Regional View October 2003

Regional View Newsletter

October 2003

VISION 2020 Update Launched

Region Looks Ahead to 2040 and Beyond

View of Seattle from Washington State Ferry

Table of Contents

VISION 2020 Update Launched
What is VISION 2020?
The Environmental Impact Statement Process
What is the Puget Sound Regional Council?
Stay Informed and Involved in the VISION 2020 Update Process
Celebrate Your Community's Successes - Nominate Innovative Projects for the 2004 VISION 2020 Awards
Economic Development Focus of Statewide Conference in Seattle
FAST Corridor "D" Street Funding Secured
Back Issues

VISION 2020 Update Launched
Region Looks Ahead to 2040 and Beyond
Things have changed a lot around our region since 1960; and they will change a lot more over the next 40 years.

Our regional journey should be guided by our collective vision of the kind of place we want to live and work in.

We'll know we are there if the air is clean, there are open spaces and waterways to enjoy, there are good schools and jobs to go to. Our communities will be vibrant, our streets safe, and going about our daily routines won't leave us stuck in traffic all day.

Roughly 20 years ago, there was a sense that the ways we were growing weren't getting us there. Together, the people of the region and our elected leadership created the tools to better ensure a future consistent with what we really value.

Leadership, with the active engagement of people throughout the region, worked together on ways to make more sense out of the region's growth. They established goals to more efficiently provide government services, create better and more coordinated transportation systems, better protect rural character, forests and farmlands, support existing industrial and other job centers, and contain growth within a sensible urbanized area where cities and towns could grow in sync with each other.

Growing Urban Footprint of the Central Puget Sound Region

The impact of 5 years of growth and development is clearly evident from the contrasting snapshots of the region's urban footprint. The Regional Council is partnering with state agencies and university researchers to further analyze recent growth trends seen in imagery. Source: United States Geological Survey

The Puget Sound Regional Council is charged with maintaining these goals in a regional growth, economic and transportation strategy called VISION 2020. It's a strategy for regional, local and personal ways the region can succeed over the long haul. It is coordinated so that all of the pieces of the puzzle can fit together.

VISION 2020 has been at work -- and making a difference -- for over a decade. We've grown a lot. And we've learned a lot. Now, to be best prepared for the future beyond 2020, we have an opportunity to evaluate where we've been, and look another 20 years ahead, to 2040 and beyond.

Over 1.6 million more people are expected in this region over the next 40 years. We have our work cut out for us, if we want to preserve the good things about where we live.

VISION 2020 is a comprehensive framework for our growth, our economic vitality and our transportation future. It's not about suburban dwellers versus big city people. It's not about fighting over roads versus transit. It's about working together with common goals, coordinated and planned growth, and wiser use of all of our resources in a strategy to better ensure success in a challenging and changing environment.

Updating VISION 2020, with the help of the region's elected leadership and everyone else willing to pitch in, is our best chance to find our way into the future. All the region's diverse voices need to stay informed and be heard.

This edition of Regional VIEW launches a wide-ranging conversation that will help the region's elected leadership determine the scope for the update of VISION 2020. It's just the start -- the time to get your views on the regional table early. Inside you'll find details on how to stay informed and get involved, more about VISION 2020, the Regional Council, and the Environmental Impact Statement process that will support the decisions ahead.

What is VISION 2020
It is the long-range growth management, economic and transportation strategy for our 4 county region. Photo of Puget Sound Beach
VISION 2020 depicts a diverse region composed of economically and environmentally healthy communities framed by open space and connected by a high-quality, efficient transportation system. It envisions more compact, people-oriented living and working places, and promotes development practices that protect environmentally sensitive areas, create complete communities, and reduce sprawl. It focuses a significant amount of new employment and housing into vibrant centers served by efficient transportation options that are tailored to local needs.

VISION 2020 calls for containing the expansion of urban areas and conserving surrounding farmlands, forests, and open spaces. It is a public policy commitment to both managed growth and the efficient provision of public services. By linking land use and transportation planning, VISION 2020 provides the structure for accommodating regional growth, enhancing mobility, and protecting valuable rural and resource lands from urban sprawl.

The policies in VISION 2020 address issues that cannot be comprehensively addressed within a single jurisdiction, such as the region's economy, transportation system, housing market, and natural environment. The plan is the region's adopted multicounty planning policies under the state's Growth Management Act. It guides coordinated and consistent planning throughout each county and the region.

Major Elements of the 1995 VISION 2020

Urban Areas

VISION 2020 seeks to contain much of the region's projected growth within defined urban growth areas, creating compact urban communities and vibrant centers of activity. The core of the strategy is to restore connections between where we live, learn, shop, work, and recreate, and build communities that support walking, bicycling and using transit. The vision focuses a significant share of employment and housing growth in a limited number of regional growth centers and redevelopment corridors connected and served by a variety of transportation options, including fast and frequent high capacity transit. VISION 2020 also stresses the preservation of existing manufacturing/industrial centers as locations for intensive manufacturing, industrial and related uses, and the importance of neighborhood and town centers serving local communities throughout the region.

Economy

Graph showing Regional Total Employment by Sector Shares, 1960 and 2000

VISION 2020 promotes a sustainable and stable regional economy to provide economic vitality and family wage jobs, while managing growth and supporting compact communities and centers. The VISION 2020 strategy emphasizes that continued economic stability and diversity are dependent upon public and private sector collaboration to identify needs, such as infrastructure and employment sites, and to invest in services that will promote economic activity. The strategy also stresses the importance of developing sound economic data and other information to monitor and evaluate our progress.

Graph showing New Housing Units Permitted Inside and Outside the UGA for the Central Puget Sound Region, 1995-2000

Transportation

The transportation component of VISION 2020 establishes the regional direction for responding to growth trends, and provides the basis for more detailed planning and investment decisions in Destination 2030, the region's adopted long range transportation plan. Together, VISION 2020 and Destination 2030 promote a multimodal transportation system that is integrated with and supported by the growth management and economic strategy. Destination 2030 focuses first on maintaining and managing the existing multi-billion dollar public investment in the transportation system. Transportation improvements and programs are balanced to create a more efficient transportation system that provides opportunities for different travel options -- including private automobiles, transit, ridesharing, walking, and biking -- to move around and throughout our communities.

Environment

VISION 2020 emphasizes the importance of regional open space, resource lands, and environmentally critical areas. These environmental features help support economic activity, provide aesthetic, scenic, and recreational benefits, help protect our air and water, and provide wildlife habitat. Open spaces also provide relief from and buffer urban development and help define urban form. The regional strategy embraces the concept of developing a regional system that protects, conserves, and connects these lands.

Urban, Rural, and Resource Land areas in Square Miles by County, 2000
	Total	Urban	Rural*	Resource*
King	2,126.1	457.3	326.1	1,342.7
Kitsap	396.0	87.2	289.8	19.1
Pierce	1,675.5	255.2	521.41	898.9
Snohomish	2,090.2	180.43	386.0	1,523.87
CPS Region	6,287.8	980.1	1,523.3	3,784.4
Percent	100%	15.75%	24.2%	60.2%
Resource lands are designated farm, mineral, and forest lands. Rural non-resource land uses include rural residential, commercial, industrial, mixed use, public, civic or quasi-public, and tribal lands. Source: PSRC - Puget Sound Milestones: Population, Employment and Housing 1995-2000, (2002)*

Housing

VISION 2020 calls for communities to provide a greater variety of housing choices, expanding alternatives to include homes on smaller lots, accessory units, and townhouses, as well as homes on larger lots. Ensuring that we have enough housing regionwide that is affordable for people of different incomes and needs is a key part of the strategy.

Rural Areas

VISION 2020 aims to preserve rural lands on a long-term basis by ensuring that proposed development in such areas is consistent with their rural character. The strategy supports use of rural lands for farming and forestry, recreation, cottage industries, and low-density housing maintained by rural services. Cities and towns in rural areas will continue to provide services and jobs for rural residents, as well as higher density housing.

Services and Facilities

VISION 2020 promotes strategic investment in public services and facilities, such as schools, utilities, and transportation, to support the proposed growth pattern. Examples of strategic investments include improving streets and sidewalks to encourage development in urban centers, and improving freight and goods movement to and from manufacturing/industrial centers, ports, and other key locations. VISION 2020 emphasizes use of existing and planned facility capacity and investing in facilities and services that reinforce cities as primary locations for growth. It stresses that new public facilities, whether landfills or libraries, need to be located in a manner consistent with the proposed growth pattern and that is equitable, minimizes adverse impacts, and maximizes benefits.

The Environmental Impact Statement Process

Determination of Significance
and Request for Comments on Scope of Environmental Impact Statement

The Puget Sound Regional Council has proposed to update and revise the long-range growth, economic, and transportation strategy for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The Regional Council, as lead agency for environmental review, has determined that the proposal is likely to have significant adverse impacts on the environment, and is therefore issuing a Determination of Significance (DS). This notice announces the Regional Council's intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed update to VISION 2020, pursuant to RCW 43.21C.030(2)(c). The EIS will contain new information and analysis, and may also build on data and analysis contained in existing environmental documents, any of which may be adopted or incorporated by reference as appropriate, according to SEPA rules. The Regional Council anticipates that a draft EIS will be completed in Fall 2005, and a final EIS will be issued in Summer 2006.

The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process (WAC 197-11-408) requires that the Puget Sound Regional Council notify the public of the intent to prepare an EIS so that citizens, agencies, and tribes have an opportunity to comment on the scope of the impacts to be analyzed in the EIS. Affected members of the public, agencies, and tribes are invited, by this notice, to comment on the scope of the EIS and on different overall plan concepts, with broad policy level of detail, focusing on general choices and tradeoffs, as set forth in the description of environmental issues, issues of concern, and range of alternatives in the following pages.

The official comment period on the scope of the EIS will run through March 31, 2004.

Environmental Scoping and SEPA Processes

The Regional Council is conducting an expanded scoping process to initiate the development of alternative concepts for consideration and evaluation in the environmental review process. The purpose of expanded scoping is to promote interagency cooperation, public participation, and innovative ways to streamline environmental review. (WAC 197-11-410).

This process encourages public comment on different overall vision concepts, with broad policy level of detail, focusing on general choices and tradeoffs. Issues that are identified will also allow the scope of the environmental impact statement to focus on those that are most significant at this stage of environmental review. Scoping is starting early to assist and involve the public, local governments, state and regional agencies, and tribes in formulating specific vision alternatives, and identifying useful environmental analyses. At the end of expanded scoping activities, the Regional Council will publish a final scoping report that will summarize the comments that were received, describe specific alternatives that will be analyzed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), and determine the scope of environmental review for the proposal. It is anticipated that this final Scoping Report will be published in July 2004.

After the publication of the Scoping Report, the Regional Council will begin to assess the alternatives, and identify possible mitigation options for inclusion in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The Regional Council will continue to conduct public outreach and provide opportunities for public comment on relevant issues during DEIS preparation. The DEIS is tentatively scheduled to be issued in Fall 2005, concurrent with the release of the draft VISION 2020 update. A 45-day public comment period will follow the release of the DEIS. The tentative schedule is to release the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in Summer 2006. The Puget Sound Regional Council General Assembly is tentatively scheduled to take action on the updated vision in March 2007. The SEPA process will follow procedures identified in Chapter 197-11 of the Washington Administrative Code, the SEPA Handbook (1998), Regional Council procedures and policies for implementing SEPA adopted in Executive Board Resolution EB-97-01, and in the Regional Council's Public Participation Plan (2002).

All notices of meetings or events associated with the VISION 2020 update process will be posted on the Regional Council's Web site, psrc.org, and in this newsletter. This publication was mailed to local jurisdictions, the state Departments of Ecology, Transportation, and Community, Trade and Economic Development, other agencies with jurisdiction and expertise, Tribal Governments, adjacent Regional Transportation Planning Organizations, interest groups, and individual citizens who are on the Regional Council's Regional VIEW mailing list. An announcement of this scoping process was also published in local newspapers.

What Major Environmental Issues Will Be Studied in the SEPA Process?

The Regional Council has identified the following areas for discussion in the EIS, for which significant adverse environmental impacts are anticipated:

Natural Environment: topography, soils, erosion, air quality, surface and ground water, public water supplies, plant and animal habitat, fisheries, energy and natural resources.

Built Environment: land and shoreline use, housing, recreation, historic and cultural resources, transportation, public services including fire, police, schools, parks, communications, electric power systems, water/storm water, and sewer/solid waste systems.

What Additional Issues of Concern Might Be Addressed?

In addition to the areas listed above, the Regional Council contemplates that environmental analysis may address the following subjects. This list may be modified in response to public comment and further analysis:

The role and scope of a regional economic strategy, and its relationship to the region's long-range vision
Geographies such as urban growth areas, rural areas, compact communities, redevelopment corridors, regional growth centers, and manufacturing/industrial centers
Congestion and mobility
Funding infrastructure and improvements
Producing and maintaining affordable housing
Demographic shifts and changed needs
Environmental Justice
Promoting and ensuring environmentally sensitive development
Implications of Endangered Species Act listings
Air quality conformity
Water resources and water quality
Safety and security
Coordination of transportation planning and environmental work in the region
Concurrency requirements and mitigation needs
Challenges arising from tax and fiscal policies
Current and possible alternative regional governance structures

How Could the Update Clarify VISION 2020?

The region's current vision is a long-range public policy commitment to managed growth and the efficient provision of public services. The update process is not an opportunity to reevaluate or revisit previous decisions on commitments to projects or programs, such as plans for the Interstate-405 corridor, or the expansion of Sea-Tac Airport. The focus will be on extending the vision for the region's long-term future.

In order to comply with the objectives and mandates of the state Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A), the updated regional strategy will, at a minimum, build on the base of the policies and strategies adopted in VISION 2020, clarify aspects of the vision, emphasize efficiency, establish priorities, and reinforce the concept of a common purpose for the region's many jurisdictions and stakeholders. The vision will continue to communicate the Act's objectives of containing the expansion of urban areas, conservation of surrounding farmlands, forests, and open spaces, supporting more compact, people-oriented living and working places, and focusing a significant amount of new employment and housing into vibrant urban centers. Returning to practices that promote sprawl, jeopardize environmentally critical areas, decrease predictability for developers, and diminish coordination between local governments would be in violation of the Growth Management Act, and will not be considered.

One purpose of this scoping process is to gain information so that the Regional Council can craft appropriate alternatives for analysis within the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The alternatives that will be developed will use the same assumptions and forecasts for growth through the year 2030. These alternatives can range from making minor modifications to the existing vision, to adding much more specificity regarding the future distribution, concentration, and characteristics of growth within the urban growth area.

Taking No Action. A "no-action" alternative must be evaluated. In this proposal, the "no-action" alternative will be defined as continuing forward with the adopted 1995 VISION 2020 Update without amendment or revision. The existing vision will be evaluated in the context of regional trends, assumptions, and forecasts for growth through the year 2030.

Making Minor Revisions. One alternative might consist of making minor revisions to the existing document. Data would be updated, aspects of the vision would be clarified, priorities established, and the concept of a common purpose for the many jurisdictions and stakeholders in the region reinforced. The alternatives might also help clarify the vision by adding measurable objectives to policy statements, establishing benchmarks or targets against which to monitor progress, and identifying implementation responsibilities and constraints.

Providing More Direction. Currently, VISION 2020 provides a general vision for our regional growth, economic, and transportation strategy. The Regional Council also develops a functional metropolitan transportation plan (Destination 2030), which provides more detail for transportation policies and investments in the region. An alternative might provide more specific direction for future updates to the region's metropolitan transportation plan regarding regional priorities. Similarly, an alternative might provide direction for the Regional Council to develop a more detailed, specific, economic development strategy for the region.

Describing Different Development Patterns. In addition to minor revisions and additional direction, some alternatives might consider differing land use and density configurations within the region's urban areas, along with appropriate transportation and other required services. Alternatives would describe options for focusing greater proportions of future residential and employment growth in different patterns within designated urban growth areas (UGAs). These might include focusing a majority of future growth into a limited number of Regional Growth and Manufacturing Industrial Centers, distributing forecasted growth into Centers, Nodes and Redevelopment Corridors more widely dispersed throughout the urban area, or focusing a majority of future growth into Major Regional Employment Areas.

Getting to an Updated VISION. Distinct alternatives will be identified with information that is gathered during the scoping process. A summary of comments, a description of the alternatives, and a decision about the scope of environmental review will be published in a final Scoping Report, expected in July 2004. The Regional Council's Executive Board, with the advice of its policy boards, will then make a decision about the final scope and focus of the update project. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), expected in Fall 2005, will analyze these specific alternatives. A preferred alternative for an updated VISION will be developed that draws from knowledge gained through the alternatives analysis in the DEIS. The preferred updated VISION will be evaluated in a draft Final Environmental Impact Statement, tentatively scheduled for release in Summer 2006.

What is the Puget Sound Regional Council?

The Puget Sound Regional Council is the regional transportation, economic, and growth planning coordinating agency for the central Puget Sound region of Washington State. It serves as a forum for cities, counties, ports, transit agencies, tribes, and the state to work together on important regional issues.

Key Responsibilities

Long Range Growth, Economic and Transportation Planning
Transportation Funding
Economic Development Coordination
Regional Data
Technical Assistance

Organization and Decision Making

The Puget Sound Regional Council is governed by a General Assembly and Executive Board. The Growth Management and Transportation Policy Boards advise the Executive Board. The General Assembly is composed of all member jurisdictions and agencies. The Assembly meets at least annually to review and vote on key Executive Board recommendations such as those concerning the annual budget, new officers, and growth management and transportation plans and policies.

Members of the Executive Board are appointed by their General Assembly constituents. The Board is chaired by the Council President, meets monthly and carries out delegated powers and responsibilities between meetings of the General Assembly.

The Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board meet monthly and include representatives of the Regional Council's member jurisdictions and representatives of regional business, labor, civic and environmental groups. These boards make recommendations on key transportation and growth management issues to the Executive Board.

The PSRC supports the work of the region's Economic Development District (EDD) through a merger that took effect in 2003. The EDD coordinates economic development planning in the region, and is governed by a Board of Directors composed of representatives of the region's counties, cities, ports, tribes, and citizen appointees. The EDD Board meets quarterly.

Mandates

In addition to its own governing Interlocal Agreement, the Regional Council operates under numerous federal and state laws, including:

Federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
Federal and state Clean Air Acts
State Growth Management Act
Federal Public Works and Economic Development Act

Budget and Funding Sources

For Fiscal Years 2004-2005 (July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2005), the Regional Council's budget is approximately $17.1 million. The Council receives 75 percent of its revenue from federal grants, three percent from state grants, and the remaining 22 percent from dues paid by Council members and from other local sources.

Stay Informed and Involved in the VISION 2020 Update Process

The Puget Sound Regional Council's goal is to assure early and continuous involvement by the public in the plan update. The Regional Council's work is organized to encourage you to participate. Its boards meet monthly, and will meet together periodically to focus on the region's vision throughout the update process. Additional public meetings and hearings are planned at key stages.

VISION 2020 Update Schedule

This newsletter is one good way to stay informed and involved monthly. If you're not already on the mailing list and you would like to be, call 206-464-7090. Regional VIEW will provide notice of all public meetings, -- update schedules and other aspects of updating the plan. The Regional Council's Web site, psrc.org, features a special section dedicated to the plan update.

The public is encouraged to comment on the range of proposed alternatives, and the scope of the draft Environmental Impact Statement that will be prepared. The official comment period on the scope of the EIS will run through March 31, 2004. Comments must be made in writing and returned to Norman Abbott (SEPA RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL), at Puget Sound Regional Council.

E-MAIL	vision2020update@psrc.org
FAX	206-587-4825
ADDRESS	VISION 2020 Update Puget Sound Regional Council 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500 Seattle, WA 98104-1035
WEB SITE	psrc.org

Questions about the environmental review process for the VISION 2020 update:

Sheila Rogers
206-464-5815
srogers@psrc.org

To get copies of plans, documents, or available data: Regional Council's Information Center 206-464-7532.

Celebrate Your Community's Successes

Nominate Innovative Projects for the 2004 VISION 2020 Awards

VISION 2020 Awards recognize inspiring projects, plans, and programs that increase the vitality of the central Puget Sound region.

The Regional Council honors businesses, local governments, and non-profit organizations who do creative work to focus new housing and jobs in urban areas, provide transportation access and mobility, protect our natural environment, and improve the quality of life in the central Puget Sound region.

Nominations will be accepted until December 31, 2003. The awards will be presented at the Regional Council's General Assembly in March 2004. A committee composed of nine elected officials serving on the Regional Council's Executive and Policy Boards, and two regional experts will select award winners. Award nomination materials are available on the Regional Council's Web site, psrc.org, or by calling Michele Leslie at 206-587-4819, mleslie@psrc.org

Economic Development Focus of Statewide Conference in Seattle

The Puget Sound Regional Council has joined a host of statewide public and private economic development interests in co-sponsoring the Governor's 2003 Economic Development Conference: Innovation At Work.

The Conference promises to sharpen professional tools, inspire innovative practices, and add value to economic development initiatives underway throughout the state and region.

It's being held on November 20-21 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. For more information, visit www.cted.wa.gov.

FAST Corridor "D" Street Funding Secured

Photo of Port of Tacoma Commissioner Jack Fabulich, Tacoma City Councilmember Kevin Phelps, and State Senator Jim Kastama accepting a $4 million check from deputy Assistant Secretary David Beardon of the Economic Development Administration.

Port of Tacoma Commissioner Jack Fabulich, Tacoma City Councilmember Kevin Phelps, and State Senator Jim Kastama accept a $4 million check from deputy Assistant Secretary David Beardon of the Economic Development Administration. The region's Economic Development District selected the project for EDA funding, which was approved by Congress. The $28 million for the project comes from the City of Tacoma, Port of Tacoma, the state's Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, Burlington Northern Santa Fe/Union Pacific, and federal funds via Puget Sound Regional Council and the EDD. The overpass will relieve a key freight bottleneck, safely speed up rail traffic, and enhance access to the revitalized Thea Foss Waterway. It's one of 15 Freight Action Strategy (FAST) Phase I projects located between Everett and Tacoma. The EDD Board recently prioritized regional economic development projects submitted for the next round of EDA funding. Details are available on the web at www.psrc.org.

206-464-7532 - FAX 206-587-4825 - infoctr@psrc.org

Sign language and communication material in alternative formats can be arranged given sufficient notice by calling Grace Foster at 206-464-7090. TDD\TTY; 206-464-5409. Funding for this newsletter provided in part by member jurisdictions, grants from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Washington State Department of Transportation. PSRC fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. For more information, or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, see http://www.psrc.org/about/titlevi/index.htm, or call 206-464-6175.