Drafter
Clerk 07/03/2008
Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the development of tree houses within an aquatic area buffer, channel migration zone or floodway; designating an area along a rural zoned portion of the Raging river where tree house demonstration projects may be approved; adopting provisions for placement of tree houses in accordance with K.C.C. 21A.55.010; adding a new section to K.C.C. chapter 21A.06 and adding a new section to K.C.C. chapter 21A.55.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. The designation of critical areas is mandated by the state Growth Management Act, countywide planning policies and the King County Comprehensive Plan.
B. Designations of critical areas are driven by concerns about impacts to the various environmental functions that critical areas provide, as well as concerns about public and structural safety.
C. King County has a history of using demonstration projects to test flexible development standards and construction techniques and to evaluate whether alternative land development standards could be used even while ensuring that the environmental functions of critical areas and the safety of the public and structures are maintained.
D. King County has a unique opportunity to test whether limited-size structures could be constructed within the overstory of lands within the aquatic area buffer, channel migration zone or a floodway, without a significant negative impact to the environmental function or public safety.
NEW SECTION. SECTION 2. There is hereby added to K.C.C. chapter 21A.06 a new section to read as follows:
Tree house: A structure fully supported by the trunk or main branch of one or more tree.
NEW SECTION. SECTION 3. There is hereby added to K.C.C. chapter 21A.55 a new section to read as follows:
A. The purpose of the rural tree house demonstration project is to test techniques to allow limited construction of structures within an aquatic area bu...

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