CENTERS OVERVIEW
Focusing growth into centers has been a key strategy in the central Puget Sound region since the 1990 version of Vision 2020. Center planning became more refined in the 1995 update of Vision 2020 wherein 21 Regional Growth Centers and 8 Regional Manufacturing Industrial Centers were included. In 2003, designated regional centers became the policy focus in the regional Transportation Improvement Program’s Policy Framework and part of the primary criteria in the Economic Development District’s Public Works Program. Based on the heightened importance of centers and a lack of consistent designation procedures across the region, the Growth Management Policy Board developed, and the Executive Board adopted, designation procedures.
Vision 2040 directs PSRC to provide a regional framework for designating and evaluating regional growth and manufacturing industrial centers. Designation procedures have been established that provide the Growth Management Policy Board and Executive Board with a tool to review and act on the designation of new proposed centers. Regional designation is made at the discretion of the Executive Board after considering the recommendation of the Growth Management Policy Board.
There are two types of Centers:
Regional Growth Centers are located in Metropolitan Cities or Core Cities and are characterized by compact, pedestrian oriented development with a mix of residences, jobs, retail, services, and entertainment. These centers are intended to provide proximity to a diverse collection of services, shopping, recreation, and jobs, as well as a variety of attractive and well-designed residences. Centers are to be focal points for new growth and are identified to receive a significant portion of the region’s population and employment growth. Regional centers are expected to achieve densities sufficient to support high-capacity transit through long-term growth and development over the 20-year comprehensive planning period and beyond.
Regional Manufacturing Industrial Centers are locations of more intensive industrial activity. These centers are characterized by large contiguous blocks served by the region’s major transportation infrastructure, including roads, rail, and port facilities. Vision 2040 discourages non-supportive land uses in regional manufacturing industrial centers, such as retail, non-related offices, or housing, in order to preserve the basic sector industries located in these centers. These centers are expected to accommodate a significant share of the region’s manufacturing industrial employment growth.
An area designated as a Center carries several requirements and objectives related to the type of designation. These include: establishing growth targets, adopting land use policies and regulations that are consistent with growth targets, implementing capital facilities and transportation plans that emphasize public investment in these areas, and evaluating how these areas are performing relative to adopted policies and strategies. Center designation is also used as a factor in determining transportation funding priorities within the region.
A map depicting PSRC Designated Centers is provided in Attachment A.
HOW IT APPLIES TO AUBURN
Currently, Auburn has one PSRC designated Center - downtown. Downtown falls into the category of a Regional Growth Center. Auburn does not have a Regional Manufacturing Industrial Center. Attachment B is taken from PSRC’s Vision 2040 document. It provides an overview of Auburn’s Regional Growth Center.
The City uses the Center designation in it’s applications to PSRC for Regional and Countywide federal grant funds in the Surface Transportation Program (STP) and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program. In order to submit a project for consideration it must fall into one of three categories: be located within a Designated Regional Growth Center, be located in a Manufacturing/Industrial Center, or be on a corridor Serving a Center(s). Each category has individual criteria that a project is evaluated against to determine the most effective projects meeting both PSRC’s Vision 2040 goals and the goals of the Federal funding programs. Having a designated center allows the City to be more competitive in this process.
PSRC CENTERS UPDATE EFFORT
PSRC is currently working through an effort to update the “Centers Framework” which outlines updated criteria for designation of the various different types of Centers and evaluating the performance of a Center. This effort is expected to conclude in 2018. |