Muni League report: land use tensions between urban and rural residents
December 23, 2009
By Dan Catchpole
King County’s rural residents “are not fairly represented” because they must comply with land-use regulations adopted by King County Council members, who overwhelming represent urban areas, the Municipal League of King County said in a report issued earlier this month after two years of study.Since most of the council’s nine members live in cities “urban perspectives and interests nearly always prevail” in setting rural land-use policies, the league said in the report, titled “Rights, Wrongs and Reforms.”
The report found that many rural landowners resent restrictions on what they can do with their property while many urban residents don’t like regional growth-management policies that encourage increasing density where they live.
The report’s nine-member committee was co-chaired by longtime Municipal League volunteers Putnam Barber and Lucy Steers.
The document was released a week after former County Council member Dow Constantine was sworn in as county executive after promising to “reform” county government, including its land-use permitting agency, the Department of Development and Environmental Services.
“I’m hoping this report will be valuable to the new executive,” said Kathy Lambert, who represents District 3, which includes many rural communities and unincorporated lands. She said she recommended to him that he read it.
Still moving into its new offices, Constantine’s administration hasn’t had time to look closely at the report, spokesman Frank Abe said.
Constantine has created a director of customer service position in his office, but hasn’t laid out details of changes he plans to make at DDES.
“We can—must change the culture of service at DDES,” Abe said.
The agency needs to have a “yes, we can” mentality, he said.
Permitting should be easier, Abe said. By streamlining the process so permit-seekers don’t have to go to multiple jurisdictions to get the necessary permits will help encourage job creation.
The Muni League report recommended creating state-authorized “townships” in rural areas to provide local services, including land-use review as a possible solution to inadequate rural representation.
It also suggested the Legislature convene a Local Governance Study Commission to make recommendations on how to pay for services in unincorporated areas.
Some grievances have been resolved by the rural ombudsman, a position created by the County Council in 2005, the report said. And for disputes that are appealed to court, it suggested they be handled by a new land-use court within Superior Court.
Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment online at www.snovalleystar.com.
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