Adoption of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan

On December 5, the King County Council adopted the 2016 update to the King County Comprehensive Plan (2016-0155) and the 2016 Real Property Asset Management Plan (2016-0159). At the meeting, the Council voted on individual amendments to Comprehensive Plan and then voted to approve the legislation, as amended. Adoption of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan and 2016 Property Management Plan completes the Council’s nine-month-long process of deliberation and public input on the proposal, in addition to the review and public outreach performed by the Executive in 2015.

All of the amendments that were considered by the Council, as well as their pass/fail status, can be found on the Amendments page of the Comprehensive Plan website.

Actions to date

Development of the Executive’s proposed 2016 Comprehensive Plan was informed by a Scoping Motion that the King County Council adopted in May 2015. After many months of work over the course of 2015, the Executive then issued a Public Review Draft of the proposed 2016 Comprehensive Plan in November 2015, which was open for public comment through January 2016. The Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee held a briefing on the Public Review Draft on December 1, 2015.

On March 1, the King County Executive transmitted to the King County Council the proposed 2016 King County Comprehensive Plan as Proposed Ordinance 2016-0155 and Proposed Ordinance 2016-0159 (the 2016 Real Property Asset Management Plan). The 2016 Comprehensive Plan will be the fifth major update to the plan, which occurs once every four years.

Council review of the transmitted 2016 Comprehensive Plan included 12 briefings in Committee, as well as numerous opportunities to submit written or verbal public comment. On September 1, based on discussions in Committee, public comments received to-date, and deliberations with the Executive and Councilmembers, the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee Chair issued proposed Striking Amendments to the transmitted 2016 Comprehensive Plan and the 2016 Property Management Plan. On September 20, the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee took action on both plans.

The Committee voted on proposed Striking Amendments to both Plans and on individual amendments to the Striking Amendment to the 2016 Comprehensive Plan. The Committee then voted to move the legislation, as amended, on to the full Council for consideration with a “do pass” recommendation. All of the amendments that were considered by the Committee can be found on the “Council Amendments” page of the Council’s Comprehensive Plan website.

About the King County Comprehensive Plan

The King County Comprehensive Plan is the guiding policy document for land use and development regulations in unincorporated King County, and for regional services throughout the County including transit, sewers, parks, trails, and open space.

The King County Code (K.C.C. 20.18.030) allows for updates to the Comprehensive Plan on either an annual or a once-every-four-years basis, depending on the scope of the change. The annual cycle allows for minor changes, technical corrections, and land use changes that do not amend the Urban Growth Area. The “four-year cycle” update is considered a major update to the plan and, unlike annual updates, allows for consideration of substantive policy changes and potential revisions to the Urban Growth Area.

The current plan is the 2016 Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted by the King County Council on December 5, 2016.  The 2016 Comprehensive Plan was the fifth major update  to the King County Comprehensive Plan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have questions about the Council’s 2016 Comprehensive Plan process, please email CouncilCompPlan@kingcounty.gov.