Community Service Area Subarea Plans
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These detailed local plans are created in partnership with their communities and adopted by the King County Council, becoming part of the King County Comprehensive Plan and the King County Code.
Each subarea plan…
- Establishes a vision, goals, and policies to guide development decisions in one of King County’s six rural Community Service Areas or five urban Potential Annexation Areas (see map).
- Is guided by the community’s interests and available funding, using tools and resources developed by the county’s Office of Equity and Social Justice.
As each community service area subarea plan is developed, Local Services will capture community desires for future King County services, programs, facilities, and capital improvements. These will be used to create a community needs list, which will inform King County’s budget development. (Learn more about subarea plans and community needs lists )
Check the subarea planning schedule below to find out when we expect to work with your community on planning.
King County staff members collaborate with each community beginning in July of the first year and ending in December of the following year, when the King County Executive transmits the recommended subarea plan to the King County Council. The council reviews the recommended plan and offers more opportunities for community engagement before adopting the plan at the end of June, two years after planning work began.
Skyway-West Hill Potential Annexation Area – planning 2018-22, adoption December 2022
North Highline Potential Annexation Area – planning 2019-2022, adoption December 2022
Snoqualmie Valley/NE King Community Service Area – planning 2021-2023, adoption December 2023
Eight Year Comprehensive Plan Update (No Subarea Plan) – planning 2022-2023, adoption June 2024
Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River Community Service Area – planning 2023-20224, adoption June 2025
Fairwood Potential Annexation Area – planning 2024-2025, adoption June 2026
Bear Creek/Sammamish Community Service Area – planning 2025-2026, adoption June 2027
Southeast King County Community Service Area – planning 2026-2027, adoption June 2028
Four Creeks/Tiger Mountain Community Service Area – planning 2027-2028, adoption June 2029
East Renton Potential Annexation Area – planning 2028-2029, adoption June 2030
Federal Way Potential Annexation Area – planning 2029-2030, adoption June 2031
King County had a robust community planning program created in two distinct periods—1973 through 1984, and 1985 through 1994. (See Chapter 11 of the King County Comprehensive Plan for more discussion of these periods.) Since then, there have only been minor plan updates to community plans. The term “community plan” was used to identify the 12 geographic areas that had detailed plans created between 1973 and 1994 (e.g. Bear Creek, Tahoma Raven Heights, Soos Creek).
Plans adopted after the 1994 Comprehensive Plan—the first plan under the Washington State Growth Management Act—that remain active today include the following:
- Fall City Subarea Plan
- Vashon-Maury Island Community Service Area Subarea Plan (2020)
- West Hill Community Plan (1994)
Addendum: Skyway West Hill Action Plan (2016 Proposed) - White Center Community Action Plan (1994)
The term “community plan” is no longer being used as a title or descriptor for geographic subareas of King County. (See a full listing of Community Service Area Subarea Plans)
These plans were created during a period when the unincorporated areas of King County absorbed a much higher percentage of population growth than they do under Washington State’s Growth Management Act. The Community Service Area Land use Subarea Plans will play a much different role now that the urban growth areas of King County have reached a point of relative stability. The table below illustrates how the Community Service Areas align with the former Community Planning Areas.
| Current Community Service Area | Former Community Planning Areas |
|---|---|
| Bear Creek / Sammamish | Bear Creek, Northshore, East Sammamish |
| Four Creeks / Tiger Mountain | Tahoma Raven Heights, Snoqualmie |
| Greater Maple Valley / Cedar River | Tahoma Raven Heights, Soos Creek, East King County, Snoqualmie |
| SE King County | Enumclaw, Tahoma Raven Heights, East King County, Soos Creek |
| Snoqualmie Valley / NE King County | Snoqualmie, East King County, East Sammamish |
| Vashon / Maury Island | Vashon |
| West King County (unincorporated) | Portions of 10 different Community Planning Areas |