Skip to main content
Loading…

Appendix I – Centers

This appendix is included in your selections.

Centers are a key feature of VISION 2050 and the Regional Growth Strategy. Centers are mixed use and industrial locations that attract robust employment and population growth. The Regional Centers Framework sets up a hierarchy of centers, starting at the regional level and moving though the countywide level to local centers.

Regional Context VISION 2050 includes narrative and Multicounty Planning Policies that describe the role of centers in the Regional Growth Strategy and provide guidance for the implementation of the centers framework locally. VISION 2050 states:

Mixed-use centers of different sizes and scales—including large designated regional growth centers, countywide centers, local downtowns, and other local centers—are envisioned for all of the region’s cities. Concentrating growth in mixed-use centers of different scales allows cities and other urban service providers to maximize the use of existing infrastructure, make more efficient and less costly investments in new infrastructure, and minimize the environmental impacts of urban growth.30

Additional policies provide guidance for implementing the regional centers framework throughout the region including providing guidance on subregional funding allocation, countywide center designation, and guiding development and growth. The following policies and actions provide an overview of this guidance:

MPP-RC-8: Direct subregional funding, especially county-level and local funds, to countywide centers, high-capacity transit areas with a station area plan, and other local centers. County-level and local funding are also appropriate to prioritize to regional centers.

MPP-DP-25: Support the development of centers within all jurisdictions, including high-capacity transit station areas and countywide and local centers.

DP-Action-1: Implement the Regional Centers Framework: PSRC will study and evaluate existing regional growth centers and manufacturing/industrial centers to assess their designation, distribution, interrelationships, characteristics, transportation efficiency, performance, and social equity. PSRC, together with its member jurisdictions and countywide planning bodies, will work to establish a common network of countywide centers.

Regional Centers Regional Centers are identified by PSRC at the regional level. The Regional Centers Framework outlines the process for identifying new regional centers and provides detailed criteria for the designation of such areas. There are three Regional Growth Centers and two Regional Manufacturing/Industrial Centers within Snohomish County:

Regional Growth Centers

Bothell Canyon Park RGC

Everett RGC

Lynnwood RGC

Regional Manufacturing/Industrial Centers

Cascade MIC

Paine Field/Boeing Everett MIC

Snohomish County Tomorrow has identified the following process for designation of a new Regional Center within Snohomish County:

1. A local jurisdiction nominates a center;

2. A working group of Snohomish County Tomorrow (SCT) reviews the proposal for conformity with the criteria in the Regional Centers Framework;

3. If the prospective center is found to be appropriate, the SCT Steering Committee recommends the center for designation; and

4. The County Council holds a public hearing and makes the decision whether or not to seek designation of the prospective center and forward the proposal to the Puget Sound Regional Council for consideration.

Countywide Centers Countywide centers are the middle level of center under the centers hierarchy. There are two types of countywide center, growth centers and industrial centers. VISION 2050 requires countywide planning policies to include criteria and processes for the identification of countywide centers. The Regional Framework provides baseline designation criteria and descriptions of the two types of countywide center. However, “depending on county circumstance and priorities, countywide planning policies may include additional criteria (such as planning requirements or mix of uses) or other additional standards within this overall framework.”31

Countywide Growth Centers are areas that “serve important roles as places for concentrating jobs, housing, shopping, and recreational opportunities. These are often smaller downtowns, high-capacity transit station areas, or neighborhood centers that are linked by transit, provide a mix of housing and services, and serve as focal points for local and county investment.”32 Countywide Industrial Centers are areas that “serve as important local industrial areas. These areas support living wage jobs and serve a key role in the county’s manufacturing/industrial economy.”33

Countywide Center Criteria The following criteria must be met for designation of a Countywide Growth Center:

Countywide Growth Center

Identification

• Shall be identified as a Countywide Growth Center in the Snohomish County Countywide Planning Policies.

• Shall be identified as a Countywide Growth Center in the local comprehensive plan.

Prioritization

• It is recommended that the locality has developed a subarea plan for the center; and

• Clear evidence that the area is a priority for investment, such as planning efforts or infrastructure.

Existing Conditions

At the time of identification, the center shall have:

• An existing activity unit (AU) density of 10 AU/acre;

• An existing planning and zoning designation for a mix of uses of 20% residential and 20% employment;

• An existing capacity and planning for additional growth; and

• Goals and policies that encourage mixed use development and increased densities in the local comprehensive or subarea plan.

Other Requirements

The center is served by a Community Transit Core Transit Emphasis Corridor or High-Capacity Transit (HCT). The center shall encompass areas that fall within the following radii:

• ¼ mile from a planned or existing Community Transit Core Transit Emphasis Corridor or local transit service that is equivalent in level of service;

• ¼ mile from an existing or planned bus rapid transit stop; or

• ½ mile of an existing or planned light rail station or commuter rail station.

The center has a compact, walkable, shape and size:

• Size of ¼ square mile (160 acres), up to ½ mile transit walkshed (500 acres).

• It is recommended that centers are nodal with a generally round or square shape.

• Centers should generally avoid linear or gerrymandered shapes that are not walkable or connected by transit.

• The local comprehensive or subarea plan shall have goals and policies for the center that support the development of infrastructure and/or street patterns that encourage nonmotorized forms of transportation, such as walking and bicycling.

The following criteria must be met for the designation of a Countywide Industrial Center:

Countywide Industrial Centers

Identification

• Shall be identified as a Countywide Industrial Center in the Snohomish County Countywide Planning Policies.

• Shall be identified as a Countywide Industrial Center in the local comprehensive plan.

Prioritization

• It is recommended that the locality has developed a subarea plan for the center; and

• Clear evidence that the area is a priority for investment, such as planning efforts or infrastructure.

Existing Conditions

At the time of identification, the center shall have:

• A minimum 1,000 existing jobs;

• A minimum of 500 acres of industrial zoning;

• At least 75% of the center zoned for core industrial uses; and

• Existing capacity and planning for additional employment growth.

Other Requirements

The center shall:

• Through local or countywide planning have industrial retention strategies in place; and

• Play an important county role and concentration of industrial land or jobs with evidence of long-term demand.

Identification Process Initial identification of Countywide Centers shall occur through the process outlined below:

1. Candidate Countywide Centers are identified in the 2021 update of the Countywide Planning Policies for Snohomish County (below).

2. Jurisdictions determine whether or not to pursue formal identification of Candidate Countywide Centers within their jurisdictional boundaries.

3. Localities choosing to pursue formal identification complete local planning for each Candidate Countywide Center as a part of the 2024 GMA Comprehensive Plan Update. Local planning shall:

a. Formalize boundaries;

b. Identify Center location as a Countywide Center in the local comprehensive plan;

c. Adopt policies required by the Countywide Center criteria; and

d. If applicable, complete subarea planning.

4. Countywide Planning Policies are amended to finalize designation of Countywide Growth and Industrial centers that meet the criteria in this Appendix.

After initial countywide center designation, new countywide centers can be designated through the following process:

1. Prospective center is nominated by a local jurisdiction;

2. A working group of Snohomish County Tomorrow reviews the prospective center for consistency with the Countywide Center Criteria;

3. If the center proposal is found to be appropriate, the SCT Steering Committee recommends the countywide center for designation; and

4. The County Council holds a public hearing and makes the decision whether or not to designate the prospective center as a Countywide Center.

Candidate Countywide Centers The following candidate centers were identified during the 2021 Countywide Planning Policies update. As outlined in the identification process above, these locations will not formally be designated as countywide centers until local planning has occurred, candidate centers have been evaluated to ensure they meet the criteria, and the CPPs have been amended to designate the locations. Jurisdictions will need to complete local planning for each area to ensure it is an appropriate location for a countywide center in accordance with local plans and complete all necessary planning to ensure the area meets the countywide center criteria identified above.

Candidate County Growth Centers:

196th Street Mixed Use Node – Lynnwood

Airport Road and Highway 99 Provisional Light Rail Station – Everett and Snohomish County

Ash Way Light Rail Station Area– Snohomish County

Edmonds Downtown – Edmonds

Everett Mall – Everett

Evergreen Way and SR 526 – Everett

Lakewood – Marysville

Mariner Light Rail Station Area – Snohomish County

Marshall/Kruse Area – Marysville

Marysville Downtown – Marysville

Medical/Highway 99 Activity Center – Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Mountlake Terrace

Mill Creek Town Center – Mill Creek

Mountlake Terrace Town Center/Light Rail Station Area – Mountlake Terrace

Mukilteo Old Town – Mukilteo

North Everett – Everett

Red Barn Village – Bothell

Smokey Point – Arlington

Thrasher’s Corner – Snohomish County

Candidate Countywide Industrial Centers

Harbour Reach – Mukilteo

Maltby – Snohomish County

Port of Everett/Navy Mill – Everett

Snohomish River Delta – Everett

Local Centers Local centers are designated through local planning processes by each local jurisdiction. There is no countywide or regional designation process for local centers, but according to the Regional Centers Framework, local centers should “play an important role in the region and help define our community character, provide local gathering places, serve as community hubs, and are often appropriate places for additional growth and focal points for services.”34 As local centers grow, they may become eligible for designation as a countywide or regional center if they meet the designation criteria identified in this document and the Regional Centers Framework.