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264 Proposed Urban Growth AreaCity of Yelm 105 Yelm Avenue West P.O. Box 479 Yelm, Washington 98597 206-458-3244 CITY OF YELM RESOLUTION NO. 264 PROPOSED URBAN GROWTH AREA A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YELM PROPOSING AN URBAN GROWTH AREA FOR THE CITY OF YELM PURSUANT TO THE WASHINGTON GROWTH MANAGEMENT ACT AND THE THURSTON COUNTY COUNTY-WIDE PLANNING POLICIES. WHEREAS, the Yelm Plannin8 Commission has reviewed and recommened presentation of the urban growth area as described below, and WHEREAS, the Yelm City Council has examined said boundary and supporting information presented by the city staff and finds the proposed boundary to be consistent with the Yelm Comprehensive Plan and the mandate and intent of the Washington Growth Managment Act. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YELM DOES RESOLVE, AS FOLLOWS: Sect ion 1 . That the City of Yelm does hereby propose that the the urban growth area of Yelm be that area as shown on Attachment A, and described as: that area bounded by a line beginning at the intersection in Section 28 of Township 28 N., Range 2 E.W.M., of the northeasterly and southeasterly boundaries, respectively, of the rights-of-way of the Centralia Power Canal and the Milwaukee, St.Pau1 and Pacific (Weyerhauser) railroad, thence southwesterly along said railroad right-of-way to its intersection with the southern boundary of section 29 of T. 17 N., R. 2 E., thence due east along section lines to intersection with the Fort Lewis Military Reservation boundary, being the southwest corner of Section 27, T. 17 N., R. 1 E., thence north to the northwest corner of Section 27, thence east to the northeast corner of Section 27, thence north one-half mile to the quarter section corner of Section 23, thence east one-half mile to the center of RESOLUTION N0. 264 -- Page 1 Section 23, thence due north two miles more or less to the point of intersection with the northeasterly right-of-way of State Highway 510, thence southeasterly along said right-of- way boundary to its intersection with the northern boundary of section 14, thence east along the section line to the northerly boundary of the right-of-way of the Centralia Power Canal, thence southeasterly along said right-of-way to the eastern boundary of Section 13, thence north to the northwest corner of Section 18, T 17 N., R. 2. E., thence east to the County boundary (being the Nisquslly River), thence easterly along the Nisqually River to a point due south of the intersection of the Burlington Northern railroad right-of-way and the eastern boundary of Section 16, T.17 N., R. 2 E.W.M., thence north along said section line to the southeasterly boundary of said railroad right- of-way, thence southwesterly along said right-of-way to its intersection with the northeasterly boundary of the right- of-way of the Centralia Power Canal, thence southeasterly along said right-of-way to the point of beginning. Section 2. That the City of Yelm stands ready to reach agreement with Thurston County with regard to this urban growth area as proposed or as reasonably modified by the Board of Thurston County Commissioners. ADOPTED th i s 26thday of August ~ 1992 . 1°S o~~ a~~~, Robert A. Sanders, Mayor ATTEST: ICJ Shelly Badger, C' y Clerk PASSED and APPROVED: $-26 1992. RESOLUTION N0. 264 -- Page 2 1" CITY OF YELM URBAN GROWTH AREA A PROPOSAL Yelm's proposed urban growth area is shown on the attached map. This document describes that area and sets forth the factors considered by the City in preparing this proposal. Growth Management Act Goals Two goals of the Growth Management Act are to "encourage development in urban areas where adequate public facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner," and to "reduce the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land into sprawling, low-density development." This urban growth area for the City of Yelm is proposed in accordance with these goals. As set forth below, the proposal is compared with the provisions of section 36.70A.110 of the Act and with the County-Wide Planning Policies of Thurston County. Growth Management Act Standards "An urban growth area may include territory that is located outside of a city only if such territory already is characterized by urban growth or is adjacent to territory already characterized by urban growth." In April of this year the City of Yelm included 1510 residents in 574 housing units, plus supporting commercial and industrial development and public facilities; all within an area of slightly more than one square mile. Given that about one-half of this area is undeveloped, Yelm's historic "small-town" urban growth pattern has accommodated an average of two housing units per developed acre. The growth boundary has been drawn to encompass those areas within one and one-half miles of the city center which have already undergone partial urbanization, and to include property further to the southwest which, as discussed below, provides development opportunities unique to the Yelm area. The proposed growth area includes fringe areas to be designated for very low density development to ensure a planned transition from rural to urban land uses. The proposed growth area, including the City, is slightly more than eleven square miles. The unincorporated portion of this area already includes over 1000 homes. At about one home per three acres the average residential density of this area already exceeds the County's rural density target of one home per five UGA REPORT-8/26/92 PAGE 1 ~. acres. Of these eleven square miles, slightly more than three square miles are within Yelm's current water service area, and about two and one-half square miles are within the area to which sewer service will become available during 1993. The entire area is within Yelm's transportation system and transit service planning area. "[TJhe urban growth areas in the county shall include areas and densities sufficient to permit the urban growth that is projected to occur in the county for the succeeding twenty-year period." The Washington Office of Financial Management projects that Thurston County's population will grow by over 80,000 during the next twenty years, from 174,300 to 256,009. Neither the urban share of this projection or the Yelm area allocation have yet been determined. Recent events in the Yelm area have made forecasting Yelm's growth especially difficult. These complicating factors include: - the Department of Defense's plans to expand Fort Lewis from 18,000 uniformed personnel assigned to the base this year to between 24,500 and 28,500 personnel by 1995 (Yelm is less than 20 miles from the main installation via the Main or East Gate); - a planned Boeing plant and spin-off development in the Frederickson area (Frederickson is about 20 miles from Yelm); - the shift from rural to urban residential development resulting from Thurston County's rural housing limits; and - "spillover" as the Lacey urban growth area becomes fully developed. As a result of these four factors, demographers have generally rejected past trends as an indicator of future development in the Yelm area. This unpredictability has resulted in a wide variation among the forecasts for the area, ranging from 15,000 to 30,000. These forecasts are summarized and compared in Attachment A. With the Yelm Planning Commission's guidance, the City has estimated the residential capacity and planned twenty-year population of the proposed urban growth area. The proposed urban growth area is estimated to have capacity for 13,000 or more new housing units or a population increase of about 33,000. This exceeds even the highest twenty-year population forecast and provides for market flexibility and a margin of error. Yelm's growth management plan is being prepared for a target twenty-year UGA REPORT-8/26/92 PAGE 2 ' M population of 21,000, but is being designed to accommodate even higher growth rates. (Note that for many planning purposes the rate of growth is not as significant as the ultimate population for which the city is preparing.) This capacity analysis and forecast are outlined in the Attachment 2. "Each urban growth area shall permit urban densities and shall include greenbelt and open space areas." As described above and in Attachment 2, the proposed urban growth area permits urban densities. In addition certain areas are designated for greenbelt and open space purposes including public areas and areas of generally rural densities. Yelm proposes to preserve greenbelts along all major streams and ponds and in the vicinity of prominent wetlands. The rural density "open spaces" are areas at the fringe of the urban growth area included in the UGA to ensure compatibility between the urban area and the rural surroundings, to provide an appropriate rural to urban transition, to create an opportunity for regulatory compensation, and to assure the possibility of later urban expansion. "Urban growth should be located first in areas already characterized by urban growth that have existing public facilities and service capacities to serve such development, and second in areas already characterized by urban growth that will be served by a combination of both existing public facilities and services and any additional needed pubic facilities and services that are provided by either public or private sources." In general Yelm's proposed UGA only includes areas "already characterized by urban growth" with existing facilities, and areas that will and can readily be served by urban facilities such as water, sewers, and streets. The principal exceptions are those fringe areas which may not be provided with utility service in the near future and those areas already residentially developed which may not require sewer service to replace on-site septic systems. Growth Management Act Definitions "Urban growth" refers to growth that makes intensive use of land for the location of buildings, structures, and impermeable surfaces to such a degree as to be incompatible with the primary use of such land for the production of food, other agricultural products, or fiber, or the extraction of mineral resources. when allowed to spread over wide areas, urban growth typically requires urban governmental services. "Characterized by urban growth" refers to land having urban growth located on it, or to land located. in relationship to an area with urban growth on it as to be appropriate for urban growth." "Urban governmental services" include those governmental services historically and UGA REPORT-8/26/92 PAGE 3 _~ typically delivered by cities, and include storm and sanitary sewer systems, domestic water systems, street cleaning services, fire and police protection service, public transit services, and other public utilities associated with urban areas and normally not associated with nonurban areas. County-Wide Urban Growth Area Boundary Criteria Contain areas characterized by urban growth. As described above, the average residential density of the proposed UGA already exceeds the county's rural standards and is expected to increase substantially over the next twenty-year period. The boundary encloses all schools in the Yelm District except an elementary school in Pierce County. Are served by or are planned to be served by municipal utilities. Yelm has prepared a transportation plan for serving the entire proposed UGA. It is estimated that over thirty million dollars in facility improvements, including bus transportation, will result in retaining the current high level of service while providing for an additional 15,000 residents. Updates of Yelm's water, sewer, and other capital facility plans are in progress to address expanded service. Initial analysis indicates that all areas are physically and fiscally serviceable. However, service to the southwest portion of the UGA is only feasible due to the economies of scale resulting form large planned development patterns. Contain vacant land near existing urban areas that is capable of supporting urban development. Except for the southwestern area, all vacant lands are within one and one-half mile of the center of Yelm and readily can support urban development. The southwestern area is included to provide a unique opportunity for a large planned community in association with Yelm's growth. The proponents of urbanization of this area envision substantial open space and residential amenities in combination with a gradual reduction in urban density near the Fort Lewis military reservation. Are compatible with the use of designated resource lands and critical areas. Except for areas already characterized by urban development, the UGA is designed to provide a buffer between the urban area and the Nisqually River. In addition the proposal includes lands specifically designated to provide a transition to rural areas. The proposed UGA also includes a substantial wetland area at the headwaters of Thompson Creek. The distribution of open space, UGA REPORT-8/26/92 PAGE 4 K greenbelts, and residential densities associated with the proposal is intended to protect both these wetlands and the area's open waters. Although much of the area overlies an extremely sensitive aquifer, there are few alternative areas for urban development in the vicinity. The City is in the process of adopting strict groundwater and stormwater management standards to protect this aquifer. Follow logical boundaries. The proposed UGA boundary follows a railroad, the Centralia Power Canal, the Nisqually River, the Fort Lewis boundary, a state highway, and section and quarter-section lines. These boundaries form natural boundaries to urban expansion. Only the section lines are not visible markers of the boundary. However, the southern boundary along the section line approximates the crest of Hammersmith Hill overlooking Yelm. The northwestern quarter- section line approximates the slope along the western edge of the Thompson Creek valley floor and encompasses the Southworth Elementary School. Consider citizen preferences. This proposal is based upon public meetings and information gathered in conjunction with preparation of the "Draft Yelm - Thurston County Joint Plan." That process involved hundreds of residents of the area as well as owners of land in the vicinity of Yelm. In addition, it is assumed that Thurston County's review and action upon this proposal will provide for additional public input. Are of sufficient area and densities to permit the urban growth that is projected to occur in the succeeding twenty-year period. As illustrated by Attachments 1 and 2, if developed as envisioned the area is of sufficient size to permit the anticipated level of urban growth for Yelm. References Department of Community Development, Issues in Designating Urban Growth Areas. Part I, March, 1992 Department of Community Development, The Art and Science of Designating Urban Growth Areas, Part II. March, 1992 UGA REPORT-8/26/92 PAGE 5