19E.10.020 Why Plan for Capital Facilities?

There are at least three reasons to plan for capital facilities: (1) growth management, (2) good management, and (3) eligibility for grants and loans.

1. A CFP is required by the GMA. The CFP is one of six required elements of the local government's comprehensive plan:

a. Land Use;

b. Housing;

c. Transportation;

d. Utilities;

e. Rural (counties only);

f. Capital Facilities Plan.

2. Capital facilities plans are required in a comprehensive plan to:

a. Provide capital facilities for land development that is envisioned or authorized by the land use element of the comprehensive plan.

b. Maintain the quality of life for existing and future development by establishing and maintaining standards for the level of service of capital facilities.

c. Coordinate and provide consistency among the many plans for capital improvements, including:

(1) Other elements of the comprehensive plan (i.e., transportation, land use and utilities elements);

(2) Plans and other studies of the local government;

(3) The plans for capital facilities of state and regional significance;

(4) The plans of other adjacent local governments; and

(5) The plans of special districts.

d. Ensure the timely provision of adequate facilities as required in the GMA.

e. Document capital projects and their financing (including projects to be financed by impact fees and real estate excise taxes that are authorized by GMA).

3. The CFP is the element that makes the rest of the comprehensive plan real. By establishing LOS as the basis for providing capital facilities and for achieving concurrency, the CFP determines the quality of life in the community. Funding sources identified in the CFP are assumed to be commitments by the County. If any of these commitments for concurrency-related improvements cannot be fulfilled, the County must make adjustments in the land use plan, find non-capital alternatives or use other methods to meet the need, or modify the level of service standard. In this way, the CFP can affect the size and configuration of an urban growth area.

B. Good Management. Planning for major capital facilities and their costs enables Pierce County to:

1. Demonstrate the need for facilities and the need for revenues to pay for them;

2. Estimate eventual operation and maintenance costs of new capital facilities that will impact the annual budget;

3. Take advantage of sources of revenue (i.e., grants, impact fees, real estate excise taxes) that require a CFP in order to qualify for the revenue; and

4. Get better ratings on bond issues when the County borrows money for capital facilities (thus reducing interest rates and the cost of borrowing money).

C. Prioritizing Employment Centers. Creating a jobs-based economy for Pierce County is one of the major goals of this Comprehensive Plan. Policies in the Economic Development and Land Use Elements direct the Capital Facilities Element to give priority to providing public facilities and services to locations identified as designated Employment Centers. The Employment-Based Planned Community land use designation includes suitable areas for commercial/industrial acreage; however, the provision of public facilities and services to these areas is the responsibility of the developer of the project site. Employment-Based Planned Community includes Cascadia. Employment Centers are identified in the Economic Development Element of the Comprehensive Plan. See the Generalized Proposed Land Use Map in the Land Use Element for their locations. Changes to the list and locations of Employment-Based Planned Communities and Employment Centers are based upon amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and annexation or incorporation.

D. Phasing of Urban Growth. The Countywide Planning Policies for Phasing of Development within the Urban Growth Area call for the County and each municipality to seek to direct growth as follows:

1. First to centers and urbanized areas with existing infrastructure capacity;

2. Second to areas that are already urbanized such that infrastructure improvements can be easily extended; and

3. Last to areas requiring major infrastructure improvements.

In addition, the Countywide Planning Policies provide directions regarding provision of infrastructure as follows:

4. Capital facilities plans shall identify existing, planned, and future infrastructure needs within Urban Growth Areas.

5. The County and each municipality in the County should identify appropriate levels of service and concurrency standards that address schools, sewer, water, and parks.

6. The County and each municipality in the County shall identify appropriate levels of service and concurrency standards that address roads.

E. Eligibility for Grants and Loans. The State of Washington Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development's Public Works Trust Fund requires that local governments have some type of CFP in order to be eligible for loans. Some other grants and loans have similar requirements, or give preference to governments that have a CFP.