Planning director seeks permission to apply for $75,000 grant for critical areas work as comp plan continues

Cowlitz County planning staff told commissioners they are progressing on the county comprehensive plan update and requested permission to apply for a $75,000 state grant to contract a consultant for the county’s critical areas ordinance. "We have to have our comp plan done by June 2026," Planning Manager Tracy (last name not stated) told the board, and she said the county is completing the comprehensive plan work in-house but lacks the specialized scientific expertise to craft the critical areas ordinance.

Why it matters: the Growth Management Act requires counties that are GMA counties to update comprehensive plans and critical areas ordinances on a schedule set by the state. Tracy said the requested $75,000 would pay an outside consultant to prepare the critical areas piece using best-available science and that the funds would go directly to the consultant, not into county payroll. She asked for the board’s permission to apply and said she would return with the item for formal consideration if the board prefers.

Permit and outreach updates: Tracy reported a land-use application evolving from one parcel into a request affecting about 10 parcels that would change zoning from rural residential-5 to rural residential-2 to allow more housing units; that request will come to the board on July 12. She noted the county is using the current comprehensive-plan outreach to streamline some parcel-level changes. She also said staff visited a work site on Spirit Lake Highway over a recent weekend after permit concerns and that no work occurred on the site while staff observed.

Calendars and advisory vacancies: Tracy asked the board to advertise a vacancy on the Building and Planning Advisory Committee to represent the development community after Nick Massey’s departure and announced a joint public meeting of the county planning commission and work group on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 5:30 p.m. in the commissioners’ chamber for public outreach on the draft comprehensive plan.

Next steps: Tracy said she will bring the $75,000 grant application request back under miscellaneous at a future meeting for formal direction; at least one commissioner indicated they would prefer the matter be presented when all members are present for discussion. No formal action was recorded at the meeting on the grant application.