Pierce County Regional Council

Overview

The Pierce County Regional Council (PCRC) was created to ensure planning between Pierce County and its cities and towns was accomplished in a coordinated, consistent manner. The Council is comprised of elected officials from Pierce County, each of its 23 cities and towns, and the Port of Tacoma. The primary responsibility of the PCRC is to ensure that the Growth Management Act requirements are coordinated within the County and the region.

The Countywide coordination is accomplished through the implementation of the Pierce County Countywide Planning Policies. This document includes policy statements on:

Affordable housing

Agricultural lands

Economic development and employment

Education

Fiscal impact

Historic

Archaeological and cultural preservation

Natural resources

Open space and protection of environmentally sensitive lands

Siting of public capital facilities of a countywide or statewide nature

Transportation facilities and strategies

Urban growth areas

Amendments and transition

Representation

The regional coordination is accomplished by this group acting as a sub-regional council to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC). The PSRC represents the four-county region of Pierce, King, Snohomish, and Kitsap Counties. Members from the PCRC are represented on the different boards and commissions of this regional body. These boards include the Growth Management Policy Board, the Transportation Policy Board, the Economic Development Policy Board, and the Executive Board.

Work Program

The PCRC adopts a work program at its annual General Assembly meeting. The work program provides guidance for issues the group will be pursuing in its efforts to coordinate down to the municipal level and up to the regional level. To assist in these efforts, the PCRC is supported by two technical subcommittees: the Growth Management Coordinating Committee (GMCC), which is made up of planning officials from each of the cities and towns in Pierce County, and the Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC), which is made up of transportation officials.