 |
|
 |
The Frederickson Community Plan contains policies and implementing actions for five subject areas or elements: Land Use Element, Community Character and Design Element, Natural Environment Element, Economic Element, and the Facilities and Services Element. The Frederickson Community Plan is available for viewing online in .pdf format. In order to view the .pdf files you must have Adobe Acrobat ® Reader installed on your computer. You can now download the Adobe Acrobat ® Reader software at no cost from this website.
Land Use Element
The Land Use Element addresses the location and intensity of land uses within the communities. A complete description of land use designations and their implementing zone classifications can be found in this element of the plan.
Community Character and Design Element
The Community Character and Design Element addresses community character, heritage, and social interaction. This element also contains policies that will guide the design of both commercial and residential development.
Natural Environment Element
The Natural Environment Element includes consideration of the natural resources found in the area. Policies contained in this element define existing resources and guide future development with consideration of on-site environmental constraints.
Economic Element
The Economic Element analyzes the economy of the area and considers a myriad of opportunities to diversify the economic base. The element also provides guidance on ways the community can maintain a viable economic environment.
Facilities and Services Element
The Facilities and Services Element addresses infrastructures and services needed to support the proposed land use growth and development. Infrastructure includes capital facilities such as roads, trails, sewage disposal, parks, and utility lines. The policies within the community plan identify the capital improvements that are necessary to support the plan (sewers, water, sidewalks, etc.) and discuss potential partnerships and sources for funding opportunities.
|
VISION STATEMENT
The community realizes that continued growth within Frederickson and the surrounding communities is inevitable. The challenge to the community is not to stop growth, but to control and plan for growth to occur in a manner which will have beneficial impacts on the community. This plan is premised on the idea that through proper management of growth, the community can avoid, minimize, or mitigate many existing and future problems. Responsible growth is the central concept of this plan. The community envisions that as it grows in the future:
- Natural resources, natural environment and ecosystems, and natural processes will be respected, protected, maintained, and where degraded, be restored;
- Adequate public infrastructure and services including, but not limited to, roads, water, sewer, recreation, and schools will be available prior to or concurrent with actual need;
- Neighborhoods will be more livable with new developments being designed in a manner which supports interaction of residents and pedestrian mobility, and existing neighborhoods protected from incompatible or more intense uses;
- Non-motorized transportation facilities including sidewalks, pathways, and trails will be planned and systematically developed within the community so that in the future residents can travel to schools, parks, commercial areas, and other destinations safely without relying upon the automobile;
- Commercial and industrial development will be well designed and will respect the character of residential areas, and new residential developments will be designed and located in a manner that does not unduly restrict the use of adjacent industrially and commercially designated properties; and,
- A diverse, healthy, and sustainable economic center for the community and Pierce County will be developed.
The ideals set forth above are of paramount importance to the community. The community is also sensitive to the rights of the landowner. The impact of the community plan on these rights must be carefully considered to ensure landowners will not be deprived of the reasonable use of their land.
Achievement of the goals of the plan will help ensure that a high quality living environment exists in the community. To strive for anything less would deprive current and future generations of the abundant benefits associated with a healthy natural environment, quality schools, roads, and parks, livable neighborhoods, sustainable commercial and industrial development, and a healthy local economy.
|
LAND USE ELEMENT
One of the most significant issues addressed within the community plan process is land use. How land is utilized within a community directly affects the community's character and the quality of life perceived by its residents. The utilization of land also directly influences many other planning considerations, including but not limited to transportation system planning, provision of water and sewer infrastructure, and protection of the natural environment. In regard to land use, members of the Frederickson Community Planning Board have reviewed the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan in light of the existing conditions present in the plan area. This review has identified a series of modifications that should be made to the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan in order to assure that this plan accurately reflects the needs and desires of the community. These modifications include changes to the land use designations and zoning classifications within the plan area and the adoption of a series of new land use related policies.
GOAL
- Fostering a predominately residential community that balances environmentally sensitive areas, high traffic corridors, desired open space, and job creation while maintain a quality living environment is the principle goal. The predominate housing type within the community will be moderate density single-family housing. Limited areas of multi-family housing will be provided along major traffic corridors near commercially zoned lands. Low-density housing will be located along Clover Creek in order to minimize development impacts to this high value natural system. A community commercial center will develop at the intersection of 176th Street East and Canyon Road East. This center will help to provide a greater sense of identity to the community through quality site planning and building design. This center will be oriented to meet the daily needs of the growing workforce employed within the Employment Center. Continued growth and development within the Frederickson Employment Center will be actively encouraged by ensuring that necessary infrastructure is available and by promoting an efficient and predictable regulatory environment.
|
COMMUNITY CHARACTER AND DESIGN ELEMENT
Community design deals with the physical elements that compose the character of our communities: the streets, parks, buildings, open space, and neighborhoods that determine the way our communities look and feel. It is a blending of land use planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and environmental protection. Community design looks at the way in which buildings, streets, public places, natural features, and other development relate to one another and the people who use them. Through community design, individual improvements, such as street construction, park development, land use regulation and new commercial, industrial, residential and civic development can be effectively coordinated with each other to promote a unified community image.
The way in which people experience their communities and interact with one another is determined, in large measure, by a community's design. Designs that emphasize community are those that invite human presence and allow for interaction of people. Where design is not a consideration, land use planning and regulation often fail to recognize the functional and visual links between developments. Poorly designed development tends to hinder the development of desired land uses.
While the regulation of appearance and design is often a basic component of urban regulatory systems, it is also one of controversy. Many people feel that such regulation is inherently subjective and hence inappropriate for government. However, design regulation is not only capable of making a substantial difference in the character of a community and its quality of life, but it also plays an important role in how the community perceives itself and how it is perceived by outside visitors.
The Community Character and Design Element is a new addition to the set of documents comprising the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan. The need for a community plan element articulating the desired appearance and character of individual communities is inferred through policies in the 1994 Pierce County Comprehensive Plan and is stressed through public input gathered through the Frederickson and other community planning efforts.
The Community Character and Design Element is an integral part of the entire growth management planning process for Frederickson. Design directly affects land use patterns, transportation planning and community and neighborhood livability, and overall quality of life. The design policies are intended to establish and reinforce a visual character for Frederickson.
The Community Character and Design Element is affected by the Land Use Element which develops policy direction for urban form and, in turn, affects the Land Use Element by providing guidelines for how the urban form can be achieved and critical areas can be integrated into future projects. The design direction found in the Community Character and Design Element is also closely linked with and provides support for policy direction in the Economic Development, Natural Environment, and Facilities and Services elements of the community plan.
The citizens of Frederickson want to better define the community and help to ensure that it remains a desirable place to live as it continues to grow in the future. The community plan enacts measures to ensure future development will contribute to visual and functional amenities. The goals of the community plan are accomplished through policies, regulations, and design standards. However, adoption of the community plan will not result in immediate change. Significant and lasting change will occur over time through the realization of the implementing actions and citizen support.
GOAL
- Promote community cohesion and a high quality visual environment by establishing requirements related to architectural, site, and landscape design.
|
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ELEMENT
The Natural Environment element addresses the protection and conservation of the natural resources in the Frederickson community such as water, air, vegetation, fish, and wildlife. The residents of the Frederickson community are concerned about the loss and continual degradation of natural resources that have occurred over the past couple of decades.
Of great importance to the community is the long-term protection of Clover Creek. This creek is one of the most significant natural features in the community and provides essential habitat to a variety of fish and wildlife species, including salmon. Clover Creek is also one of the largest stream systems in urban Pierce County and is designated as a Shoreline of the State. In addition to its high environmental value, the creek also provides a link to the community's past as it was essential to the early settlement of the Frederickson area. Much of Frederickson's early identity was drawn from the creek and the creek continues to be a community symbol today. Continued urban development in the community poses a significant threat to the health of the creek. Ensuring Clover Creek is adequately protected as the community grows is a key component of the community plan.
Another area of concern to the community is the preservation of tree cover. The trees and vegetation of the Pacific Northwest offer valuable habitat to wildlife while providing the human environment with visual relief, shade, noise barriers, and an opportunity for integration of the earth's natural resources. In surveys, open houses, and public meetings, the citizens of Frederickson have repeatedly expressed concern about the continuing loss of tree cover within the community. It is estimated that more than 50% of the tree cover in the community has been lost over the past 30 years as a result of land clearing and development activities. During this same time period, heavily forested areas in the community (areas with more than 70% tree canopy cover) have been decreased by more than 75%, while areas having little or no canopy cover have increased by more than 60%. Reducing future tree loss in the community is another key component of the Frederickson Community Plan.
Conservation of open space is also a high priority of the community. Open areas have been lost at a rapid pace as new development has occurred in the community. It is estimated that since 1980 alone, more than 2,000 acres of land within the community has been platted and developed with commercial and residential uses. The community plan identifies the remaining highest valued open space areas and encourages public and private acquisition of these areas for long-term preservation. Significant emphasis is given to conservation of open space along Clover Creek. In addition to acquisition, the community plan also seeks to maintain open space in other areas of the community through the use of developer dedication, transfer of development rights, and other methods.
Lastly, the community plan also recognizes and seeks to protect the quality of several other important environmental attributes including ground and surface water quality, air quality, and light and noise levels. Policies and implementing regulations set forth in the community plan contain variety of strategies addressing these areas.
The Frederickson community, like many suburban communities, assigns high value to the trees, streams, and other natural areas within its boundaries. These areas contribute to the quality of life experienced by the community's residents and are important aspects of the community's identity. Like many communities in Pierce County, residents of Frederickson have seen much degradation of the natural environment over the past 30 years as growth has occurred. This pattern of degradation is expected to continue and is inevitable as the population of the area continues to grow. The community realizes that action must be taken now in order to ensure that those elements of the natural environment most important to the community are preserved for present and future generations.
GOAL
Protecting the health of the natural environment and providing adequate parks and other public and private open space areas are of high importance and interest to the community. These features must be present to achieve the high quality living environment envisioned in the plan. At a minimum, the plan will strive to ensure:
- The area's natural resources, natural beauty, and livability will be maintained and preserved by ensuring that when development occurs, changes to vegetation, topography, and surface water runoff characteristics will be minimized;
- Surface and ground water quality will be protected by controlling the intensity and density of land uses within sensitive areas and by enforcing existing regulations aimed at protecting streams, wetlands, and aquifer recharge areas;
- Areas of critical importance to fish and wildlife will be adequately protected; and
- Tree cover will be maintained in the community through tree preservation, replacement, and restoration.
|
ECONOMIC ELEMENT
Frederickson is unique among communities in Pierce County in that such a large portion of the community is devoted to industrial use, with nearly 40% of the community being designated for this type of activity. The Economic Element of the community plan focuses largely upon this aspect of the community emphasizing the Frederickson Employment Center and its important role in the overall economy of Pierce County. The Frederickson Employment Center is the largest designated industrial area in unincorporated Pierce County and is an essential component of the County's goal of developing a jobs based economy. The community takes pride in their role in the regional economy and through the Community Plan seeks to promote the continued viability of the Employment Center.
Employment Center
The Frederickson Employment Center is envisioned as being a major source of future employment in Pierce County. In order to realize this vision and ensure that new uses have a beneficial impact on the community, care must be taken in the development of the Employment Center and surrounding properties. The siting, design, and approval of new uses must take into consideration employment density, aesthetics, impacts to surrounding properties, future transportation projects, and other factors. Industrial users will be more willing to locate in the Employment Center with future Canyon Road improvements, construction of the Cross-Base Highway, and extended freight rail services. Additionally, the public must be willing to support the infrastructure improvements necessary to make the Frederickson Employment Center an attractive place for industry to locate.
Commercial Core
A viable and well-designed commercial core is desired in the community in order to better define Frederickson as a place and to provide for the goods and service needs of the community in an efficient manner. Attractive, commercial areas create a positive image for the surrounding residential neighborhood and stimulate investment, which in turn provide economic growth for the area and its residents and an increased tax base for local government.
Business Assistance and Marketing
Local businesses struggle with a variety of issues such as marketing and promoting strategies, managing employees, capital for operations, upgrades, and expansions, and long-term business goals. This plan is intended to illustrate methods or strategies for helping local businesses within the communities plan area stay in business while still enhancing community values.
Public/Private Partnerships
The community desire of a balanced economic environment often requires commitment by both the public and private sectors. Public involvement can include providing the necessary infrastructure, facilities, services, and financial incentives that promote commercial and industrial development. Private investment can construct and maintain existing commercial and industrial uses in a way that enhances the area's viability. The community also desires to highlight creative methods of public and private interaction that serve to increase the potential for commercial and industrial development within the plan area.
Employment Opportunities
The economic prosperity of the local citizenry is an important goal of both the Growth Management Act and the local planning documents which are adopted to address economic development. This element should foster strategies which address the need to assure that unemployed, underemployed, and disadvantaged persons within the communities plan area have access to the local job market.
Education Resources
The community recognizes that economic prosperity of the local citizenry is directly linked to successful educational programs. This element should foster strategies which address the need to assure that school districts continue to work with the local citizenry to develop goals and strategies that result in higher test scores, higher graduation rates, work study programs, and higher placement into institutions of higher education.
GOAL
The following statements comprise the goal for economic development in the Frederickson community:
- Encourage economic investments which will result in a variety of family wage job opportunities and help to create a well balanced economic base;
- Economic activities are encouraged, but not to the detriment of either the natural environment or residential neighborhoods as identified in this plan. Minimum design requirements, including but not limited to, aesthetics, noise, and odor control, will be achieved;
- The type and scale of economic development proposed for specific locations in the community shall be compatible with nearby residential neighborhoods and other land uses. New uses will be designed and located in manner that minimizes impacts on surrounding properties and the community; and,
- Ensure that allowed uses adjacent to the Employment Center will be controlled so as to minimize compatibility problems in the future.
|
FACILITIES AND SERVICES ELEMENT
The Facilities and Services element of the Frederickson Community Plan provides policy direction to decision makers in Pierce County regarding the development regulations and financial investments associated with parks and trails, stormwater facilities, sewer utilities, public schools, and transportation projects.
Urban services include, but are not limited to transportation infrastructure (such as roads, sidewalks, street trees, street lighting), parks, sanitary sewage disposal, and stormwater and surface water management systems. Facilities are generally considered the physical structures in which a service is provided. One of the principal goals of the Growth Management Act (GMA) is for cities to provide compact urban growth areas (UGAs) that accommodate the majority of growth and development in a community so that the necessary urban facilities and services are provided and delivered efficiently and cost effectively. Urban level facilities and services are only permitted within UGAs. Certain public facilities and services must be provided at a specific level of service (LOS), concurrently with development. This requirement is intended to ensure that development will not occur without the necessary infrastructure. Developers and property owners are typically required to construct the necessary infrastructure or provide a fee to compensate for their fair share of facilities and services (as associated with a proposed building or development permit) that are necessary to maintain an established LOS (as defined by Pierce County). This LOS standard for public facilities is identified in the Capital Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan.
The urban growth area is intended to accommodate the majority of new growth and development in the community plan area. It is important therefore, that the majority of public expenditures for urban facilities and service should also be directed to UGA. Urban levels of service should be required as a component of all new development in the UGA. Pierce County should ensure that new development supports the costs associated with public facility and service expansions that are made necessary by each development project. The UGA should not exceed a size that can be serviced by the urban facilities and services that exist or can be provided within a 20-year planning horizon. Prior to expanding the UGA, it must be demonstrated that adequate public facilities and services can be provided for each public facility and service
Due to the high rate of growth in the Frederickson area, residents have experienced deficiencies in public facilities, services, and infrastructure. Ensuring that adequate schools, parks, roads, sewer and water systems are present in the community is a major goal of this plan. The Frederickson Community Planning Board has anticipated the expected growth and accounted for the current deficiencies when forming plan policy recommendations.
Goals
- The existing conditions of public facilities, services, and infrastructure within the community will be evaluated. Where deficiencies exist, such that the adopted level of service standards are not being achieved, measures will be taken to correct the deficiency or to prevent the deficiency from becoming more severe;
- The need for public facilities, services, and infrastructure will be anticipated and planned for in advance, where possible. Growth and development within the community will be managed to the extent feasible to ensure that these facilities, services, and infrastructure can be provided as efficiently as possible;
- The cost of providing additional public facilities, services, and infrastructure needed to serve development will be paid by the development; and,
- Annual monitoring of the condition of public facilities, services, and infrastructure in the community will be performed and corrective action will be taken as necessary.
|
|
|
|
