(1) Whenever a state agency is considering awarding grants or loans for a county, city, or town planning under RCW 36.70A.040 to finance public facilities, it shall consider whether the county, city, or town requesting the grant or loan has adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations as required by RCW 36.70A.040.

(2) If a comprehensive plan, development regulation, or amendment thereto adopted by a county, city, or town has been appealed to the growth management hearings board under RCW 36.70A.280, the county, city, or town may not be determined to be ineligible or otherwise penalized in the acceptance of applications or the awarding of state agency grants or loans during the pendency of the appeal before the board or subsequent judicial appeals. This subsection (2) applies only to counties, cities, and towns that have: (a) Delayed the initial effective date of the action subject to the petition before the board until after the board issues a final determination; or (b) within thirty days of receiving notice of a petition for review by the board, delayed or suspended the effective date of the action subject to the petition before the board until after the board issues a final determination.

(3) When reviewing competing requests from counties, cities, or towns planning under RCW 36.70A.040, a state agency considering awarding grants or loans for public facilities shall accord additional preference to those counties, cities, or towns that have adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations as required by RCW 36.70A.040. For the purposes of the preference accorded in this section, a county, city, or town planning under RCW 36.70A.040 is deemed to have satisfied the requirements for adopting a comprehensive plan and development regulations specified in RCW 36.70A.040 if the county, city, or town:

(a) Adopts or has adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations within the time periods specified in RCW 36.70A.040;

(b) Adopts or has adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations before the state agency makes a decision regarding award recipients of the grants or loans if the county, city, or town failed to adopt a comprehensive plan and/or development regulations within the time periods specified in RCW 36.70A.040; or

(c) Demonstrates substantial progress toward adopting a comprehensive plan or development regulations within the time periods specified in RCW 36.70A.040. A county, city, or town that is more than six months out of compliance with the time periods specified in RCW 36.70A.040 shall not be deemed to demonstrate substantial progress for purposes of this section.

(4) The preference specified in subsection (3) of this section applies only to competing requests for grants or loans from counties, cities, or towns planning under RCW 36.70A.040. A request from a county, city, or town planning under RCW 36.70A.040 shall be accorded no additional preference based on subsection (3) of this section over a request from a county, city, or town not planning under RCW 36.70A.040.

(5) Whenever a state agency is considering awarding grants or loans for public facilities to a special district requesting funding for a proposed facility located in a county, city, or town planning under RCW 36.70A.040, it shall consider whether the county, city, or town in whose planning jurisdiction the proposed facility is located has adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations as required by RCW 36.70A.040 and shall apply the standards in subsection (2) of this section and the preference specified in subsection (3) of this section and restricted in subsection (4) of this section.

Findings—Intent—Part headings and subheadings not law—Effective date—Severability—1999 c 164: See notes following RCW 43.160.010.

Savings—1999 c 164 ss 301-303, 305, 306, and 601-603: See note following RCW 82.60.020.

Section headings not law—1991 sp.s. c 32: See RCW 36.70A.902.