What is an urban growth area?
The Growth Management Act of 1990 (GMA) made counties primarily responsible for the designation of Urban Growth Areas (UGA). Most future growth, and all “urban” growth will be accommodated within these areas. Since cities are “urban” in nature, all cities are within urban growth areas. As cities grow and develop, they are expected to become the primary providers of urban public services and facilities. As they take on more of those responsibilities, counties will be better able to focus on the needs of rural and natural resource lands and the provision of “regional” facilities and services. Cities cannot annex rural areas, but they are expected to eventually annex the urban (UGA) areas adjacent to them. Snohomish County’s Urban Growth Areas include all cities. They also contain large areas of unincorporated territory that are needed for future urban growth or that have already been “urbanized” but not yet annexed to a city. The largest grouping of cities is in the southwest corner of t
