Action Alert: Countywide Planning Policies

Futurewise sent out this action alert about the update to the Countywide Planning Policies for King that I wanted to pass along. I haven’t been following along in detail but I trust Furutwise has. Here is what they are concerned about:

Friend —

In just two days, the growth council for King County will vote to update the land use policies that set the foundation for all land use laws in the county.

This will be the first major update in two decades and is our opportunity to save our rivers, Sound, habitat, and farms.

Unfortunately, a few special interests are still stuck in the past and pushing to pave over rural areas.

Tell the growth council to save rural areas.

The special interests are pushing a sneak attack on our rural lands by allowing the extension of water and sewer lines to serve new schools outside designated urban growth areas.

That’s bad for two reasons. First, the new infrastructure would increase the pressure for more sprawl where pastures, orchards, and forests should be instead. Second, we should build schools in neighborhoods where kids can safely walk, not in the hinterlands.

We hear that the growth council is highly divided on this issue and whether to protect our rural lands could be decided by less than 1 vote.

Send a letter to the King County growth council.

Together we can protect our rural lands.

Brock Howell
King County Program Director
Futurewise

P.S. Please attend the public hearing of the Growth Management Planning Council for King County on Wednesday, June 29 at 4 p.m.  We need to pack the room to save our rural lands.

Here is an interesting resource “Smart Growth Schools“. While this isn’t directly transit related, strong growth policies that focus institutional growth in existing urbanized areas and encourage an active and health lifestyle, especially for kids, are critical components of a built environment we believe in.