Frequently Asked Questions

What new legislation will impact the comprehensive plan update?

The following Washington State legislation has been introduced in recent years and is expected to influence the update process:

• SB 5593 - UGA amendments must include areas contiguous with development pressure. Capital Facilities and Transportation elements must address and identify where new facilities are needed.

• HB 1337 & SB 6617 - Cities must allow at least two ADUs per lot in zones that allow for single-family homes. Limits on impact fees, elimination of owner-occupancy, individual unit sale, and off-street parking.

• HB 2343 & HB 2673 - SEPA exemptions for infill housing and appeals made on planning actions that increase residential capacity.

• HB 1337 & HB 1923 - Affordable housing must be allowed at higher densities on land owned by religious institutions and cannot be subject to parking requirements

• HB 1181 - Cities must designate and distribute green spaces and urban/community forests, achieve environmental justice, reduce vehicle miles traveled, mitigate wildfire risk, and establish multimodal transportation level of service.

• HB 1220 - Updated Growth Management Housing goal to “plan for and accommodate housing affordable to all economic segments of the population”, provide for middle housing, and address racially disparate impacts.

• HB 1241 - Requires larger counties and cities to submit an implementation progress report on key outcomes, including housing affordability and availability, permit processing timelines, greenhouse gas emissions, and vehicle miles traveled, five years after the review and revision of their comprehensive plan.

• HB 1717 - Requires local governments to collaborate with federally recognized tribes during planning efforts. 

What data sources are informing the comprehensive plan update?

Below is a list of references consulted for the forthcoming existing conditions report, which will inform various comprehensive plan elements.

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Data Limitations: Household demographic data and employment data do not yet exist for 2022 or 2023. We can infer general trends based on the growth in Sultan over the past 2 years, but must rely on 2021 data for most analyses. Building permit data, however, is updated weekly by the City and County Assessor.

• U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census for 2000, 2010, and 2020

• American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 5-Year Data, 2017-2021

• Transportation Planning Products (CTTP) using ACS Census Data

• Snohomish County 2021 Countywide Planning Policies, July 31, 2023.

• Snohomish County Buildable Lands Report, Snohomish County Tomorrow, 2021

• LEHD Employment Statistics (LODES), U.S. Census Bureau

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development FY 2022 Income Limits Documentation System

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Point-in-Time Counts and Housing Inventory Counts

• Vision 2050 A Plan for the Central Puget Sound Region. Puget Sound Regional Council, October 2020

Why are there inconsistencies among population and housing unit estimates in U.S. Census data?

The U.S. Census Bureau administers both the American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. The ACS samples the population on an ongoing basis to make estimates about social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics. The Decennial Census provides an official population count and is conducted every 10 years. Additional information can be found in the ACS Basics Handbook and the U.S. Census Bureau webpage. 

We use ACS data, rather than Census data, for housing and demographic analysis. Oftentimes there is a different population number with ACS data compared to Census data, and it doesn't make sense to mix data sets. Population totals and housing unit counts also differ depending on topic and data source (ACS, Census, Washington Office of Financial Management). 

What’s the purpose of comparing city-level data for Sultan with county- or state-level data? 

Any instances of showing county or state data alongside city data is simply for the purposes of comparison. For example, it is helpful to see how different racial/ethnic populations have increased/decreased in Sultan versus how the same group has changed over time in Snohomish County or Washington State as a whole.

It’s also important to note that growth projections and targets are established at the county level, so Sultan will frequently be compared to or expressed as a proportion of Snohomish County throughout the project. 

Can the City decouple itself from State affordable housing mandates?

Cities cannot opt out of the housing requirements under HB 1220 and other State law. The City of Sultan has been an active participant in the process to establish its affordable housing allocation with Snohomish County and the resulting distribution reflects both countywide and local deficits in housing. 

Failure to sufficiently plan for and accommodate its affordable housing allocation will result in a non-compliance order and will disqualify the City from receiving State funding.

What do middle housing and workforce housing imply?

Middle housing includes townhomes, duplexes, cottage housing, small apartments, and other forms of small multi-family housing that can provide more affordable homeownership opportunities to Sultan's median- and low-income households. Small-lot single-family homes can also be suitable for certain households. Subsidized units in these structures or small apartment buildings may be among the strategies developed to expand workforce housing.

Exact policies and implementation strategies will be determined during subsequent phases and will reflect public feedback. 

Will the city prohibit fast food and big chain stores?

The city has no plans at this time to prohibit fast food chains or big box stores.

Exact policies and implementation strategies will be determined during subsequent phases and will reflect public feedback. 

Can we get some safe pedestrian sidewalks on Sultan Basin Road?

The Growth Management Act requires local governments to accept their share of the growth coming to the state/region to their jurisdiction. The Act requires land use, transportation, and capital facilities to be consistent. The GMA provided tools to cities and counties including Capital Facilities Planning and additional impact fee opportunities so that required growth can pay for some of the impacts upon the local government. 

The GMA also requires Cities to show how they will fund their infrastructure needs.  To do this local governments determine the Level of Service (LOS) for transportation and other improvements (such as parks). A high level of service may mean an increase in spending is required, conversely a lower LOS could mean lower levels of funding.  If funding or city revenue sources is not forth coming a city are to reduce expectation by reducing the LOS. 

How are/will the residents in the west commercial node (around Red Apple) be effective by the current planning and or future development?

​The comprehensive plan and zoning maps are the blueprint for future growth.  If landowners develop according to the commercial opportunities they are zoned for it would have impacts to Highway 2.  If additional housing units are constructed there could be additional cars, pedestrian traffic, and onsite parking issues. 

Who owns the property north of Kiss the Sky Books? What will become of it?

This is City owned property that was a part of the 2022 Downtown Planning Project with the University of Washington and consultants.  The preference through that project was to use this as a park.  The concept included the demolition of the existing residence and the building of an outdoor venue for arts and entertainment. 

Are there plans to utilize the property around the skate park?

The open spaces in the vicinity of the farmers market are used as event gathering spaces for Shindig/three on three/National Night Out/and other larger events that draw the community to the downtown area.  Buildings near the skate park are not owned by the city and are in private hands.  These buildings are in a flood zone so they must be maintained consistent with the National Flood Insurance Rating System if they are improved.  This may require additional flood proofing in the future as owners maintain their private property. 

How can the businesses fronting Highway 2 neaten up their entrances and provide better parking structure for travelers? 

The organizing issue will be determining what the cross section of Highway 2 will look like. For instance, Highway 2 may have four lanes with a bike lane and/or walkway on one side or the other. Parking strategies can be developed once the pass-through travel way is determined along with the roundabouts. Additional parking may require a consolidated park-once lot for those shoppers willing to go out on a walk to a store or business. Alternatively, parking on each site is provided by each private owner. Things like wayfinding signs for public parking can help the area function better as it grows. 

What businesses are going to be affected by the roundabouts?

The roundabouts are designed to allow the flow of traffic in Sultan.  The forthcoming roundabout at US – 2 and Main Street will impact Bubbas, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Vick's Burger Shack, and Highway 2 Antiques. It's also possible adjacent coffee shops will be impacted. 

Will the city purchase open space within the city?

This is yet to be determined.  Some of the key planning issues to come include: (1) determining a vision, (2) determining a preferred growth scenario; (3) constructing elements of the plan to support the vision and the growth scenario: (4) Creating development regulations or funding opportunities to carry out the concepts in the plan.