Woodland planning commission reviews draft 2025 comprehensive plan, vacant‑land analysis and housing allocations

WOODLAND, Wash. — At a March 20 workshop the Woodland Planning Commission examined consultant data on vacant and redevelopable parcels, housing allocations driven by the Growth Management Act (GMA), and public survey results as staff sought direction on next steps for the city’s 2025 comprehensive plan update.

Planning staff told the commission the consultant produced a vacant and redevelopable parcels map from Cowlitz County assessor records, using land‑use tax codes and a simple logic comparing land value and improvement value to flag vacant parcels and low‑value structures as potential redevelopment candidates. "The vacant and redevelopable lands map is before you here. And you see in the solid green is the parcels that are vacant," planning staff said, describing the map’s green (vacant), green hash (vacant/planned for development) and yellow (potentially redevelopable) designations.

Why it matters: the consultant applied those parcel counts and local and county population projections to produce a 20‑year housing capacity estimate that must be shown in Woodland’s comp plan for GMA compliance. Commissioners were warned that allocations coming from Clark County’s planning process — including a roughly 105‑unit figure allocated to Woodland under Clark County calculations — may not be realistic for physical constraints inside the city and Horseshoe Lake area.

Planning staff summarized the…