| Transportation Concurrency Management and Transportation Impact Fees |
In 2007 and 2008 Whatcom County developed through a public process a set of amendments to its Comprehensive Plan and its zoning code to update its transportation concurrency management system and to allow for collection of transportation impact fees. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the amendments in the Fall of 2008 and the County Council adopted the changes through the ordinances listed below.
The county’s transportation concurrency program had been established on an interim basis in Chapter 20.78 of the zoning code. Ordinance 2009-004, adopted on January 27, 2009, added the chapter to the zoning code, replacing the interim version. (Ordinance 2009-047, adopted May 26, 2009, corrects an error in the chapter wording adopted in Ordinance 2009-004.)
As part of the concurrent review of Comprehensive Plan amendments in May 2009, the County Council adopted Ordinance 2009-037, which amended Chapters Four and Six, and Appendix G, to establish policy for transportation concurrency management and transportation impact fees, and to modify the county’s adopted level of service standards for county roads.
The Planning Commission has also recommended approval of proposed zoning code Chapter 20.77 Transportation Impact Fees. State law (RCW 82.02.050(4)) requires counties to have adopted comprehensive plans that are in compliance with the state Growth Management Act in order to collect impact fees. Because Whatcom County’s Comprehensive Plan has been found out of compliance with the Growth Management Act with respect to rural planning and urban growth area reviews, the county must wait to implement impact fees until the necessary changes are made and the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board finds the Comprehensive Plan to be in compliance.
Documents:
| What is Transportation Concurrency? |
Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires counties to ensure that their transportation systems can adequately support approved developments as they are built. Whether or not the transportation system can support current and future growth is based on the County’s level of service standards, or how well a roadway functions in terms of traffic congestion. The County cannot approve a development if it would cause transportation systems to fall below established levels of service, unless measures transportation system improvements to accommodate that development are mutually agreed upon and implemented concurrent with that development. Whatcom County has previously adopted level of service standards in its Comprehensive Plan and implemented interim transportation concurrency requirements in Whatcom County Code Chapter 20.78.
| What are Transportation Impact Fees? |
Impact fees are added to development permit fees to partially fund new public facilities that are necessary to accommodate new growth. Transportation Impact Fees would fund a share of planned transportation facilities needed to serve development planned in the County’s Comprehensive Plan.
If you would like more information about Whatcom County’s transportation concurrency or transportation impact fee programs, please send them via e-mail to gdavis@co.whatcom.wa.us, or vie U.S. Mail to:
Whatcom County PDS
Attention: Gary Davis
5280 Northwest Drive
Bellingham, WA, 98226-9097 |
