Walla Walla County sets July 1 application deadline for 2026 comprehensive-plan update after cities warn May date was too tight

Walla Walla County commissioners on Monday voted 3-0 to reset the deadline for non‑county applications to the 2026 comprehensive-plan and development-regulation update to July 1, 2025, after city officials told the board the original May 2 deadline left too little time to complete required land-capacity and population-allocation work.

County planner Lauren (Community Development staff) told the board the county originally proposed a May 2 deadline to allow sufficient time to complete an environmental impact statement and to meet the state’s Growth Management Act periodic‑update deadline of June 30, 2026. "Our consultants' recommendation was that changing it from May 2 to the June, essentially another month, was something we could accommodate," she said. After further discussion she said staff recommended a July 1 date to give cities more time.

City of College Place Community Development Director John Rickard and Preston Frederickson, Deputy City Manager for the City of Walla Walla, told the commissioners that local governments need more time to finalize methodology for the land-capacity analysis (LCA) and the countywide population allocation. "Having less than two months ... to turn around and do the work, get it through our planning commission and council, and then meet your deadline is unrealistic," Rickard said. Frederickson said the cities "appreciate the staff's recommendation to modify the resolution ... to have an application date of 07/01/2025." He added that the city would move forward on the LCA as soon as the county adopts the methodology so consultant work is not wasted.

Commissioners acknowledged the schedule risk. Commissioner Kimball said the July 1 date was the "only reasonable path forward," and moved to adopt it. Commissioner Clayton seconded the motion. The board adopted the resolution 3-0.

The change gives cities roughly three months from an April 8 target date on which county staff hopes to finalize LCA methodology and population‑allocation targets. Lauren said any further delay could increase the risk that the county would be unable to complete the required environmental review and plan update by the state deadline. "Any delay at this point puts us at risk of falling behind," she said, noting grant-money timelines and the workload required to complete an EIS.

Preston Frederickson urged continued, written communication between the county and cities so consulting teams do not perform work that later must be re‑done. "Time is money," he said, and asked that cities be given clear, early notice of the county's schedule.

The board also discussed but did not adopt additional schedule changes. Commissioners and staff said they would try to gather draft submittals from the cities before July 1 to allow county staff and consultants to begin preliminary review, but county staff emphasized the tight timeline to complete an EIS by June 30, 2026.

The commissioners' action: resetting the deadline moves non‑county applicants — including cities and private parties — to a July 1, 2025 submission date for consideration alongside the county‑initiated 2026 docket.