2005/12/05 Council Agenda Packet

Approval Criteria: 1. The proposed land use designation of Hospital (2.4 on the Comprehensive Plan map) must be supported by or be consistent with the existing policy of the various elements of the City Comprehensive Plan. Comprehensive Plan Policy Review: Other Land Uses (on page LU 9) The Comprehensive Plan shall address lands required for regionally important but often hard to site facilities including ... hospitals ... which the Growth Management Act refers to as "essential public facilities." Capital facilities ... represent the infrastructure, or foundation, of a community and are integral to accommodating growth. ... While some of these capital facilities and utilities are provided by the City, others are provided by private companies and special districts. I.E Essential Public Facilities According to the GMA, "essential public facilities" is a specialized term applicable in the context of siting and refers to facilities that are typically difficult to site. If a service or facility is considered to be an important public service the City needs to accommodate it. The GMA requires that city comprehensive plans contain a process for identifying and siting essential public facilities (WAC 365-195-340). In the City Capital Facilities Plan Element of the Comprehensive Plan, on page CF -3, the table titled, "Categorization of Capital Facilities and Utilities as they relate to GMA concurrency, Under "Facilities and Services Controlled by Others: (the section states, City will work with purveyors to assure provision of facilities and services." Goal 2. Essential Public Facilities (page CF -6) To provide for the siting and construction of essential public facilities to accommodate projected growth over the next twenty years. Essential public facilities are defined as those facilities that are typically difficult to site and considered to be important to orderly growth. Objective: Ensure that the siting and construction of capital facilities considered essential public facilities are not precluded by the City's Comprehensive Plan.