Deadline nears on updating comprehensive plan

Would-be subdividers, conservationists, real estate agents, environmentalists and every other kind of person interested in how Spokane County will grow and develop in the coming years have until Thursday to submit their initial comments to Spokane County planners.

The county is in the early stages of updating its comprehensive plan and reviewing the county’s urban growth boundary.

“Rather than the staff sitting back and coming up with a plan, we wanted to get public input,” said John Pederson, assistant director of the planning department.

Pederson said many of the comments the department has received so far are from landowners who want their property rezoned or included in the urban growth area, but he encouraged people to submit input on anything that concerns them, whether it be infrastructure, development or land-use regulation.

Early indications are that Spokane County commissioners could expand the county’s 157-square-mile urban growth area by 11 square miles to accommodate population increases over the next 20 years.

Comments can be sent to: Spokane County, Building and Planning Department, 1026 West Broadway Ave., Spokane, WA 99260-0500. Or they can be submitted via the Internet at http://www.spokanecounty.org/bp.