Planning Commission Assist in Black Diamond

Seattle King County REALTORS® has been supportive of, and working with, the city of Black Diamond even before the Legislature passed the plethora of new local government housing mandates in 2023.

The City’s progress over the last several years has been impeded significantly by multiple unsuccessful NIMBY appeals. Even so, Mayor Carol Benson, Andrew Williamson, and members of the City Council have persevered in their efforts to comply with state law. The impact of the delays from multiple unmeritorious appeals has been compounded by significant turnover on the City Planning Commission. Although well-intentioned, a significant number of the newly-appointed Commissioners:

• Do not appear to have a working knowledge, or understanding, of the city’s efforts since 2021, the requirements of GMA, or the housing-related legislation that was passed in 2023.
• Expressed a desire to essentially throw-out significant portions of work that had been completed. Instead, they appeared to prefer to start over, or re-do, the work that has been underway for years, and which was required to be completed by the end of 2024, and June 30, 2025.
• Were openly encouraged by NIMBYs not to worry about failing to meet the deadlines in state law.
• Were frustrating city staff who had done some really good work over several years to help the City satisfy the new state mandates.

In response to a request that SKCR assist both the Planning Commission and city officials, REALTORS® worked to provide assistance in two ways, and included SKCR members who reside in Black Diamond and have been actively involved in the process.

First. at the Planning Commission’s public hearing (on proposals to satisfy the state-mandated updates that were overdue), SKCR’s testimony emphasized the long-standing deadline in GMA for cities to complete the major periodic update of the comprehensive plan, the Legislature’s new 2023 mandates, the clarity of the state deadlines, the city’s continuing failure to comply with state law, and the clear requirement that the city do so by June 30, 2025.

Based on the city’s continuing failure to comply with state law, we then worked behind the scenes to help identify options available to the Mayor, including pulling the matter (comprehensive plan and development regulation updates) out of the Planning Commission, and forwarding all the Planning Commission’s work product to the City Council for expeditious final action. That’s what Mayor Benson chose to do.

The Planning Commission only serves in an advisory capacity, without authority to make a final decision. Its failure to complete its work in a timely manner need not constrain the City Council’s responsibility to comply with state law.