EPCA, FofSV, GV/LHA, HHA, SCAR, UBCUAC) to review, prepare, and submit a set of Detailed Comments.

At the end of June and in early July, 2020, the GMVUAC, again, organized many of the King County Rural Area UACs/UAAs/Organizations (EPCA, FofSV, GV/LHA, HHA, SCAR, UBCUAC) to review, prepare, and submit an ADDENDUM to Detailed Comments on KCCP Mid-Point Update and a Revision to the ADDENDUM to address the second and third sets of the King County Council released “Striker” Amendments, as well as the Updated SEPA Addendum (the first in-depth SEPA review of all the propsoed “Striker” Amendments. Many inconsistencies were cited between the proposed “Striker” Amendments and the SEPA review. Specific subjects affecting the Rural Area covered in detail were: Four-to-One Program, Non-Resource Industrial Uses, Agricultural Production Districts, Climate Change, Transportation Infrastructure, Pathways/Sidewalks, Wineries/Breweries/Distilleries, and Pacific Raceways Zoning.

In mid July 2020, the GMVUAC-led team reviewed, prepared, and submitted Response to S4 Amendments and Response to S4.1 Amendments to address the fourth and revised fourth sets of the King County Council released “Striker” Amendments. In addition to details on specific Amendments, these Comments also addressed the specific linkages between proposed Amendments that seemingly have no connection, yet are dependent upon each other for success, i.e., one can’t be done without the other. Yet these Amendments were introduced by the individual Councilmembers as completely separate, standalone actions that were needed to solve some perceived problem that really didn’t exist except for individual proponents who would derive some private benefit with little to no public benefit.

On July 24, 2020, the King County Council approved the 2020 KCCP 4-Year Mid-Point Update.

KCCP PERIODIC UPDATES

Major Updates

Although the KCCP can be updated annually, major updates (e.g., Urban Growth Boundary changes, Policy changes, etc.) have been conducted every four years. The GMVUAC has conducted in-depth reviews and prepared and submitted detailed comments on such major updates. According to State guidleines, major updates now occur every ten years. The Area Council led an effort of multiple unincorporated area councils/associations to provide comments on such changes: UACs’ Cover Letter Proposed Ordinance 2018-0153 Matrix w/ Striker and UACs’ Comparison.

The Area Council has reviewed, prepared detailed comments, and submitted same for every major update to the KCCP since 2004:

2004: KCCP Update – 04

2008: KCCP Update-08 (KC Council); KCCP Update-08 (Comm: KC Council’s GM&NR); KCCP-08: (Add’l Comm: KC DDES)

2012: KC Update — 12

2016: KCCP Update Final Comments — Complete Set

Mid-Point Reviews

When State guidance called for major updates to be doine every 8 years, King County decided that for the interim fourth year of the 8-year major update cycle there will be a “Mid-Point Review.” The process for the 2020 “Mid-Point Review” started with the King County Executive transmitting a Scoping Document (i.e., Scope of Work) to the King County Council on January 2, 2019. On July 31, 2019, an Area Council led effort of all King County Rural Area UACs and UAAs submitted detailed comments to King County on its PRD. Please see 2020 KCCP Mid-Point Update under Major Issues box on the Home page.

Annual Updates

There continues to be an annual process to update the KCCP through Docket Requests, which may be submitted by individuals and entities for the County’s consideration to make technical corrections. For more information on the Docket process and to view specific requests for annual amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, please visit the following website: KC Docket Information.

As can be seen in the King County Executive’s Docket Report (January 2020), the Area Council submitted two Docket Item requests for 2020: (1) Response to Public Comments and (2) Site-Specific Rezones D.I Request Form and Site-Specific Rezones Details.

In March 2020 the Area Council submitted Comments on 2020 KCCP Docket Item Requests to King County.

In 2021 the Area Council submitted multiple Docket Requests: (1) KCCP Docket–Request–KC Code 21A.06.742 to change King County Code on Materials Processing Facilities which allows industrial-scale operations, such as “materials processing facilities,” in the Rural Area; (2) KCCP Docket Item #1–Comments on a Docket Request submitted by a third party that seeks the same change on which the Area Council commented in March 2020 (see immediately above); and (3) KCCP Docket Item–Periodic Reviews to strengthen KC Code and KCCP Policy that deal with Periodic Reviews of mineral extraction and processing operation sites.

In 2023 the County will be undertaking a major update to the Greater Maple Valley-Cedar River Community Service Area (CSA) Subarea Plan (supersedes the former Tahoma-Raven Heights Area Plan). Please see our Growth Management Committee and Correspondence – Letters webpages to learn more about the Area Council’s involvement with these various processes, projects, and programs — along with all links to our comments.