Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comprehensive Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
La Center planning commission forwards transportation and capital facilities chapters to council
Summary
The commission voted to forward draft transportation and capital facilities & utilities chapters of the comprehensive plan (and related Title 18 code updates) to City Council for consideration; updates include level‑of‑traffic‑stress mapping, allowance of EV charging in commercial zones, and a new comprehensive stormwater management plan.
The La Center Planning Commission voted July 8 to forward draft updates to the comprehensive plan’s Transportation Element and the Capital Facilities & Utilities Element (chapters 2 and 4), along with proposed Title 18 code updates, to the City Council for review.
Why it matters: the chapters implement Growth Management Act requirements, update inventories and level‑of‑service analyses, and propose code changes to clarify essential public facility siting and to permit electric vehicle infrastructure in commercial zones. Those updates inform future permitting, capital project priorities and grant eligibility.
Alec (consultant) and city staff summarized changes since earlier drafts. The transportation update adds a level‑of‑traffic‑stress assessment for pedestrians and cyclists, inventories a recently added C‑Tran transit route, and incorporates recommendations from a draft transportation capital facilities plan. The draft also updates terminology and definitions to support electric‑vehicle infrastructure (battery charging stations, battery exchange stations and rapid charging), and excludes state highways of significance (including I‑5) from local traffic‑impact calculations per state guidance.
On EV infrastructure, staff said the commission chose to authorize EV infrastructure in commercial and mixed‑use zones at this time rather than in residential zones.
The Capital Facilities & Utilities Element was updated to reflect an in‑progress comprehensive stormwater management plan that inventories city stormwater facilities, addresses flooding concerns, and identifies facility needs. Staff said the La Center schools district is preparing a capital facilities plan that will be incorporated into the element when it is completed and that essential public facilities code language was added to allow the city to require design conditions or amenities to make such facilities compatible with surroundings, consistent with state law.
Staff noted the broader comp‑plan timeline: staff had aimed for final adoption by Dec. 31, 2025, but the county’s agland study and other county processes may delay the city’s schedule. Staff also said the Washington Department of Commerce has shown some flexibility for jurisdictions running behind but warned that delayed adoption can affect eligibility for certain grant programs.
Action: the commission adopted a motion to forward the draft Transportation Element and the Capital Facilities & Utilities Element (Chapters 2 and 4) and related draft LCMC Title 18 changes to City Council for consideration. The motion passed on recorded voice vote (“Aye” responses) and the items will be placed on a council draft review agenda.
Next steps: staff will send the drafts to council (anticipated August or September review) and continue to incorporate facility plans (stormwater, school district capital plan) and a subarea plan update that will resolve the parks versus Urban Public zoning treatment for city parks.
