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Planning staff outline 'Plan Spokane' update, climate element and EIS scoping for 2026 adoption
Summary
City planning staff said the periodic comprehensive‑plan update, branded Plan Spokane 2046, begins visioning and environmental review scoping now, with adoption targeted for 2026 and public outreach planned including a multilingual survey reaching more than 1,000 responses.
City planning staff told the Urban Experience Committee that the periodic comprehensive‑plan update — branded as Plan Spokane 2046 — will start visioning and environmental review work in early 2025 and is scheduled for adoption in 2026.
Tyrell (planning staff) said the plan team completed two long workshops on the environmental impact statement scoping in late December and January and that they will publish scoping documents and a determination of significance by the end of January or early February, which will start the plan’s visioning process. He said the plan will add a climate element required by state law and that staff are preparing related background documents: a climate impacts and justice assessment and a policy audit to inform a risk and vulnerability assessment.
The planning team has been running a public survey available in six languages; staff reported more than 1,000 responses as of the weekend. Tyrell said outreach will include agency workshops in February, in‑person visioning events by district in March (avoiding neighborhood council nights where possible) and virtual sessions. The land‑capacity analysis — a regional requirement to set housing targets — remains in preparation and will return to Urban Experience for an in‑depth presentation in February before sharing with the regional steering committee of elected officials.
Staff said the city is coordinating greenhouse‑gas inventory updates with other reporting obligations and will use the new Engage Spokane (Granicus) platform as a hub for public materials.
Committee members asked about timing for larger briefings and staff confirmed a fuller presentation will be scheduled for February and that planning staff will use PIES meetings to provide additional in‑depth material without occupying extended Urban Experience time.
Tyrell closed by asking for feedback on outreach approaches and said the team will continue to share drafts and background documents as they become available.
