Spokane County planning staff say rural areas need about 6,200 housing units; residents say capacity questions remain

Spokane County planners told residents at a virtual open house that state-required housing allocations and federal and county studies indicate roughly 6,200 housing units will be needed in rural areas by 2046, and staff outlined rural land classifications and environmental constraints that will shape where that housing can go.

The housing tally comes from the Department of Commerce "Housing for All" planning tool and the county's use of Office of Financial Management population projections; planners said the tool accounts for an existing shortage of units and that the county is using a medium-growth scenario. "We're looking at 6,200 units in our rural area," said Scott Chesney of Spokane County Planning.

The figure was immediately disputed by public commenters who said the presentation mixed a needs analysis with capacity planning. Julia, identifying herself as a West Plains resident in the Palisades neighborhood, told planners: "This is a needs analysis. It's not a capacity analysis... you do not have a really finely tuned idea of what the existing conditions are out here." She urged the county to update…