EVERETT—The Snohomish County Council public hearing for its 2024 Comprehensive Plan is scheduled to begin 6 p.m., Monday, August 19 in the Council Chambers (8th Floor) of the Robert J. Drewel Administrative Building, located at 3000 Rockefeller Avenue in Everett.
County staff sent the County Council eight ordinances relating the Planning Commission and County Executive recommendations for the 1800-page 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update in the last week of March for their review. Monday’s public hearing is to further review these proposed changes with staff and hear from residents on the proposed 2024 plan. The plan is scheduled to be adopted in a second public hearing in mid-September.
In our initial review, the amendments to the 2024 Comprehensive Plan include Cultural Resources, Airport Compatibility, Transfer and Purchase of Development Rights, Land Use Maps, Future Land Use Maps designations, Housing, and Transportation.
- The Cultural Resources sub element aims to include a more encompassing history of the county and incorporate updates made to the Snohomish County Code since the last update.
- The Airport Compatibility sub element is amended to integrate changes in the county’s public use airports since the last plan update.
- The Transfer and Purchase of Development Rights sub element is streamlined, with new policies providing direction to support specific sections of the County Code.
- The plan also includes amendments to the existing Land Use Maps to update data layers with new information such as the location of the Urban Growth Area boundaries and new recreational or utility facilities. Additionally, there are amendments to add new Future Land Use Map designations and align other designations with amendments made to existing Land Use policies.
- The Housing element amendments involve the deletion of several policies, including those addressing building permit times, environmentally sensitive housing design, and duplicative policies.
- The Transportation element is extensively revised, with goals, objectives, and policies to improve readability and clarity. Objectives and policies are primarily related to coordination and consistency, equity, health, safety, environment, climate change, and the road system.
To provide written comment in Monday’s meeting email Contact.Council@co.snohomish.wa.us or oral in-person testimony attend Council Chambers on the 8th Floor of the County Administrative Building, or to provide oral virtual testimony on zoom, visit https://zoom.us/j/94846850772.
Below are materials and archived recordings of previous meetings related to the 2024 Comprehensive Plan:
- April 30, 2024 (View: minutes / video recording)
- May 7, 2024 (View: minutes / video recording)
- May 21, 2024 (View: minutes / video recording)
- May 21, 2024 (View: minutes / video recording)
- June 4, 2024 (View: minutes / video recording)
- June 18, 2024 (View: minutes / video recording)
- August 19, 2024 (View: Materials)
The Comprehensive Plan is a document that guides Snohomish County Government decisions on land use, transportation, parks, housing, capital facilities and the natural environment—it is the housing and land use “bible” for all unincorporated county-managed jurisdiction.
The Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan consists of five major components:
- The General Policy Plan consists of goals, objectives and policies that serve as a guide to the county’s growth and development from the present through 2035.
- The Future Land Use Map (PDF) expresses graphically the 20-year vision of the preferred land use pattern. It identifies the urban growth areas around cities and towns, as well as urban, rural, and resource lands. The map is implemented through numerous zoning classifications and development regulations.
- The Transportation Element presents a plan for transportation facilities and services to support the needs of the projected 2035 population.
- The Capital Facilities Plan (PDF) contains an inventory of the county’s public facilities and utilities, establishes level of service standards necessary to support development, and prioritizes facilities needed to support the needs of the projected 2035 population.
- The Park and Recreation Element presents a plan for park and recreation facilities and services to support the needs of the projected 2035 population.
The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires cities and counties to develop a comprehensive plan to manage population growth. According to the county’s website, the Comprehensive Plan is due in December of 2024 and is revised every 20 years. Outside of the periodic update cycle, less extensive revisions are allowed through the docketing process and County-initiated amendment proposals.
