Washington Administrative Code › Title 365 - Commerce, Department of (Community Development) › Chapter 365-196 - Growth Management Act-Procedural criteria for adopting comprehensive plans and development regulations › Part FOUR - FEATURES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN › Section 365-196-460 - Master planned resorts

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) The
						act allows for master planned resorts to provide counties with a means of
						capitalizing on areas of significant natural amenities to provide sustainable
						economic development for its rural areas. The requirements allow for master
						planned resorts without degrading the rural character of the county or imposing
						a public service burden on the county.
(2) A master planned resort is a
						self-contained, fully integrated planned unit development, in a setting of
						significant natural amenities, with primary focus on destination resort
						facilities, consisting of short-term visitor accommodations associated with a
						range of developed on-site indoor or outdoor recreational facilities.
						Residential uses are permitted only if they are integrated into and support the
						on-site recreational nature of the resort.
(3) Master planned resorts may include public
						facilities and services beyond those normally provided in rural areas. However,
						those provided on-site must be limited to those that meet the needs of the
						master planned resort. Services may be developed on-site or may be provided by
						other service providers, including special purpose districts or municipalities.
						All costs associated with service extensions and capacity increases directly
						attributable to the master planned resort must be borne by the resort, rather
						than the county. A master planned resort may enter into development agreements
						with service providers to share facilities, provided the services serve either
						an existing urban growth area or the master planned resort. Such agreements may
						not allow or facilitate extension of urban services outside of the urban growth
						area or the master planned resort. When approving the master planned resort,
						the county must conclude that on-site and off-site infrastructure and service
						impacts are fully considered and mitigated.
(4) A county must include policies in its
						rural element to guide the development of master planned resorts before it can
						approve a master planned resort. These policies must preclude new urban or
						suburban land uses in the vicinity of the master planned resort unless those
						uses are otherwise within a designated urban growth area.
(5) When approving a master planned resort, a
						county must conclude, supported by the record before it, that the master
						planned resort is consistent with the development regulations protecting
						critical areas.
(6) If the area
						designated as a master planned resort includes resource lands of long-term
						commercial significance, a county must conclude, supported by the record before
						it, that the land is better suited, and has more long-term importance for the
						master planned resort than for the commercial harvesting of timber, minerals,
						or agricultural production. Because this conclusion effects a dedesignation of
						resource lands, it must be based on the criteria and the process contained in
						chapter 365-190 WAC. Even if lands are dedesignated, the master planned resort
						may not operationally interfere with the continued use of any adjacent resource
						lands of long-term commercial significance for natural resource
						production.
Statutory Authority:
								RCW
								36.70A.050 and
								36.70A.190. 10-03-085, §
											365-196-460, filed 1/19/10,
								effective 2/19/10.