On Monday, February 5, the Area Council held its monthly meeting at the Maple Valley Fire Station and via Zoom. Major topics discussed were: (1) 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan Update and (2) Greater Maple Valley Community Subarea Plan.
2024 King County Comprehensive Plan Update
The Area Council has lead a Joint Team of ten Unincorporated Rural Area Councils in participating in the Update—a 3-yr effort from January 2022 thru December 2024.
On December 7, 2023, the King County Executive submitted his Recommended Plan (ERP) to the King County Council. The Joint Team completed its review the ERP’s Chapters, Appendices, Reports, etc. and prepared detailed Comments (~160 pp). Each Joint Team organization has been reviewing those Comments and voting for submittal to the King County Council’s Local Services & Land-Use (LS&L-U) Committee (the designated responsible entity for the Update).
The Area Council discussed the Comments and voted its unanimous approval to submit them. On February 6 Joint Team Detailed Comments were submitted to the King County Council’s LS&L-U Committee. Please see: http://gmvuac.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/KC-Execs-Recomd-Plan-Detailed-Comments-2-6-24.pdf.
Joint Team members continue to provide Oral Testimonies at LS&L-U Committee Public Briefings on the ERP. There are nine daytime briefings (9:30 AM and hybrid) and five evening meetings at various sites throughout the County. Each Briefing is devoted to different parts of the Update (see the LS&L-U Committee’s Briefing Schedule at: https://cdn.kingcounty.gov/-/media/king-county/depts/council/comprehensive-plan/2024/schedule_updated_1-29-24.pdf?rev=e7cdace32d9b4ed88a808a4c2f207023&hash=599374BF8AF99AA37B6FE398319497E7). The Joint Team testified at the January 17 and 18 Briefings and plans to testify at the remaining meetings.
All information on the Update can be found at: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/council/governance-leadership/county-council/topics-of-interest/comprehensive-plan/2024.
Greater Maple Valley Community Subarea Plan
The Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River (GMV/CR) Community Service Area (CSA) is the next Subarea Plan in the King County Unincorporated Area to be developed. The Area Council territory makes up most of the GMV/CR CSA, so this will be the Subarea Plan for our local area.
Subarea plans focus on locally specific policies that address long-range community vision over the next 20 years. Scope varies based on community priorities, while maintaining consistency with the King County Comprehensive Plan (KCCP). The development of Subarea Plans is centered on community engagement. Early steps in developing a Subarea Plan include listening to interests raised by community members across the subarea and working with community members to develop a vision that guides development of the plan.
The GMV/CR CSA Subarea Plan process will kickoff this June. Efforts will include: Establish scope; Develop vision and guiding principles; Develop long-range policies; Analyze amendments to land use, zoning and development conditions; Conduct environmental review with formal comment period; and Prepare a public review draft for comment. King County Subarea Planners will facilitate this process and will engage and work with the Public at numerous steps.
The Area Council discussed how it plans to be involved in the GMV/CR CSA Subarea Plan process primarily through its three major committees: Environment, Growth Management, and Transportation. Members of the Public are encouraged to participate, as this will be their Plan.
Following a 2-year process, in June 2026 the King County Executive will transmit the recommended GMV/CR CSA Subarea Plan to the King County Council for review and final adoption in June 2027.
The following CSA Subarea Plans have been completed in the last several years: Vashon-Maury Island; Skyway-West Hill; North Highline; and Snoqualmie Valley/NE King County. Following the completion of the GMV/CR CSA Subarea Plan the following will be started (date shown): Fairwood Potential Annexation Area (PSS) (2025); Bear Creek/Sammamish (2028); Southeast King County (2029); Four Creeks/Tiger Mountain (2033); East Renton PAA (2034); and Federal Way PAA (2035).
The Joint Team has recommended to the King County Council that it provide funds for more Planners to allow these future CSA Subarea Plans to be accelerated by conducting two plans separately, but simultaneously. This could result in the last of these (Federal Way) to start in 2029, five years from now instead of 2035, eleven years from now.
For more on the Subarea Planning Process please see: https://kingcounty.gov/so-so/dept/local-services/buildings-property/development-planning-regulations/subarea-plans.
Next Area Council Meeting
The next Area Council monthly meeting will be held Monday, March 4, from 7 – 9:30 PM at the Maple Valley Fire Station at 22225 SE 231st St (across from the KC Sheriff’s Precinct). Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month (except for Holidays, when they are held on the second Monday). As a hybrid meeting, members of the public will be able to attend either in-person or virtually via Zoom.
Meeting announcements, Agendas, and Zoom information are published in the Voice of the Valley, the Area Council’s Website (www.gmvuac.org) and local NextDoor platforms. You can also find us on our FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/GMVUAC/). Each meeting begins with an open Public Comment period where anyone can voice concerns, comments, etc. to the Area Council.
Area Council Membership
Your Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally recognized advisory body to King County on behalf of all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District. The Area Council’s works to keep the Rural Area rural. The Area Council also works regionally with other King County Rural Area organizations through both Joint Planning and its Joint Transportation Initiative.
The twelve-seat Area Council has four open seats. If you have an interest in joining, please send an e-mail to: info@gmvuac.org or attend (either in-person or virtually) a monthly meeting and express your interest. To be eligible to join the Area Council as a member you need to live within the Tahoma School District.
Residents, even those who do not live within the Tahoma School District, are eligible to become Associate Members who can serve on any Area Council Committee: Environment, Growth Management, Transportation, Public Relations, or Train Show. Each committee votes for its own Chair and Vice-Chairs and Associate Members are eligible for those positions. The Area Council welcomes your participation. For information on each of these committees please see the Area Council’s Website (www.gmvuac.org) and use the drop-down menu under Committees.
All Monthly Meeting Summary Articles, such as this, can be found on our website’s Home page in the 2023/2022 GMVUAC Monthly Meeting Articles box or by using the drop-down menu under Correspondence.
