The Growth Management Policy Board recommended designation of Downtown Burien as a Regional Growth Center.

PSRC received a request from the City of Burien for Regional Growth Center designation in April 2005. The City of Burien's application was evaluated pursuant to the Designation Criteria for Regional Growth and Manufacturing Industrial Centers, adopted in June 2003 by the Executive Board. Downtown Burien meets all minimum eligibility requirements as well as PSRC's adopted criteria for center designation. The proposed center is appropriately sited with respect to existing regional growth centers and transportation facilities. It also meets standards for employment and housing concentration, has demonstrated capacity for growth, and a commitment to human-scale urban form.

For more information, contact Yorik Stevens-Wajda at 206-389-2158 or ystevens@psrc.org.

The Growth Management Policy Board approved the schedule for developing VISION 2020+20.

The Board reviewed and approved a VISION 2020+20 schedule that included 12 key decision points and 8 major milestones. The schedule calls for two major public review periods: (1) at the draft Environmental Impact Statement stage, without a preferred alternative, February 2006, and (2) at the draft Final Environmental Impact Statement stage, with a preferred alternative, September 2006. Adoption is scheduled for March 2007.

For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134 or nabbott@psrc.org.

The Growth Management Policy Board was introduced to the background information gathered to develop the housing issue paper.

The presentation included current housing laws and policies, comments received during the scoping process, market trends, housing stock, and best practices. The paper will include preliminary policy recommendations, possible implementation actions, and ideas for monitoring. Housing is one of the ten topics addressed in the issue paper series being developed as part of the VISION 2020+20 process.

For more information, contact Carol Naito 206-464-7535 or cnaito@psrc.org.

The Growth Management Policy Board continued its review of the rural issue paper, and discussed comments received at the May 20 VISION 2020 + 20 workshop.

Over the past several months the Growth Management Policy Board has reviewed the seven sections of the paper: (1) Rural Population and Employment Growth, (2) Definition of Rural Lands, (3) Rural Exception Areas, (4) Rural Service and Infrastructure Provisions, (5) Special Purpose Districts in Rural Areas, (6) Rural Economic Development, and (7) Rural Development Standards. The Board reviewed edits made by staff and directed staff to make additional edits based on public comments. In July the Policy Board will be asked to take action for staff to proceed in packaging this information for use in developing the draft Environmental Impact Statement.

For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134 or nabbott@psrc.org.

The Growth Management Policy Board was briefed on the May 20 VISION 2020 + 20 public event held at the Seattle Center.

The workshop highlighted work completed by the Growth Management Policy Board over the past 8-months which centered on the development of a series of papers exploring how the updated vision could address key issues that were identified during scoping. Regional growth scenarios development with a new sketch planning tool (INDEX) was also discussed at the workshop. The growth scenarios will be used to help select a more narrow set of bookend alternatives this summer for evaluation in the project environmental impact statement.

The workshop attracted over 150 participants from a wide variety of backgrounds, and generated nearly 300 separate written comments. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with strong support for the direction that the Regional Council is taking on the issues, and extremely constructive comments on how to refine approaches that have been developed so far. A summary report of the workshop will be mailed to participants and will be discussed more thoroughly at the July meeting of the Growth Management Policy Board.

For more information, contact Rocky Piro at 206-464-6360 or rpiro@psrc.org.

The Growth Management Policy Board heard an update on the Environmental Impact Statement consultant selection process.

PSRC selected Parametrix, Inc. to assist the Regional Council with the development of an environmental impact statement for the VISION 2020+20.

For more information, contact Ivan Miller at 206-464-7549 or imiller@psrc.org.

In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board: