Kitsap’s population grew 8.3% over the past ten years placing it 11^th from the bottom in population growth rates among Washington’s 39 counties.  Perhaps the lack of population pressure contributed to Kitsap County’s decision to consider prohibiting Fully Contained Communities, as authorized by the Washington Growth Management Act.  

In concept, a Fully Contained Community (FCC) is a development incorporating urban-style housing, businesses, and jobs in a defined rural area.  In some cases, these communities may be constructed adjacent to (and subsequently incorporated into) an existing town or City, such as Snoqualmie Ridge, Issaquah Highlands  ,and the most recent Yarrow Bay project approved in Black Diamond.

The idea is that the urban impacts of the development will be prevented from spilling into the rural surroundings.  In some cases, starting from scratch with new planning and urban infrastructure may be more cost-effective than trying to retrofit the same growth within existing infill neighborhoods:  it’s sometimes easier to draw a pretty picture on a clean slate.

However, in practice, it has been difficult for the State’s existing FCCs to achieve the perfect balance of housing, services, and jobs that enable residents of fully contained communities to avoid commuting through rural areas to other urban areas, thus creating rural impacts that FCCs were intended to minimize or avoid.  For these reasons, other counties, such as Snohomish County, have also considered outlawing this development type.

Statewide legislation to end FCC use in Western Washington failed in the 2010 legislative session.   In the meantime, it appears that at least Western Washington counties may take matters into their own hands to curtail the use of the development type.  This outcome could, then, have implications for use of the FCC option in other parts of the state.