Spokane County planners outline rural‑lands housing shortfall, environmental constraints and next steps

Spokane County Planning staff on Monday told residents at a virtual open house that county projections show a need for about 6,200 housing units in rural areas by 2046, but emphasized that that number reflects needs and shortages rather than identified capacity to accommodate that growth.

The county’s presentation, led by Scott Chesney of Spokane County Planning, explained that the Department of Commerce “Housing for All” allocation and the Office of Financial Management population projection drive a planning target used to calculate unit needs. Chesney said the housing tool accounts for existing shortages, which helps explain why the unit total exceeds the near‑term population increase shown in OFM projections.

Why this matters: The county must identify where housing growth could occur while complying with the Growth Management Act (GMA) and protecting resource lands, critical areas and groundwater. Residents pressed planners to tie the needs assessment to a robust capacity analysis, note current contamination and groundwater issues on the West Plains, and prioritize reuse of vacant…