GROWTH MANANAGEMENT POLICY BOARD
The Growth Management Policy Board (GMPB) includes representatives of the PSRC’s member jurisdictions, regional business, labor, civic and environmental groups. The GMPB meets monthly to advise the Executive Board on key growth management issues. Some of these representatives include Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Bellwether Housing, and the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
PLAN REVIEW
The Puget Sound Regional Council works with countywide planning groups, local jurisdictions, transit agencies, and others to ensure that regional and local planning efforts are coordinated and adopted regional policies and provisions are addressed. The PSRC Policy and Plan Review Process is designed to further this coordination and to satisfy requirements in the Growth Management Act to certify countywide planning policies and the transportation-related provisions in local comprehensive plans.
A hallmark of planning in Washington State is its emphasis on coordinating issues that are inter-jurisdictional in nature. The Growth Management Act requires coordination and consistency among planning efforts where there are common borders or related regional issues (RCW 36.70A.100). The Act also requires countywide and multicounty planning policies to serve as frameworks for ensuring consistency among local comprehensive plans (RCW 36.70A.210). In addition, the Regional Transportation Planning Organization legislation, which was adopted with the Growth Management Act, mandates that regional agencies certify that the transportation elements in local comprehensive plans are consistent with regional transportation plans (RCW 47.80.023). To that end, the legislation requires regional organizations to establish guidelines and principles for the purpose of evaluating transportation related provisions in local comprehensive plans (RCW 47.80.026).
The process for reviewing planning policies and local and regional plans includes three types:
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review of local comprehensive plans, including the certification of their transportation elements
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review of countywide planning policies and multicounty policies, including certification of countywide policies for consistency with the regional transportation plan
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consistency review of transit agency plans.
Certification is a requirement for jurisdictions and agencies that intend to apply for PSRC funding.
NEXT STRATEGIC ENTRY POINT: Because the plan review process is requirement of the Growth Management Act, the primary strategic entry point is to provide input when VISION 2040 is updated because local plans are certified based on consistency with the multicounty planning policies. The scoping period for the next VISION 2040 update will occur late 2017.
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HEALTH AND EQUITY PARTNERS INPUT:
REGIONAL FOOD POLICY
The Regional Food Policy Council (RFPC) has been a working group of the PSRC since 2010, working towards a vibrant local and regional food system that supports healthy people, communities, economies and environment. The RFPC mission is to develop just and integrated policy and action recommendations that promote health, sustain and strengthen the local and regional food system, and to engage and partner with agriculture, business, communities and governments in the four-county region. The RFPC has specific goals addressing health and equity:
Equity: promote equity and access to affordable, nutritious food; strengthen local and regional food systems and increase community food security.
Health: improve public health through food access, nutrition and production; improve the health, safety, and welfare of workers and worker rights and reduce environmental health risks.
Several RFPC projects have focused on health and equity issues in the food system. In 2011-12, the RFPC convened the Equity subcommittee, which completed analysis on inclusion and process equity, along with a holistic review of equity issues in the food system. In 2012, the council also convened a Public Health and Food Policy Summit to discuss the linkages between food policy and public health and how to better align food and health to foster positive health outcomes. The RFPC developed the Food Policy Blueprints with recommendations to local governments on how to address the food system in policy and planning. Health and equity underpin this work. The council also reviewed the Planning for Whole Communities resource guides that specifically address health and equity (Healthy Food Retail & Urban Agriculture).
Members of the RFPC represent public health agencies, youth and community groups, anti-hunger organizations, and educational institutions, among other public and private organizations.
NEXT STRATEGIC ENTRY POINT:
Regional Food Policy Council meetings are open to the public and occur the second Friday of each month, from 10 a.m. - 12 noon. Non-members are welcome to attend and comment at meetings, and may contact staff with questions or potential agenda items.
HEALTH AND EQUITY PARTNERS INPUT:
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HOUSING INNOVATIONS PROGRAM
PSRC’s Housing Innovations Program (HIP) is a collection of planning resources for local governments in the central Puget Sound region. The program aims to provide local jurisdictions with information about housing and planning best practices successfully used across the nation to facilitate the production and preservation of affordable housing and compact development in their communities.
Housing Toolkit: Profiles of 49 regulatory tools, incentives and other local government strategies for fostering affordable housing production/preservation and innovative, compact development.
NEXT STRATEGIC ENTRY POINT:
The Housing Innovations Program is a completed tool; however there is ongoing opportunity to submit contributions and feedback.
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HEALTH AND EQUITY PARTNERS INPUT:
VISION 2040 PERFORMANCE TRENDS
The primary purpose of the VISION 2040 Performance Trends program is to provide PSRC’s boards, members, and staff with the basis for evaluating how well the region is meeting or working toward the key policy objectives set forth in VISION 2040 to support informed decision-making. PSRC staff has:
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defined a set of outcome statements that represent the highest-level policy priorities established in VISION 2040 and
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selected appropriate data measures to monitor the region’s progress toward achieving those policy objectives.
The Outcomes and Measures have been organized under the following topical “Modules” commensurate with key sections of VISION 2040: Regional Growth Strategy, Environment, Development Patterns, Housing, Economy, and Transportation. Several outcomes and measures overlap modules and the Transportation 2040 Performance Trends measures which is a reflection of the integrated, cross-over nature of the VISION 2040 policy framework.
In 2011, PSRC convened an ad hoc review committee of regional subject matter experts to vet and review the VISION Performance Trend measures. PSRC’s Regional Staff Committee also provided review in 2012. Currently, PSRC is collecting data for the measures and developing the project website. Data will be released on the website in phases, beginning in 2015. Health and equity are addressed in data measures concerning affordable housing, cost-burdened households, demographics, non-motorized transportation networks, mode share, urban form, open space, and environmental hazards.
NEXT STRATEGIC ENTRY POINT:
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The initial set of measures has been selected for the launch of the VISION 2040 Performance Trends program, with no formal schedule set for review. Interested parties and stakeholders are welcome to contact project managers for more information and review the selected measures. Given the iterative nature of the project, opportunities to provide input and suggest additional or alternative measures for future inclusion will exist as data is released. Contact Rebecca Maskin for more information: rmaskin@psrc.org, 206-464-5833
HEALTH AND EQUITY PARTNERS INPUT:
Additional Information:
VISION 2040 and Health
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