Thank you for participating in the Governor's Land Use Agenda.  Your comments, suggestions, testimony and time helped make this a productive and transparent process.  The 2006 Legislative session concluded with passage of two priority bills for the Governor: Growth Management Act timelines and accessory agricultural uses.

 

ESSB 6427, the timelines bill, has two main features.  First it provides a time extension to small and slow-growing jurisdictions for updates to their comprehensive plans, development regulations and critical areas ordinances.  The bill contains qualifying criteria and clarification that jurisdictions making progress on their updates will be eligible for state grants, loans, pledges and financial guarantees.  Second, it clarifies that amendments to comprehensive plans necessary to enact planned actions may occur more frequently than annually, provided that pursuit of the amendments are consistent with the jurisdictions adopted public participation program and notification is given to agencies that may comment on the proposed amendments.

 

SHB 2917 amends RCW 36.70A.177 to provide that cities and counties have authority to allow or limit accessory activities on agricultural lands.  The bill provide policy guideposts, framing the extent of accessory uses allowed on agricultural lands, and limiting conversion of agricultural lands to one acre.  The bill does not limit agricultural production on designated agricultural lands.

 

As the Department of Agriculture and The Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development work with local governments to implement these bills, look to the agency websites for information updates and technical assistance bulletins. We are signing off, but welcome your continued interest and participation in Washington's Growth Management Act in your local communities and in future public policy discussions. We will maintain the list serv to provide updates on any interim work as we have them.

 

The Governor's supplemental budget includes a proviso to continue to study and develop recommendations for agriculture pilot projects, let by the WSU/UW Policy Consensus Center. 

 

Discussions and continued work will proceed over the interim to further evaluate our state policies as they relate to pre-existing land uses and Growth Management Act critical area ordinances.  This process may lead to legislative proposals for the 2007 session.

 

This effort is staffed by an interagency core team led by Keith Phillips, Environmental Policy Advisor with the Governor’s Executive Policy Office and Nancy K. Ousley, Assistant Director, Washington Community, Trade and Economic Development Department, includes staff from Ecology, Agriculture, Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife, Community, Trade and Economic Development and the Office of Financial Management.

 

Karin Berkholtz, Outreach Manager

Telephone:  360/725.3065