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Urban Holding 

Project Summary
Urban Holding (UH) is applied to lands as they are added to urban growth areas (UGAs). The Urban Holding designation assures that urban-scale development will not occur until urban services are available or the area is annexed by a city. The urban holding technique has been used by Clark County since the late 1980’s.

Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, Ridgefield, Washougal, Yacolt, and Woodland Urban Growth Areas

These areas may only undergo urban development following annexation, or with an Intergovernmental Agreement if there is an opportunity to locate a major employer and immediate annexation is not feasible.

Vancouver Urban Growth Area

The unincorporated portion of the Vancouver Urban Growth Area is divided into the following sub-areas:  East Vancouver, Orchards, and the Three Creeks Special Planning Area. Each of these areas has unique circumstances and conditions that need to be met in order to remove the Urban Holding Overlay. 

East Vancouver Area: The East Vancouver area includes the unincorporated lands between the city limits of Camas and Vancouver and the Fifth Plain Creek area, which is bordered by NE 192nd on the east, NE 99th to the north, NE 162nd on the west, and SR-500 to the south.  In most instances, these areas may only undergo urban development following annexation.

Orchards: Urban Holding was removed from properties south of NE 119th Street and at the northwest corner of SR-503 and NE 119th Street in 2006-07.  The remaining lands within the Vancouver UGA north of NE 119th Street on either side of SR-503 are zoned Light Industrial and Railroad Industrial with an Urban Holding overlay.  The inclusion of this area in the Vancouver UGA has been ruled invalid on appeal.

Three Creeks Special Planning Area:  There are four distinct urban holding subareas in the Three Creeks area: Mill Creek, West Fairgrounds, East Fairgrounds and Pleasant Highlands. The urban holding overlay designation on each of these areas may be removed upon the satisfaction of two requirements.  First is the execution of a covenant prior to preliminary development approval indicating that the owner or any subsequent owner of property shall support annexation to a city, including but not limited to Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Vancouver or a newly incorporated city, that provides urban services.

The second requirement for removing urban holding is that the Board of County Commissioners must make a determination that the construction of localized critical links and intersection improvements is reasonably funded either in the county’s 6-Year Transportation Improvement Program or through a development agreement.  County transportation staff has identified the critical links and intersection improvements.  Decisions regarding the Transportation Improvement Program project funding priorities are expected by the end of November 2009.

Project Contact:

Michael Mabrey, Clark County Community Planning
(360) 397-2280 ext. 4343
michael.mabrey@clark.wa.gov

 

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Clark County Community Planning: Oliver Orjiako, Director
Street Address: 1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver, WA 98660
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 9810, Vancouver, WA 98666-9810
Main phone: (360) 397-2280 ext. 4558 | FAX: (360) 759-6762
TTY: (360) 397-6057
E-mail: commplanning@clark.wa.gov

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