The bill amends existing Washington state law to require certain counties to include freight rail dependent use overlays in their comprehensive transportation plans. Specifically, it allows counties that border both the Cascade Mountains and another country, with populations under fifty thousand, to adopt development regulations that facilitate the development of agricultural, forest, and mineral resource lands adjacent to short line railroads for freight rail dependent uses. This provision replaces previous language that limited such regulations to larger counties with specific geographic and demographic criteria.

Additionally, the bill modifies the transportation element requirements under RCW 36.70A.070, removing previous restrictions on counties west of the Cascade Mountains with populations over four hundred thousand. It clarifies that all counties and cities planning under RCW 36.70A.040 retain the authority to develop multimodal transportation improvements and strategies, ensuring that they can meet concurrency requirements without being hindered by the previous limitations. Overall, the bill aims to enhance the integration of freight rail dependent uses into local planning efforts while maintaining protections for critical resource lands.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 36.70A.060, 36.70A.108
Bill as passed Legislature: 36.70A.060, 36.70A.108
Session law: 36.70A.060, 36.70A.108