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Pasco and Franklin County staff review updated countywide planning policies ahead of comprehensive-plan cycle
Summary
City and county planning staff reviewed proposed updates to Franklin County's countywide planning policies, covering housing, climate change, urban growth areas and permit coordination; the policies set the framework for the next comprehensive-plan update and are being circulated to each city for comment.
Hailey Miller, Community and Economic Development Director, and Wes McCart, Planning and Building Director for Franklin County, presented draft countywide planning policies that will guide the next comprehensive-plan update. "These policies have not been updated, I believe, since the last periodic cycle, which was in 2019, and then, these were originally adopted in 1993," Hailey Miller said.
Nut graf: Countywide planning policies establish shared expectations among cities and the county on growth management, housing, transportation and other topics; Pasco staff reviewed the draft and discussed coordination mechanisms such as memoranda of understanding or interlocal agreements to align development standards and permit procedures.
Details: Staff said the draft includes topics such as urban growth areas, reducing sprawl, transportation, housing across different income bands, economic development, property-rights permitting, natural resources and open space, public facilities, historic preservation and climate-change-related requirements incorporated from new state guidance. Miller said staff reviewed the clean and marked-up versions and collaborated with neighboring jurisdictions and the county consultant to work through identified issues.
Council questions and timing: When asked about adoption timing, county staff indicated they planned to publish the draft and hold a hearing roughly two weeks after receiving confirmation from cities; one presenter said adoption would likely follow in two to three weeks after publication, subject to county processes. Wes McCart said the impetus for the revised policies is to "come up with, a better way of working together" and to avoid jurisdictions duplicating or conflicting permit and development standards.
Discussion versus action: The council reviewed the draft and provided comments; the workshop was for information and feedback and did not include a formal adoption vote. Staff asked the council to provide any written comments they wanted the county to consider prior to the county's public hearing.
Ending: Staff indicated they will continue coordination with Franklin County and bring any substantive recommendations back to the council as the comp-plan process proceeds.
