Urban Growth Area

One of the first steps in the implementation of the Growth Management Act (GMA) is for counties and their cities to designate urban growth areas (UGAs), “within which urban growth shall be encouraged, and outside of which growth can occur only if it is not urban in nature.” RCW 36.70A.110 and WAC 365-195-335 provide clear criteria for designating urban growth boundaries around a city or a group of cities. Each urban growth area in a county should include enough land to accommodate the Washington State Office of Financial Management’s 20-year population projection allocated for thatUGA. The UGA should also include adequate land for industrial and commercial activities, open space, and other public facilities. A land capacity analysis should be conducted to determine if there is sufficient land included in the UGA for all these uses. A market factor can be built in to this analysis to compensate for the fact that only a portion of the land will be available for sale and development over the planning period. Within the UGA, a city and/or county is to designate sufficient open space, provide urban services, and permit development at urban densities. Urban development and provision of urban services, such as water and sewer, should not generally occur outside of urban growth areas. RCW 36.70A.130(3) requires counties and cities to review, at least every ten years, designated UGAs, the densities permitted within each UGA, and the nature of development that has occurred. UGAs and comprehensive plans are to be revised to accommodate the urban growth projected for the succeeding twenty-year period.

《增长管理法案》（Growth Management Act，GMA）的实施首要步骤之一，是各郡县及其下辖城市划定城市增长区（urban growth areas，UGAs），即“应鼓励在该区域内开展城市开发，而区域外仅允许非城市属性的开发行为”。华盛顿州修订法典（Revised Code of Washington，RCW）第36.70A.110条与华盛顿州行政法典（Washington Administrative Code，WAC）第365-195-335条明确规定了围绕单个城市或城市集群划定城市增长边界的具体标准。各郡县内的每个城市增长区，应预留足够土地以容纳华盛顿州财政管理办公室为该城市增长区核定的20年人口预测规模；同时，城市增长区还需配备充足土地用于工业、商业活动，以及开放空间和其他公共设施。需开展土地承载力分析，以确认城市增长区内的土地是否足以满足上述各类用途的需求；该分析可纳入市场因素，以弥补规划期内仅有部分土地可用于出让与开发的实际缺口。在城市增长区内，城市或郡县应划定足够的开放空间，提供城市配套服务，并按照城市开发密度许可开展开发建设。通常情况下，城市开发及供水、排污等城市配套服务的提供，不应在城市增长区外进行。华盛顿州修订法典第36.70A.130(3)条要求各郡县与城市至少每十年对已划定的城市增长区、各城市增长区内许可的开发密度，以及已发生的开发性质进行审查；城市增长区与综合规划需进行修订，以适配未来20年的城市增长预测需求。