County Begins Work On Comprehensive Plan
The blueprint for Spokane County’s future is beginning to take shape as planning commissioners start work on the draft comprehensive plan.
The plan outlines how the county will grow in the future. The draft will be available to the public for comments in September.
“This is the beginning of the end of the process,” said John Mercer, director of long-range planning for the county.
In the meantime, a series of open house-type meetings are scheduled at three county locations next week. County planning staff will be stationed at booths collecting comments and answering questions.
Technically it’s a scoping meeting, to help identify elements that need to be considered as the county develops its Environmental Impact Statement, including erosion, air quality, transportation, stormwater, wildlife and mineral resources.
Planning commissioners will meet twice a month through July, drafting the plan. Each meeting is expected to last at least five hours. Planning commissioners are citizen volunteers. They are not paid.
“Our goal is to create the best plan for everybody,” said commissioner Don Moore.
In order to comply with the state’s Growth Management Act, cities and counties need to create plans for the future that will, among other things, reduce sprawl, protect the environment and resources, create a balanced transportation system and ensure a supply of affordable housing.
The state also requires public participation. In the county, the process is called Blueprints 2000. In the city, it’s Spokane Horizons.
The various parts of the plan - including land use, parks, cultural resources, transportation, housing, and transportation - all have to work together.
In addition, the city and county need a plan describing when and how capital facilities, such as roads, sewer and water, will be paid for and built.
Ideally, those improvements will be in place at the time of development.
According to the proposed schedule, the plan will be presented to the board of commissioners by the end of the year. They may hold hearings or rework parts of the document before adopting it, probably next spring.
Then, work is scheduled to begin on sub-area or neighborhood plans, which will provide more specific detail. Many neighborhoods are anxious to begin their own planning right away.
Mercer has asked neighborhoods to be patient until the comprehensive plan is finished.
But some commissioners say neighborhoods can begin learning about planning processes.
“This is a fine time for homeowners associations to start organizing and become familiar with what’s going on,” said planning commissioner Tom Hargreaves. “Just understanding some of the information, even the terminology, could take six months.”
PUBLIC MEETING Spokane County’s planning staff will meet with the public Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mt. Spokane High School atrium, 6015 E. Mt. Spokane Park Drive. They’re working on a draft comprehensive plan.
This story also ran in the South Side Voice under the headline: County seeking comment for draft comprehensive plan. This sidebar appeared with the South Side Voice story: PUBLIC MEETING PLANNED Members of Spokane County’s planning staff will meet with the public next Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Liberty High School cafeteria, 29818 S. North Pine Creek Road, Spangle. They’re working on a draft comprehensive plan.