SRTC’s existence is a direct result of Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA). Twenty-five years ago, there was a large volume of growth in our state. This created competition and conflict among local governments over issues of turf and resources due to a lack of state laws about the roles for counties, cities, and special utility districts. Local land use and capital project decision-making were often ad hoc, piecemeal, and reactionary. There was no consistency. This was the case with transportation as well. There were a lot of projects on the books but no clear vision as to how the transportation system should develop.
With the passage of the GMA, Regional Transportation Planning Organizations were required for areas with populations over 200,000 to ensure coordination and make sure that state funds were distributed fairly.
Twenty-five years after the passage of the Growth Management Act and how are we looking?
The Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington looks at the changes since then, and what’s coming.