Capital Facilities Planning

About Capital Facilities Planning

The purpose of capital facilities planning is to provide adequate public facilities to serve existing and new development, to reduce the cost of serving new development with public facilities, and to ensure that these facilities will be in place when development occurs.

The Washington State Growth Management Act requires jurisdictions fully planning under the GMA to include a capital facilities plan element in their comprehensive plans (RCW 36.70A.070(3)). The capital facilities element is required before a jurisdiction can impose GMA impact fees. Other jurisdictions are required to have a capital facilities plan before imposing certain taxes, such as the real estate excise tax and to qualify for state funding for capital facilities. The capital facilities plan is a six or more year plan of capital projects with estimated costs and proposed methods of financing that is updated annually. The capital facilities plan implements the land use element of the comprehensive plan, and these two elements, including the financing plan within the capital facilities element, must be coordinated and consistent. The GMA also requires a separate transportation element.

The Washington State Department of Commerce, Growth Management Services Capital Facilities page is an excellent starting point for information on capital facilities planning. It includes a capital facilities planning tool available for downloading to help jurisdictions develop capital facilities plans.

Reference Sources

Statutes and Administrative Regulations

RCW 36.70A.070(3) – Capital facilities element one of mandatory elements of comprehensive plan, Growth Management Act (also see (6)(B) and (C) regarding level of service and transportation)
RCW 36.70A.020 – Planning goals (1) and (12)
RCW 36.70A.030(12) – Public facilities definition
RCW 58.17.110(2) – Consideration of public facilities for a subdivision and conditions for approval
RCW 82.02.050(4) – Impact fees. Requires capital facilities plan prior to imposition of GMA impact fees to finance system improvements related to the new development
RCW 82.46.035(5)(b) – “Capital project” definition, for real estate excise tax
WAC 365-196-415 – Capital facilities element

Growth Management Hearings Board Decisions

Growth Management Hearings Board Digests – See capital facilities and capital facilities elements in key word index of digests.
Capital Facility Planning Citations in Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) Cases – Compilation by Department of Commerce Staff

General Resources on Capital Facility Planning

Capital Facilities page, Washington State Department of Commerce, Growth Management Services – Includes capital facilities planning tool and listserv
Capital Improvement Plans and Budgets (), by Vicki Elmer, University of California at Berkeley Department of City and Regional Planning
Anatomy of a Priority Driven Budget Process (), by Shayne C. Kavanagh, Jon Johnson, and Chris Fabian, GFOA, 03/2011 (see page 12 regarding capital projects)
Capital Planning and Program Implementation Outline (), GFOA Committee on Economic Development and Capital Planning, Subcommittee on Capital Planning, 2008
The Third Promise of the Growth Management Act, by Pat Dugan, Dugan Consulting Services, MRSC Planning Advisor, 04/2007 - Addresses capital facilities planning
The Capital Facilities Balancing Act, by Pat Dugan, MRSC Planning Advisor, 10/2007
Shaping Growth: Using Capital Facilities to Implement Comprehensive Plans, by Pat Dugan, MRSC Planning Advisor, 04/2008
Developing a Capital Improvements Program, A Manual for Massachusetts Communities (), prepared by the Municipal Data Management and Technical Assistance Bureau, Massachusetts Municipal Association, 03/1997
Level of Service Standards - Measures for Maintaining the Quality of Community Life (), MRSC Report No. 31, 1994
What are Capital Improvements? (), Colorado Department of Local Affairs

Capital Budget Policies

The following are general capital budget and capital improvement program policies found in budget documents.

Tukwila Capital Improvement Program Policies (), 2011-2012 Biennial Budget
Auburn Budget Policies () – See "Capital Budget Policies"
Mercer Island Budget Policies, Capital Improvement Program (), 2007-2008 Budget
Normandy Park Capital Improvement Plan Policies (), 2011-2012 Budget – Includes Capital Facilities Element
Tacoma Financial and Budget Policies (), from 2011-2012 Biennial Budget - See "Capital Planning Policies"
Financial/Budget Policies - Related MRSC webpage, includes additional examples

Capital Facilities Plans

Some of these capital facilities elements and plans have been recommended as good examples in the past by Growth Management Services at the Washington State Department of Commerce. These are noted with *.

Tacoma Capital Facilities Program 2011-2016 ( 26 MB), 01/2011
Oak Harbor Capital Improvement Plan () 2010-2015, 12/01/2010
Liberty Lake Capital Facilities Plan Update (), 2010-2015
Olympia Comprehensive Plan, Volume Three, Capital Facilities Plan, 2011*
Thurston County Plan, Ch. 6, Capital Facilities Plan (), 12/2010*
Waterville Capital Facilities Element (), 2003*

Infrastructure-Related Information

The following address infrastructure funding and resources in Washington State and may be useful in developing capital facilities plans.

Infrastructure Funding Source Data Base, Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) – A resource for locating infrastructure funding or technical assistance in Washington State
Restructuring State Public Infrastructure Programs (), Analysis for the Washington Legislature, Washington State Office of Financial Management, 12/2008 and Report Appendices ()
Study Committee on Public Infrastructure Programs and Funding Structures, Final Report (), Washington State Legislature, 01/01/2008
Inventory and Evaluation of the State's Public Infrastructure Programs and Funds (), Berk and Associates, Washington State Office of Financial Management, 12/2005 – Inventory and policy-oriented evaluation of the State's infrastructure programs and funding sources (excluding transportation and information technology programs and funds). Also see Berk Report Attachments A-D () and Berk Report Attachments E-I ().