Fall Comprehensive Plan Update
Photo from Clark County government
Link to Clark County’s 2025 Comprehensive Planning page here: 2025 Update | Clark County (wa.gov)
In our last update, the County had adopted the Population and Employment allocation, which determines what future population and job numbers each of the cities and the county need to plan for. The county had also collected Site Specific Requests by property owners asking for zoning or Urban Growth Boundary (UGA) changes. These included 22 requests for Surface Mining Overlays (SMO), mostly near the Chelatchie SMO, with several more to the southeast of Yacolt. You can view all site specific requests here: 2025 Update Site-Specific Requests | Clark County (wa.gov).
The cities have now incorporated some of their Site Specific Requests into the alternatives in their Draft Environmental Impact Statements (DEIS) for their individual Comp Plan updates in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). For those unfamiliar, SEPA requires an EIS to develop multiple scenarios, called alternatives, for how to carry out an action and analyze each of the alternatives’ impacts to the environment. County staff stated that the other requests will not be considered as part of the 2025 Comp Plan, but could be taken up later.
After much time and anticipation, the cities’ alternatives were first presented at a work session with the Planning Commission (PC) on October 3rd, and a County Council work session on October 9th. The Planning Commission documents can be found here: Planning Commission Hearings and Meeting Notes | Clark County (wa.gov). The presentation includes maps from the cities (some with 2 alternatives), showing Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and zoning changes. In some cases, they shrank their UGBs in one area to grow in another. Here is a brief rundown of the city requests:
- Battle Ground. Extend west to Dollars Corners for job growth, not residential. Swap some land from their current UGA for the new area.
- City of Camas – 2 alternatives.. Alternative 2 converts forest and agricultural land.
- La Center – also has 2 alternatives.
- Ridgefield – 2 alternatives, all the expansion areas are currently ag-designated.
- Vancouver – allow 4 plexes or 6 plexes if near transit. 2 alternatives and still a work in progress. Zoning changes, no UGB growth.
- Washougal – One expansion area for school and some residential, plans for an area currently in urban holding.
- Yacolt – losing some industrial land for parks/open space, so expanding to the south to make up for that. Areas already in Urban Reserve (pre-designated for urbanization in growth planning).
- County map shows plans for the Vancouver UGB with higher densities, including Hwy 99 area with residential in areas that are currently commercial. Expands Vancouver UGB to the north (near I-5) for employment lands. It is worth noting that the county can (and has in the past) increase the Vancouver UGB whether the city wants to or not.
The county will now work an iterative process with the cities, using the Vacant Buildable Lands Model (VBLM), to develop planning alternatives for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Per the presentation above, they will come back with alternatives, including:
- No action alternative – present plan as is.
- County-initiated actions
- City-requested actions
They could have more than 3 alternatives, but that would be a lot of work and they are already running behind on time. There will be no more extensions granted by the state.
The Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) is another key component of the Comp Plan, as the supporting infrastructure for growth needs to be defined, planned, and budgeted for. The TIP was presented before the PC at an October 3rd work session and an October 17th Public Hearing. Presentation Title (wa.gov). The presentation deck includes planned projects for the next 6 years. If you live or drive through the area around I-5 and 179th St., you’ll see the plans for projects in the future to support the growth that is happening now(Slide 7).
Friends of Clark County has submitted public comments opposing conversion of any agricultural land, and opposing including any Surface Mining Overlays in the 2025 Comp Plan.
Submitted by Jackie Lane