Ellensburg begins 10-year comprehensive plan update; consultants outline timeline, climate and housing work

At a July 7 study session, Ellensburg Community Development Director Dan Carlson told the city council and the public that the city is launching its statutorily required 10-year periodic comprehensive plan update and introduced consultant project manager Kirsten Peterson of SCJ Alliance, who outlined the update's scope, schedule and community engagement approach.

Kirsten Peterson said the comprehensive plan is “essentially a 20-year vision by and for the community,” and walked the council through required and optional plan elements, upcoming state deadlines, and a phased adoption timeline that includes environmental review and a formal state review period.

The periodic update is mandatory under the state Growth Management Act and must incorporate recent state legislative changes, Peterson said. She told the council the city's deadline for completing the periodic update is the end of 2026 and that the project team aims to have a draft ready for broader review by about June 2026 and adoption by December 2026. Peterson said the adoption process will include environmental review (an EIS where required), a 60-day Washington State Department of Commerce review and public hearings before the planning commission and the council.

Why it matters: the comprehensive plan sets long-range land-use and policy direction that underpins…