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• Initiation of Amendment Request At its October 13, 2015 meeting, the Board heard from representatives of an agricultural business, a camp/retreat facility, and a church. All three representatives expressed a need or strong desire to change existing policy to allow connection of their projects to a county water line (for potable water and fire protection) and to a sewer line. All three projects are located close together on 12`h Street west of 580' Avenue, in an area that is more than 500 feet from the Urban Service Area. Although the agricultural business can already connect under current policy, that representative supports a policy change that will allow thei neighboring church and camp/retreat facility to connect so that all three projects can jointly fund and benefit from common improvements to extend water and sewer lines along 12`x' Street for the three projects. Because the camp/retreat facility and the church are located outside of the Urban Service Area (USA) and are more than 500 feet from existing water and sewer lines, they cannot connect their projects to county water and or sewer under current Potable Water Sub -element Policy 5.7 and Sanitary Sewer Sub -element Policy 5.8. During the October 13, 2015 meeting, Planning and Utility Services staff explained the purpose of the USA and the USA-related*connection policies. After hearing from the representatives and staff, Board members discussed the merits of allowing projects such as the approved and existing 12d' Street projects which lie outside the USA and have "bad water" and/or fire protection needs to connect to water and/or sewer lines at their own expense. In the end, the Board directed staff to amend connection policies to allow projects such as the camp/retreat and church, which lie outside the USA, to connect to public water and sewer service (see attachment #I). In response to that direction, staff initiated the formal amendment process and drafted proposed changes to water and sewer connection policies that will allow the projects to connect subject to certain'.conditions. • ' Current Urban Service Area Policies As structured, the county's Urban Service Area policies, which include water and sewer connection policies, address both growth management and utility system expansion issues. From a growth management perspective, the Urban Service Area establishes the urban and rural areas of the County based on where urban services are provided. From a utility system expansion perspective, the urban service area guides utility system design by establishing a set service area where transmission mains, pump stations, storage tanks, and other system components will be constructed and maintained. USA Growth Management t t Because the Urban Service Area establishes the basis for setting land use designations, it is a determining factor of where higher densities are allowed. That relationship between the USA and higher density development is appropriate because higher density development requires urban services, particularly centralized water and sewer service. Consequently, areas without water and sewer service are not appropriate for urban type development, while those areas with water and sewer service may be appropriate for higher densities. To ensure that water and sewer service is not generally expanded outside of the USA, thereby creating a de facto USA expansion, staff consistently applies the Comprehensive Plan's Urban Service Area 4 143