On Monday, April 1, the Area Council held its monthly meeting at the Maple Valley Fire Station and via Zoom. Major topics discussed were:(1) Greater Maple Valley Community Subarea Plan and (2) 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan Update.
Greater Maple Valley Community Subarea Plan
The Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River (GMV/CR) Community Service Area (CSA) is the subject of the next Subarea Plan in the King County Unincorporated Area that will 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. King County Strategic Planning Manager, Susan McLain, and Principal Subarea Planner, Kaitlin Harris, provided a summary of how the Plan will be approached, what will be included, and the timeline from start to completion.
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. They plan to directly engage with community members at public meetings, events, etc.
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. The Area Council will assist King County Planners in helping encourage participation by community members, as this will be their Plan.
Following a 2-year process, in April 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 Rural Area Team (see next item below) 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.
2024 King County Comprehensive Plan Update
The Area Council continues to coordinate 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 February 6 Detailed Comments on the King County (KC) Executive’s “Recommended Plan” (ERP) were submitted to the KC Council’s Local Services & Land-Use (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.
The Joint Team submitted a high-level summary of Comments, Recommendations, and Suggested Implementation Paths http://gmvuac.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Jt-Tm-KCCP-Upd-Comments-Recom-Impl-Paths.pdf to the LS & L-U Committee on April 1. It lists five Major Themes and each of their Key issues; identifies specific impacts on the Committee’s “Striker” (i.e., amended ordnance for the Update) that could address each of these Key Issues; and provides high-priority Policies and Code from the Joint Team’s Detailed Comments. It also includes two recommendations: (1) Reform DLS Permitting Division’s Permitting and Code Enforcement functions and (2) Revise KC Code and Policy through the KCCP Update.
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: 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 provided Oral Testimonies at the March 7 and 20 Briefings and this month plan to do so at the April 3, 4, and 17 Briefings; and also will do so at remaining Briefings into June.
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.
Next Area Council Meeting
The next Area Council monthly meeting will be held Monday, May 6, from 7 – 9:30 p.m. For this month only, due to a room conflict, it will be held at at the KC Sheriff’s Precinct at 22300 SE 231st St. (across the street from our usual meeting location the Maple Valley Fire Station). 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 is posted on 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.
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 (TSD). The Area Council, in “working to keep the Rural Area rural,” collaborates 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 TSD.
Residents, even those not living within the TSD, are eligible to become Associate Members who can serve on any Area Council Committee: Environment, Growth Management, Transportation, Public Relations, or Train Show. 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 can be found on our Home page in the 2024/2023 GMVUAC Monthly Meeting Articles box or by using the drop-down menu under Correspondence.
