Clark County council faces divide over countywide agricultural‑land study as staff warns comp‑plan deadline will be missed

Clark County Council — May 7, 2025 — The Clark County Council heard more than three hours of public comment on a proposed countywide agricultural‑land (resource land) study and the county’s comprehensive‑plan update, as council staff said the addition of such a study would mean the county is unlikely to meet the state deadline for submitting its plan.

“the takeaway is that we are not going to meet our statutory deadline of on or before December 2025,” county planning program manager Oliver Ojiacan told the council after summarizing a revised project schedule that assumes issuing a draft EIS in August and a final EIS in mid‑November, with adoption slipping into early 2026 if the study proceeds on the timetable presented.

Why it matters: The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires timely adoption of comprehensive plans; falling out of compliance can make jurisdictions ineligible for certain state grants and low‑interest loans. Speakers on both sides of the question told the council the outcome will determine whether local cities can expand urban growth areas for jobs and housing or whether agricultural lands will be preserved for climate resilience and local food production.

Most important facts

- County staff said the RFP for the countywide resource land study will go out this week, with a roughly three‑week solicitation period. The draft schedule presented by staff assumes a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) could be issued Aug. 1 and a final EIS by Nov. 14, but staff also said those dates depend on timely delivery of required technical inputs and public review…