WAC 365-196-210

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

(1) "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.

(2) "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.

(3) "Adequate provisions" in the context of RCW 36.70A.070 (2)(d) means adopting plans, policies, programs, regulations, and incentives to accommodate and encourage housing affordable to each economic segment of the county or city, and documenting programs and actions needed to overcome barriers and limitations to achieve housing availability.

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

(5) "All economic segments" means, at a minimum, low, very low, extremely low, and moderate-income household segments, and those who occupy emergency housing, emergency shelters, and permanent supportive housing.

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

(7) "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.

(8) "Carbon wedge analysis" is an analysis that provides a cumulative view of potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions for a jurisdiction. Each wedge depicts potential emissions reductions from climate mitigation strategies by emissions sector such as transportation, built environment, or industry.

(9) "Climate measure" means a goal or policy that can increase resilience to climate change impacts or reduce greenhouse gas emissions or does both.

(10) "Climate resilience" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 70A.65.010. Resiliency and resilience have the same meaning and have been used interchangeably in this chapter.

(11) "Climate sector" means categories of natural resources or community assets (such as physical buildings, infrastructure, and historic places) that can be impacted by or contribute to climate change. The following climate sectors are referred to in this chapter:

(a) Agriculture and food systems includes food production and distribution, including processing in industrial areas and community gardens in urban areas;

(b) Built environment and energy includes power generation and transmission, renewable energy production, and energy and material consumption in buildings and the built environment; this excludes transportation infrastructure;

(c) Cultural resources and practices includes historic sites and cultural resources and practices;

(d) Economic development includes business continuity and opportunities;

(e) Ecosystems includes terrestrial and aquatic species, critical areas, and ecosystem services;

(f) Emergency management includes emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;

(g) Health and well-being includes public health and community well-being;

(h) Transportation includes transportation modes and infrastructure (such as vehicles, roads, bridges, sidewalks, bike lanes);

(i) Waste management includes materials recycling and disposal;

(j) Water resources includes water quality and quantity; and

(k) Zoning includes regulations for the land that is designated into areas (or zones), each with specific rules defining what types of development (for example, residential, commercial, and industrial) are permitted within that zone, regulating how each parcel of land can be used and the design of the structures built on each parcel (for example, regulations describing height, bulk, use, and density).

(12) "Concurrency" or "concurrent with development" 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.

(13) "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.

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

(15) "Coordination" means consultation and cooperation among counties and cities.

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

(17) "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.

(18) "Displacement" in the context of RCW 36.70A.070 means the process by which a household is forced to move from its community because of conditions beyond its control.

(19) "Displacement risk" means the likelihood that a household will be forced to move from its community.

(20) "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.

(21) "Ecosystem functions" are the products, physical and biological conditions, and environmental qualities of an ecosystem that result from interactions among ecosystem processes and ecosystem structures. Ecosystem functions include, but are not limited to, sequestered carbon, attenuated peak streamflows, aquifer water level, reduced pollutant concentrations in surface and groundwaters, cool summer in-stream water temperatures, and fish and wildlife habitats.

(22) "Ecosystem values" are the cultural, social, economic, and ecological benefits attributed to ecosystem functions.

(23) "Essential public facilities" include those facilities that are typically difficult to site, such as airports, state education facilities, and state or regional transportation facilities as defined in RCW 47.06.140, regional transit authority facilities as defined in RCW 81.112.020, state and local correctional facilities, solid waste handling facilities, opioid treatment programs including both mobile and fixed-site medication units, recovery residences, harm reduction programs excluding safe injection sites, and inpatient facilities including substance use disorder treatment facilities, mental health facilities, group homes, community facilities as defined in RCW 72.05.020, and secure community transition facilities as defined in RCW 71.09.020.

(24) "Exclusion" means the act or effect of shutting or keeping certain populations out of a specified area, in a manner that may be intentional or unintentional.

(25) "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 12 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.

(26) "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.

(27) "Greenhouse gas" and "greenhouse gases" have the same meaning as defined in RCW 70A.45.010.

(28) "Growth Management Act" - See definition of "act."

(29) "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.

(30) "Lands, sites, and structures, that have historical, archaeological, or traditional cultural significance" are the tangible and material evidence of the human past, aged 50 years or older, and include archaeological sites, historic buildings and structures, districts, landscapes, and objects.

(31) "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.

(32) "Local government" means a county, city, or town.

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

(34) "Mitigation" or "mitigation sequencing" means a prescribed order of steps taken to reduce the impacts of activities on critical areas. As defined in WAC 197-11-768, mitigation means:

(a) Avoiding the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action;

(b) Minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation, by using appropriate technology, or by taking affirmative steps to avoid or reduce impacts;

(c) Rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment;

(d) Reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action;

(e) Compensating for the impact by replacing, enhancing, or providing substitute resources or environments; and/or

(f) Monitoring the impact and taking appropriate corrective measures.

(35) "Multimodal safety benefits" means benefits derived from roadway designs and operations that reduce the potential for serious crash-related injuries or deaths for people using every mode of transportation. Such design and operational approaches explicitly consider and manage the movements, speeds and conflicts between each of those transportation users to reduce the exposure, likelihood, and severity of crashes.

(36) "Multimodal transportation" means systems that facilitate the movement of people and goods through a combination of infrastructure and services for walking, biking, riding public transit and ferries, driving, and making connections to rail and aviation. These systems should provide safe, well-connected mobility options for all, including those who cannot and do not drive.

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

(38) "Net-zero" refers to a state in which a local jurisdiction's greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are reduced to near-zero, or 95 percent below baseline levels by 2050, and the remaining greenhouse gases that cannot be eliminated are mitigated with carbon dioxide sequestration to bring total net emissions to zero.

(39) "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.

(40) "Open space" has the same meaning as "open space land" defined in RCW 84.34.020.

(41) "Planning period" means the 20-year period starting on the relevant due date for the most recent periodic update specified in RCW 36.70A.130(5).

(42) "Public benefit," as referenced in RCW 39.33.015, means affordable housing, which can be rental housing or permanently affordable homeownership for low, very low, and extremely low-income households, and related facilities that support the goals of affordable housing development in providing economic and social stability for low-income persons.

(43) "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.

(44) "Racially disparate impacts" means disproportionate impacts on one or more racial groups as a result of policies, practices, rules, or other systems.

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

(46) "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.

(47) "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.

(48) "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.

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

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

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

(52) "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 countywide planning policies.

(53) "Surplus public property" means excess real property that is not required for the needs of or the discharge of the responsibilities of the state agency, municipality, or political subdivision. Note that RCW 39.33.015 applies a specific definition for affordable housing in the context of surplus public property.

(54) "Transitional housing" means a project that provides housing to homeless persons or families for up to two years, or longer, and that has as its purpose facilitating the movement of homeless persons and families into permanent housing.

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

(56) "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.

(57) "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.

(58) "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.

(59) "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.