A Primer: Washington's Growth Management Act Washington State's Growth Management Act (GMA) has an impact, every day, on every citizen in Washington State. The Act affects our jobs, it attempts to affect where and how we live, most of the decisions made by, especially, local governments are predicated on provisions of the Act and, to a significant extent, our lives in community have changed over time because of the Act. This book is not intended to be an exhaustive digest containing an answer to every question about the Washington State Growth Management Act. Rather, it is intended to be a brief and informational introduction to what is often referred to as simply the "GMA" - in as brief a manner as such a large and all encompassing law allows for. At the heart of any successful attempt to manage the location of population growth in a region or county is the answer to the question: "Will new populations accept the lifestyle choices (form and character) offered by planners and decision makers seeking to influence where growth is captured in that region?" The question is especially important in a context where voters have a say. Few would disagree; a growth management effort is more likely to be effective in achieving planning goals aimed at enhancing community if residents are drawn to the places set aside for growth than if citizens must be driven to those places. In our opinion, Washington's GMA is overtly based on the carrot approach to growth management rather than use of the stick. Citizens are to have choices. Citizens are to be enticed into UGAs, but not forced into them. An adequate, 20 year land supply is viewed to be fundamental to providing that choice under GMA. The assumption is that new populations can be enticed to settle in the "right place" (i.e., within UGAs) if appropriate land supplies and access to urban infrastructure exist. When choice is seriously restricted, especially in terms of land supplies for favored housing types, new populations will refuse to locate in "acceptable" places and will seek out alternatives, as has happened in the past; an issue the legislature sought to address through passage of the GMA.