Issaquah council approves 2025 comprehensive‑plan docket after debate over ‘community facilities’ designation

The Issaquah City Council on March 17 approved the city’s 2025 docket of proposed comprehensive plan and land‑use designation amendments after a lengthy discussion about removing the city’s “community facilities” land‑use designation from the map.

The docket vote directs staff to advance several potential amendments for formal review later this year, including middle‑housing code changes to comply with state legislation, an amendment to accommodate co‑living housing, a proposal to update the transportation element to incorporate multimodal level‑of‑service standards, and a pair of changes to the land‑use designation map that includes a rezone request for the local food and clothing bank site and a staff‑proposed removal of the “community facilities” designation from the map.

Council members debated whether removing “community facilities” from the land‑use map met the docket criteria, especially the requirement that an amendment demonstrate a public benefit or address significantly changed conditions in the city. Supporters said…