HomeMy WebLinkAbout3) Summary of Transportation ConcurrencyTRANSPORTATION CONCURRENCY
• Jefferson County is planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA), chapter 36.70A RCW;
• The GMA requires municipalities planning under the act to include a transportation element in their comprehensive plans. This element must specify adopted level of service (LOS) standards for local streets and roads (County Roads);
• Jefferson County’s adopted LOS standards are consistent with those established by the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization (PRTPO) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). These standards are as follows:
o Rural Roads (roads outside an urban boundary line) = LOS D o Urban Roads (roads within an urban boundary line) = LOS D o Master Planned Resort Roads (roads within an MPR boundary line) = LOS D
o Highways of Regional Significance (rural corridors carrying an urban level of traffic) = LOS D
• The 2025 Comprehensive Plan, adopted by Ordinance No. 03-0713-26, specifically calls for development of a transportation concurrency ordinance.
• As part of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan,
o Policy TR-P-4.3 directs the County to adopt a concurrency development regulation that clarifies applicable concurrency requirements and prohibits approval of development that would cause LOS on any county-owned or county-operated transportation facility to fall below adopted
standards, unless mitigation or concurrent improvements are provided. o Policy TR-P-4.10 requires that new development generating traffic that would significantly reduce LOS below adopted standards not be approved without appropriate mitigation strategies or funding for improvements, to be addressed through a concurrency development regulation.
• The purposes of proposed chapter 18.32 JCC (Transportation Concurrency) are to ensure that adequate Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan adopted Level of Service (LOS) standards are: (1) Maintained for existing use on County Roads; and, (2) Achieved concurrently with new development by only approving development applications that would not cause the LOS on County Roads to decline below the County adopted LOS standards; and,
(3) Not applicable to both Highways of Statewide Significance and Highways of Regional Significance, both of which are exempt from concurrency requirements. Note: Jefferson County does not have authority to change LOS standards for state transportation facilities. That authority lies with the Washington State Transportation Commission. Likewise, the County does not make final
decisions regarding improvements to the state highway system or related funding. WSDOT is responsible for planning state highway facilities, while the Legislature determines which facilities will be built and how they will be funded.
In Bldg. Ass’n of Clark County et al. v. Clark County, WWGMHB 04-2-0038c, Amended Final Decision and Order (Nov. 23, 2005) at 38, the Growth Management Hearings Board noted that the Legislature has relieved
local governments from achieving concurrency for state highway facilities. Concurrency does not guarantee a particular level of service or ensure quality-of-life enhancements. Under the GMA, counties have no concurrency requirements for Highways of Statewide or Regional Significance. Instead, counties must estimate impacts to state highway facilities, include state-adopted LOS standards for monitoring performance and evaluating improvements, and identify state highway needs consistent with the state’s multimodal plan.