Spokane County presents placemaking vision for suburban lands; residents press for PFAS, floodplain and infrastructure data

Spokane County planning staff and outside consultants presented a draft placemaking vision for suburban lands, including parts of the West Plains urban growth area, and opened the scoping period for a Growth Management Act (GMA) environmental impact statement on the county—s comprehensive-plan update. Residents at the public charrette pressed county staff for underlying environmental and infrastructure data, including PFAS and groundwater contamination, floodplain mapping, and water and stormwater capacity.

The consultants described a place-making approach that combines land use, transportation, parks, trails and design standards to shape future suburban neighborhoods. "We are working to do a kind of vulnerability assessment for Spokane County," said Riley, a member of the Cascadia consultant team. Presenters outlined a draft vision calling for "vibrant and connected communities" with integrated parks, trails, a mix of housing types and resilient design, and walked through six preliminary policy areas: integrating environmental design and resiliency, street connectivity, a separated…