18700 Byers Rd SE, Maple Valley, WA 98038

Rural Area Zone

The purpose of the rural zone (RA) is to provide for an area-wide long-term rural character and to minimize land use conflicts with nearby agricultural or forest production districts or mineral extraction sites. These purposes are accomplished by: Limiting residential densities and permitted uses to those that are compatible with rural character and nearby resource production districts and sites and are able to be adequately supported by rural service levels; Allowing small scale farming and forestry activities and tourism and recreation uses that can be supported by rural service levels and that are compatible with rural character; Increasing required setbacks to minimize conflicts with adjacent agriculture, forest or mineral zones; and Requiring tracts created through cluster development to be designated as permanent open space or as permanent resource use.; Use of this zone is appropriate in rural areas designated by the Comprehensive Plan as follows: RA-10 in rural areas where the predominant lot pattern is ten acres or greater but less than twenty acres in size. RA-10 is also applied on land that is generally environmentally constrained, as defined by county, state or federal law, to protect critical habitat and regionally significant resource areas (RSRAs). The RA-10 zone is also applied to lands within one-quarter mile of a forest or agricultural production district or an approved long-term mineral extraction site. On Vashon-Maury Island RA-10 zoning shall be maintained on areas zoned RA-10 as of 1994 and on areas with a predominant lot size of ten acres or greater that are identified on the Areas Highly Susceptible to Groundwater Contamination map.