The Land Use Study Commission has conducted an extensive public process over the past three years to evaluate how a consolidated land use code could be implemented in Washington State. During this period, many diverse viewpoints have been expressed about Washington's current land use and environmental laws. The current system relies on a number of independently adopted laws, including the Growth Management Act, the Shoreline Management Act, and the State Environmental Policy Act. A number of efforts have been undertaken over the last few years to integrate these statutes, both at the state level and at the local level. Some progress towards this goal has been made.

The system is not entirely broken, nor is it perfect. There is a consensus that there is room for improvement in Washington's land use and environmental regulatory system. A consolidated land use code has the potential for many positive benefits; however, at this time, the consensus necessary for its adoption is not present.

This does not mean that the journey must end. This final report is an important milestone toward reaching the goal of a consolidated land use code. The report provides detailed guidance on the issues that need to be addressed, and a thorough discussion of options and policy issues that need to be resolved. These policy issues are the domain of the Executive and Legislative branches of government. If the state decides to proceed further with such a code, there are significant prerequisites to achieve the necessary consensus.

First, there must be a commitment from the Legislative and Executive branches that a consolidated land use code is worth the considerable effort it will take to implement such sweeping changes. Specific direction on some of the key policy issues that are identified in this report would aid the development of the code.

Second, a successor entity would be required to actually develop the statutory version of a consolidated land use code. Consideration should be given to the type of successor entity. It would need the funding, technical expertise, legislative drafting skills, and dedicated personnel to undertake such a task. A volunteer commission is limited in its ability to undertake actual statutory drafting of such sweeping changes. The possibilities for a successor entity include the Executive branch, a committee of the Legislature, or an existing agency. Whatever successor entity may be chosen, it is clear that the drafting of a consolidated land use code will be an enormous task requiring further public outreach and consensus building.

The State of Washington is facing many challenges, including threatened salmon runs, continued population growth, rising housing costs, buildable lands supply issues, transportation concurrency, and infrastructure financing. These issues will continue to put strains on our existing land use system. We can continue to try to meet these challenges under our current system. However, by implementing the ideas presented in this report we have the opportunity to meet these challenges in a better, integrated way with improved clarity. To achieve these goals, strong political leadership must emerge to lead the way.