On May 16, 2023, the King County Council voted to adopt a seven month emergency moratorium on new subdivisions in the residential area of the rural township of Fall City. This means the Permitting Division of the Department of Local Services will not accept applications for subdivisions for five or more lots, between May 16 and December 16, 2023. Subdivision applications already submitted and vested prior to this moratorium going into effect will not be impacted.

Why is a Moratorium Needed?

A brief pause in subdivision development in Fall City will provide the community with the time necessary to fully engage in a public process and dialogue around zoning changes currently being proposed in the Snoqualmie Valley/Northeast King County Subarea Plan, as part of the 2024 Countywide Comprehensive Plan Update.

Councilmember Perry also introduced a 15-month interim zoning control (Proposed Ordinance 2023-0202) which will temporarily change the zoning requirements for residential lots in Fall City by increasing setbacks from the street and other lot lines and establishing a minimum lot size of 10,000 sq. ft.

Councilmember Perry intends to adopt the interim zoning control measures before the emergency moratorium expires in December 2023. The interim zoning control would be in effect until the King County Council makes final decisions in the adoption of the 2024 Countywide Comprehensive Plan.

We Want to Hear from You!

The King County Council is holding a public hearing on the moratorium on subdivisions in Fall City at 1:30 P.M. ON JUNE 27, 2023.

Please plan to attend in person or online to speak for one to two minutes about the positive, negative, or neutral impact of the moratorium on your community. Alternatively, you can share your comments by email or phone as shown below:

• IN PERSON: Attend the meeting in person in Council Chambers (516 3rd Ave, 10th Floor, Seattle, WA 98104).
• BY EMAIL: You may testify by submitting a COMMENT email by emailing clerk@kingcounty.gov. If your testimony is submitted before 10:00 AM on the day of the Council meeting, your email testimony will be distributed to the Councilmembers and appropriate staff prior to the meeting. 
• REMOTELY BY ZOOM: You may provide oral public testimony at the meeting by connecting to the meeting via phone or computer using the ZOOM application at https://zoom.us/, and entering the Webinar ID below. You are not required to sign-up in advance. 
  Webinar ID: 813 1719 0179
• REMOTELY BY PHONE: If you do not have access to the ZOOM application, you can connect to the meeting by calling 253-215-8782 and using the Webinar ID above. Connecting in this manner, however, may impact your ability to be unmuted to speak.