Wash. Admin. Code § 365-196-210

Current through Register Vol. 24-23, December 1, 2024

Section 365-196-210 - Definitions of terms as used in this chapter

The following are definitions which are not defined in RCW 36.70A.030 but are defined here for purposes of the procedural criteria.

(1) "Act" means the Growth Management Act, as enacted in chapter 17, Laws of 1990 1st ex. sess., and chapter 32, Laws of 1991 sp. sess., state of Washington as amended. The act is codified primarily in chapter 36.70A RCW.

(2) "Achieved density" means the density at which new development occurred in the planning period preceding the analysis required in either RCW 36.70A.130(3) or 36.70A.215.

(3) "Adequate public facilities" means facilities which have the capacity to serve development without decreasing levels of service below locally established minimums.

(4) "Affordable housing" means residential housing that is rented or owned by a person or household whose monthly housing costs, including utilities other than telephone, do not exceed thirty percent of the household's monthly income.

(5) "Allowed densities" means the density, expressed in dwelling units per acre, allowed under a county's or city's development regulations when considering the combined effects of all applicable development regulations.

(6) "Assumed densities" means the density at which future development is expected to occur as specified in the land capacity analysis or the future land use element. Assumed densities are also referred to in RCW 36.70A.110 as densities sufficient to permit the urban growth that is projected to occur.

(7) "Concurrency" means that adequate public facilities are available when the impacts of development occur, or within a specified time thereafter. This definition includes the concept of "adequate public facilities" as defined above.

(8) "Consistency" means that no feature of a plan or regulation is incompatible with any other feature of a plan or regulation. Consistency is indicative of a capacity for orderly integration or operation with other elements in a system.

(9) "Contiguous development" means development of areas immediately adjacent to one another.

(10) "Coordination" means consultation and cooperation among jurisdictions.

(11) "Cultural resources" is a term used interchangeably with "lands, sites, and structures, which have historical or archaeological and traditional cultural significance."

(12) "Demand management strategies" or "transportation demand management strategies" means strategies designed to change travel behavior to make more efficient use of existing facilities to meet travel demand. Examples of demand management strategies can include strategies that:

(a) Shift demand outside of the peak travel time;

(b) Shift demand to other modes of transportation;

(c) Increase the average number of occupants per vehicle;

(d) Decrease the length of trips; and

(e) Avoid the need for vehicle trips.

(13) "Domestic water system" means any system providing a supply of potable water which is deemed adequate pursuant to RCW 19.27.097 for the intended use of a development.

(14) "Family day-care provider" is defined in RCW 43.215.010. It is a person who regularly provides child care and early learning services for not more than twelve children. Children include both the provider's children, close relatives and other children irrespective of whether the provider gets paid to care for them. They provide their services in the family living quarters of the day care provider's home.

(15) "Financial commitment" means that sources of public or private funds or combinations thereof have been identified which will be sufficient to finance public facilities necessary to support development and that there is reasonable assurance that such funds will be timely put to that end.

(16) "Growth Management Act" - see definition of "act."

(17) "Historic preservation" or "preservation" is defined in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as identification, evaluation, recordation, documentation, curation, acquisition, protection, management, rehabilitation, restoration, stabilization, maintenance, research, interpretation, conservation, and education and training regarding the foregoing activities or any combination of the foregoing activities.

(18) "Lands, sites, and structures, that have historical, archaeological, or traditional cultural significance" are the tangible and material evidence of the human past, aged fifty years or older, and include archaeological sites, historic buildings and structures, districts, landscapes, and objects.

(19) "Level of service" means an established minimum capacity of public facilities or services that must be provided per unit of demand or other appropriate measure of need. Level of service standards are synonymous with locally established minimum standards.

(20) "May," as used in this chapter, indicates an option counties and cities can take at their discretion.

(21) "Must," as used in this chapter, indicates a requirement for compliance with the act. It has the same meaning within this chapter as "shall."

(22) "New fully contained community" is a development proposed for location outside of the existing designated urban growth areas which is characterized by urban densities, uses, and services, and meets the criteria of RCW 36.70A.350.

(23) "Planning period" means the twenty-year period following the adoption of a comprehensive plan or such longer period as may have been selected as the initial planning horizon.

(24) "Public service obligations" means obligations imposed by law on utilities to furnish facilities and supply service to all who may apply for and be reasonably entitled to service.

(25) "Regional transportation plan" means the transportation plan for the regionally designated transportation system which is produced by the regional transportation planning organization.

(26) "Regional transportation planning organization (RTPO)" means the voluntary organization conforming to RCW 47.80.020, consisting of counties and cities within a region containing one or more counties which have common transportation interests.

(27) "Rural lands" means all lands which are not within an urban growth area and are not designated as natural resource lands having long-term commercial significance for production of agricultural products, timber, or the extraction of minerals.

(28) "Sanitary sewer systems" means all facilities, including approved on-site disposal facilities, used in the collection, transmission, storage, treatment, or discharge of any waterborne waste, whether domestic in origin or a combination of domestic, commercial, or industrial waste. On-site disposal facilities are only considered sanitary sewer systems if they are designed to serve urban densities.

(29) "Shall," as used in this chapter, indicates a requirement for compliance with the act. It has the same meaning within this chapter as "must."

(30) "Should," as used in this chapter, indicates the advice of the department, but does not indicate a requirement for compliance with the act.

(31) "Solid waste handling facility" means any facility for the transfer or ultimate disposal of solid waste, including land fills and municipal incinerators.

(32) "Sufficient land capacity for development" means that the comprehensive plan and development regulations provide for the capacity necessary to accommodate all the growth in population and employment that is allocated to that jurisdiction through the process outlined in the county-wide planning policies.

(33) "Transportation facilities" includes capital facilities related to air, water, or land transportation.

(34) "Transportation level of service standards" means a measure which describes the operational condition of the travel stream and acceptable adequacy requirements. Such standards may be expressed in terms such as speed and travel time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, comfort, convenience, geographic accessibility, and safety.

(35) "Transportation system management" means the use of low cost solutions to increase the performance of the transportation system. Transportation system management (TSM) strategies include but are not limited to signalization, channelization, ramp metering, incident response programs, and bus turn-outs.

(36) "Utilities" or "public utilities" means enterprises or facilities serving the public by means of an integrated system of collection, transmission, distribution, and processing facilities through more or less permanent physical connections between the plant of the serving entity and the premises of the customer. Included are systems for the delivery of natural gas, electricity, telecommunications services, and water, and for the disposal of sewage.

(37) "Visioning" means a process of citizen involvement to determine values and ideals for the future of a community and to transform those values and ideals into manageable and feasible community goals.

Wash. Admin. Code § 365-196-210

Statutory Authority: RCW 36.70A.050 and 36.70A.190. 10-03-085, § 365-196-210, filed 1/19/10, effective 2/19/10.