The City of Auburn has the regulatory authority over how development occurs within the community, including the ability to plan for, abate, mitigate, and otherwise respond to land use concerns. The primary tool is through the City’s zoning and land use regulations. The City also has the role of defining the current, short term, and long-term vision for growth and development within the City and this is completed through the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan.
During Auburn’s 2020 annual amendment cycle staff proposed and prepared text amendments for the Comprehensive Plan. These amendments were reviewed by the Planning Commission and subsequently reviewed and approved by the City Council on December 2, 2020 under Ordinance No. 6803. The goal of the text amendments was to reinforce in the policy language the importance of the airport and recognize the significant investment that has been made, not only by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), but also by the City.
As a follow up to Ordinance No. 6803, staff has prepared, and the Planning Commission is recommending, updates to the airport-related zoning code regulations. The majority of airport-related zoning code regulations are contained in Chapter 18.38, the “LF Airport Landing Field District” of the Auburn City Code (ACC). The purpose of the zoning code, or land use regulations, is to implement the policies of the Comprehensive Plan and its appendices to ensure consistency.
The initial regulations for the LF Airport Landing Field District Chapter date back to 1964 (under Chapter 18.40 ACC, Ordinance No. 1702), five years prior to the construction of the Auburn Municipal Airport, also known as Dick Scobee Field. The most recent update to the LF District regulations (now Chapter 18.38 ACC) occurred in 1997 (under Ordinance No. 5026). So, while staff strengthened the protection of the airport and its operations in the policy statements of Comprehensive Plan during the 2020 annual amendment cycle, this policy guidance must be implemented by corresponding regulations in the zoning code. |