Rep. Kristine Reeves (D-Federal Way) has introduced an updated version of her military land use compatibility bill (HB 2341). The proposal intends to recognize the critical role that the state’s military institutions play in our state’s economy, and to ensure that our planning frameworks properly protect those military installations from incompatible uses.
AWC expressed concerns with last year’s bill because it abdicated significant local land use control. Rep. Reeves has been receptive to our concerns and is attempting to address them in the current proposal. We would like feedback from communities who are potentially affected by this bill as to whether it can work for you.
Summary of the bill:
- Requirements would apply to federal military installations, other than reserve centers or recruiting centers that are operated by the United States armed services within or adjacent to a jurisdiction’s borders.
- The primary element of the bill that cities may be concerned about deals with a new requirement whereby jointly-developed plans or studies that identify potentially incompatible uses and needed mitigation or avoidance efforts take on new significance. Cities would be required to adopt comprehensive plan and development regulation updates that are consistent with those findings. In previous years we have heard that some cities believe that this could create a disincentive to join multi-jurisdictional processes such as these.
- The bill requires periodic solicitation of feedback from military base commanders regarding the types and locations of development activities that the commander deems potentially incompatible with the base.
- It slightly changes the trigger for notification of a base commander of potential comprehensive plan or development regulation changes that could affect the base.
- The bill creates a new competitive grant program to fund projects to reduce incompatibility.
- It authorizes a Regional Transportation Planning Organization to designate a military institution a regional growth center.
The bill will be the topic of a public hearing on Monday January 8 at 1:30 pm. Any feedback you can provide to Carl Schroeder would be helpful.