Drafter
Clerk 07/31/2003
Title
A MOTION forming the Snoqualmie valley land use advisory group.
Body
WHEREAS, the creation and maintenance of a strong and vital rural-based economy is a key element of the state Growth Management Act for planning at the county level, and
WHEREAS, this element has and will continue to be a high priority of the council, and
WHEREAS, King County's present comprehensive plan policies and the uses permitted by the development regulations that implement those policies are not accommodating toward establishing and supporting the type of rural-based economy envisioned by the state Growth Management Act, and
WHEREAS, the lack of policy and regulatory support is a uniform threat to the vitality of the economy on every rural area, with a resultant negative impact on the county's rural land values and tax base, and
WHEREAS, the solutions to mediate against this threat to a vital rural economy must recognize that there are a number of unique rural geographic areas within King County with widely different characteristics and must be tailored to address the specific circumstances and needs of each, and
WHEREAS, the Snoqualmie valley Rural Area is unique in its combination of intensive agriculture and historical large scale commercial uses such as the Carnation Farm research station or industrial uses such as the Snoqualmie Weyerhaeuser mill, and
WHEREAS, these jobs have historically been a primary employment base for many residents of the Snoqualmie valley, and
WHEREAS, the loss of jobs, especially those not related to agriculture, within the Snoqualmie valley Rural Area will have a dramatic effect on the character of the Snoqualmie valley as traffic levels either increase as more current residents are required to commute to jobs in the urban areas or as current residents are displaced by new residents that may not be as accepting of the needs of rural industries and farms;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The Snoqualmie valley land use advisory group is hereby created to evaluate current comprehensive plan policies and development regulations, such as permitted uses, and to make any recommendations in such plans and policies necessary to improve the economic vitality of the Snoqualmie valley; and
B. The Snoqualmie valley land use advisory group will complete their evaluation and forward any recommended changes for consideration as part of the 2004 update to the King County Comprehensive Plan; and
C. The Snoqualmie valley land use advisory group will be comprised of residents and landowners representative of the variety of land use interests in the Snoqualmie valley.