Spokane County planning commission reviews EIS alternatives, hears West Plains contamination concerns and UGA request

Spokane County planning staff on Sept. 11 presented the first of two Environment Impact Statement (EIS) alternatives for the countywide comprehensive-plan update, describing an "infill" approach that assumes higher densities within existing urban growth areas and asks whether the county can accommodate roughly 24,000–25,000 dwelling units without changing UGA boundaries.

The presentation, delivered by Scott Chesney of Spokane County planning staff, framed Alternative 1 as an infill-based option and said the EIS process would compare that against a second alternative that could include potential UGA boundary adjustments. "Alternative 1 is looking at how we generally fit within our existing world," Chesney said, adding the EIS will use the county's critical areas ordinance and Shoreline Master Program in the environmental analysis.

Why it matters: The commission must choose the level of study for the DEIS and ultimately recommend a preferred approach to the Board of County Commissioners. That choice affects analysis scope — transportation, sewer and stormwater capacity, school impacts, and aquifer vulnerability — and influences whether higher densities alone can meet state-guided housing targets.

Chesney and staff outlined density and product assumptions that would be tested in Alternative 1: low-density residential (LDR) counted at roughly 6 net units per acre for planning purposes (the county recently…