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2004 Update to the King County Comprehensive Plan

The Metropolitan King County Council on Sept. 27, 2004, formally adopted its 2004 Update to the King County Comprehensive Plan, the guiding policy document for all land use and development regulations in unincorporated King County, and for regional services throughout the County including transit, sewers, parks, trails and open space.

The package approved by the Council culiminated six months of review and public testimony.

It is the first of two major pieces of land use legislation the Council must consider this year; it is separate and distinct from the Critical Areas package, which have also been reviewed in many of the same committee meetings.

The text of the adopted ordinances is available as Acrobat .pdf files by clicking on these ordinance numbers:

• Ordinance 15028  (pdf, 51 KB)
  • Attachment A (Large File, pdf, 2.7MB -- or view ordinance broken into three smaller files below)
    • Attachment A Part I of III (pdf, 1.0MB)
    • Attachment A Part II of III (pdf, 1.2MB)
    • Attachment A Part III of III (pdf, 566KB)
    • Attachment B (pdf, 1.1MB)
    • Attachment C (pdf, 3.6)
    • Attachment D (Large File, pdf, 4.8MB)
    • Attachment E (pdf, 1.0MB)
    • Attachment F (Large File, pdf, 5.7MB)
• Ordinance 15029  (pdf, 51 KB)
• Ordinance 15030  (pdf, 65 KB)
• Ordinance 15031 (pdf, 28 KB) 
• Ordinance 15032 (pdf, 363 KB)

Read the Summary of Growth Management Committee changes to the Executive's proposal, as recommended to the full Council on July 20

About the Comprehensive Plan

Every year the Comprehensive Plan can be amended to address technical updates and make revisions that do not require substantive policy changes.

Every fourth year, the "Four-Year Cycle" process occurs to conduct a complete review of the plan. In this review, broader policy issues can be addressed and the plan amended accordingly. The year 2000 represented the first "four-year Cycle" review. 

Critical Areas

The state Growth Management Act requires local governments to protect critical areas. Critical areas include both hazard areas (like floodplains) and environmentally sensitive areas (like wetlands).

Critical area regulations have a dual purpose:

• protect public health and safety, and
• protect critical area functions like groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat.

Visit the Critical Areas, Clearing & Grading, and Stormwater Ordinances Web site to learn more.