Algona, Auburn, Beaux Arts, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bothell, Burien, Carnation, Covington, Clyde Hill, Des Moines, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, Medina, Mercer Island, Milton, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Tukwila, Unincorporated King County, Woodinville, Yarrow Point

Printed copies of the Benchmark are available for $40 ($45 w/ shipping and handling):
  King County Office of Regional Policy and Planning
  Room 402 of the King County Courthouse
  516 3rd Avenue
  Seattle, Washington 98104
  (206) 205-0700 or (206) 205-0708

Make checks payable to: King County Office of Finance.

Background
In 1990 the Washington State Legislature passed the Growth Management Act (GMA). For the first time in the State's history, all urban counties and their cities were required to develop and adopt comprehensive plans and regulations to implement the plans. To achieve an interjurisdictional coordinated countywide plan, GMA further required that King County and its 35 cities first develop framework policies, the King County Countywide Planning Policies, to guide the development of the jurisdictions' plans.

The Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) define the countywide vision for the county and cities' plans. The policies were developed by the Growth Management Planning Council, a group of 15 elected officials, representing all King County citizens, adopted by the Metropolitan King County Council and ratified by the cities in 1994.

Purpose
The Countywide Planning Policies are primarily goals that, if properly implemented, should improve the quality of life in King County during the next twenty years.

When the members of the Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) approved the policies, they expressed an interest in creating a system that would tell future decision makers whether or not the policies are achieving their intended outcomes. The 2001 Benchmark Report is the sixth annual document to monitor the CPPs.

The purpose of creating a benchmark system is to provide the GMPC, other policy makers and the public with a method for evaluating jurisdictions' progress in implementing the Countywide Planning Policies. The system for the Benchmark Report was established by stating the desired outcomes of the CPPs; selecting relevant Indicators for each outcome, and then identifying quantifiable levels of achievement, or targets, for some of the Indicators.

Why a Benchmark Report for the Countywide Planning Policies?
Generally, the Indicators that the Benchmark Committee has produced should be used as the GMPC originally intended: to enable future decision makers to determine whether or not the Countywide Planning Policies are being implemented in a way which achieves their intended outcomes.

The Benchmark System, which includes these Indicators, should also provide early warning if the policies are not having their desired effects. In that case, the system should provide sufficient information to enable policy-makers to determine whether different actions to implement the policies are needed, or whether minor or major revisions to the policies are required. More specifically, the Benchmark System should be used to help the jurisdictions of King County establish priorities, take joint actions, and direct resources to solve problems identified in the Countywide Planning Policies.

Data Sources in the Benchmark Report
The Benchmark Committee strives to provide the best data available for the Indicators to track the Countywide Planning Policies as adopted in 1994. In order to ensure data reliability, the Benchmark Committee will revise and, if necessary, correct data on an annual basis, when new and better sources become available.

Note: The 2001 Benchmark Report is presented in Adobe Acrobat Format. The Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or greater is required to read this document. For more information, look here.

Introductory Materials (141 KB Acrobat file) Mission Table of Contents The Benchmark System Highlights of the 2001 Benchmark Report (Executive Summary) A Profile of King County Geography, Demographics, Economics, and Jurisdictions

Economic Development (123 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #1 Real wages per worker #2 Personal and median household income: King County compared to      the United States #3 Percentage of population below the poverty level #4 New businesses created #5 New jobs created by employment sector #6 Employment in industries that export from the region #7 Educational background of adult population #8 High school graduation rate

Environment Pages 15 - 26 (138 KB Acrobat file) Pages 27 - 46 (156 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #9 Land cover changes in urban and rural areas over time Map: Development and Land Cover in the Tri-County Region     (800 KB Acrobat pdf. file) #10 Air quality #11 Energy consumption #12 Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per year #13 Surface water and groundwater quality Map: Tri-County Watersheds and Major Streams     (70 KB Acrobat pdf. file) #14 Water consumption #15 Change in groundwater levels #16 Change in wetland acreage and functions Map: Wetlands and other Land Cover in King County     (2,384 KB Acrobat pdf. file) Map: Wildlife Habitat Network     (2,164 KB Acrobat pdf. file) #17 Continuity of terrestrial and aquatic habitat networks #18 Change in number of salmon #19 Rate of increase in noise from vehicles, planes and yard equipment #20 Pounds of waste disposed and recycled per capita

Affordable Housing (162 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #21 Supply and demand for affordable housing #22 Percent of income paid for housing #23 Homelessness #24 Home purchase affordability gap for buyers #25 Home ownership rate Map: King County Home Ownership Rate     (808 KB Acrobat pdf. file) Map: Single Family Housing and Condominium Sales in King County in 2000 - By Sale Price     (738 KB Acrobat pdf. file) #26 Apartment vacancy rate #27 Trend of housing costs vs. income #28 Public dollars spent for low income housing #29 Housing affordable to low-income households Maps: Affordable Housing in King County: Rentals and Home Sales     (1,512 KB Acrobat pdf. file)

Land Use (116 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #30 New housing units in Urban Areas and Rural/Resource Areas, and in Urban Centers #31 Employment in Urban and Rural/Resource Areas, Urban and Manufacturing/Industrial Centers Map: Number of Employees by Census Tract     (587 KB Acrobat pdf. file) Map: Employment Density by Census Tract     (554 KB Acrobat pdf. file) #32 New housing units built through redevelopment #33 Ratio of land consumption to population growth #34 Ratio of achieved density to allowed density of residential development #35 Ratio of land capacity to 20-year job and household targets #36 Land with 6 years of infrastructure capacity #37 Acres of urban parks and open space #40 Number and average size of farms #38 Ratio of jobs to housing in Tri-County Area, and King County subregions #39 Acres in forest land and farm land

Transportation Summary (74 KB Acrobat file) Indicators: #41 Percent of residents who commute one way within 30 minutes #42 Transit trips per person #43 Percent of residents who use alternatives to the single occupant vehicle Map: Freight and Goods Transportation Systems Map: 1999     (1,118 KB Acrobat pdf. file) #44 Ability of goods and services to move efficiently and cost effectively through the region #45 Number of lane miles of city, county and state roads in need of repair and preservation

Appendix (1,190 KB .pdf file) Acknowledgments List of Outcomes and Indicators

Updated: Nov. 21, 2002