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Liberty Lake staff outline multi-year public engagement plan for comprehensive plan update
Summary
Community Development staff described a schedule of outreach and required code changes for the city's comprehensive plan, including a June virtual transportation open house, sign code updates this summer, and climate and housing engagement this fall; state deadlines and mandated housing code changes shape the timeline.
Community Development staff briefed the Community Engagement Commission on an expanded public outreach program tied to Liberty Lake's comprehensive plan update, saying work on mandated housing code changes must be completed before the legislature's extended deadline of Dec. 31, 2026.
"We had to make some sausage before we had anything to talk to the public about," Community Development staff Lisa Key said, summarizing why staff staged engagement and the city's reliance on consultants for parts of the effort.
Key said the city received a six-month extension from the state for the overall comp plan but not for the housing code, so staff are prioritizing housing-related work while also launching coordinated outreach on parks, transportation, sign rules and climate resilience. The city has hired consultants for the parks and recreation master plan; Jen Camp is listed as the parks project manager and will lead tomorrow's kickoff event, Key said.
Key outlined specific engagement events and timelines: a virtual transportation network open house on June 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom; an online sign-code visual-preferencing survey in early June with planning commission hearings expected in August and a city council hearing in September; a mid- to late-June virtual open house for the climate element; and targeted housing engagement this fall. Staff will use online tools (QR codes, a ZenCity presence and a GIS StoryMap for the climate element) and an activity log to record each engagement activity and participant counts.
On transportation, Key said the city will work with the Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) to run a sub-area network analysis that models multimodal impacts (cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians and local streets not included in regional models).
Key said the city will consult utility and service providers (Avista, Liberty Lake Water and Sewer District, consolidated irrigation districts and Central Valley School District) about capacity to serve the projected population and the resulting capital facilities needs.
Commissioners asked about the choice of virtual formats. Key said virtual formats fit data-driven work (network modeling, story maps) and allow multi-day participation; she also said staff plan in-person open houses and topic-specific town halls this fall (housing, energy efficiency and wildfire resiliency). "We're trying to get early and continuous engagement," she said.
Staff asked commissioners to help amplify engagement (posting QR-code flyers at local businesses and staffing focused booths at the farmers market and other events). Key said staff plan to track every engagement in a log so the city can report outreach scope when the plan goes to the state for review.
Commissioners suggested partnering with agency bill mailings and utilities to reach residents; Key said Liberty Lake Water and Sewer District covers roughly two-thirds of the city and that staff will pursue coordination.
The commission did not take formal action. Staff listed the schedule and outreach methods as direction for implementation and asked commissioners to provide feedback and help staff publicize events and booths.
