Record Group 161
PLANNING DEPARTMENT

See also: Record Group 162.01: Planning Commission

 

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY

In 1959, the Planning Department was established to provide enhanced administrative coordination of county planning and zoning responsibilities. These tasks had been assigned previously to the Planning Commission, which was now reconfigured to serve as an advisory body to the new department under the terms of the 1959 Planning Enabling Act of the State of Washington. At the same time, the Board of Adjustment, another advisory group composed of private citizens appointed by the County Commissioners also was established. The Board of Adjustment was charged with hearing and deciding upon applications for conditional uses or other permits, as well as applications for variances from the terms of the zoning ordinance. During the Planning Department's early years its principal task was preparation of a new county comprehensive plan (adopted in October 1964) and revising the zoning code. As the Planning Department evolved, it became increasingly specialized, eventually consisting of three divisions: Advance Planning and Research, which handled comprehensive planning; Development Planning, which implemented the plan through the creation of public programs; and Controls Administration, which was responsible for overseeing regulatory measures and performing various support functions. Following the adoption of the Home Rule Charter in 1969, the Charter's stated goal of ensuring the preservation of a "healthy environment" for the people of King County began to inform the work of the Planning Department. By 1969, the Planning Department was working closely with the Environmental Development Commission, a recently formed citizen's advisory group focused on environmental planning. In 1972, Ordinance 1438 abolished the Planning Department. The Land Use Management Division in the newly created Department of Community and Environmental Development assumed many of the Planning Department's functions.

 

161-449           Annual reports, 1959-1970
Annual reports on the activities of the Planning Department. Although called annual reports, some reports for the first five years of the department's existence were issued on a biennial basis. All reports include mainly summaries of program activities and information on staff and expenditures.

Volume: 0.25 cu ft