WAC 365-195-300   Mandatory elements.  (1) Requirements. The comprehensive plan shall consist of a map or maps and descriptive text covering objectives, principles, and standards used to develop the comprehensive plan. The plan shall be an internally consistent document and all elements shall be consistent with the future land use map.

     (a) Each comprehensive plan shall include a plan, scheme, or design for each of the following:

     (i) A land use element.

     (ii) A housing element.

     (iii) A capital facilities plan element.

     (iv) A utilities element.

     (v) A transportation element.

     Counties shall also include a rural element including lands that are not designated for urban growth, agriculture, forest, or mineral resources.

     (b) Additionally each plan shall contain a process for identifying and siting essential public facilities.

     (2) Recommendations for overall design.

     (a) The planning horizon for the comprehensive plan should be at least the twenty-year period following the adoption of the plan.

     (b) Planning jurisdictions should consider including at the outset a separate section addressing the statutory goals and how the plan deals with each of them. This section should also identify any supplementary goals adopted.

     (c) County-wide planning policies establish a county-wide framework from which county and city comprehensive plans are to be developed. How the applicable county-wide policies have been integrated into the plans should be made apparent.

     (d) Each plan should contain a future land use map or maps, showing the proposed physical distribution and location of the various land uses during the planning period. This map should provide a graphic display of how and where development is expected to occur.

     (e) The descriptive text covering objectives, principles, and standards used to develop the comprehensive plan will be expressive of the vision of the future of the planning entity. The text should articulate community values derived from the visioning and other citizen participation processes. The terms objectives, principles, and standards relate to methods chosen to meet planning goals or measurable steps on the path toward achieving such goals. The precise meaning of these terms should be locally defined.

     (f) Jurisdictions are encouraged to include at the beginning of their comprehensive plans a section which summarizes, with graphics and a minimum of text, how the various pieces of the plan fit together. Plans may include overlay maps and other graphic displays depicting development patterns, phasing of development, neighborhoods or subarea definitions, and other plan features.

     (g) A suggested detailed approach of how each element of the comprehensive plan may be prepared is provided through assistance manuals produced by the department.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 36.70A.190 (4)(b). 92-23-065, § 365-195-300, filed 11/17/92, effective 12/18/92.]