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City planner outlines two-year periodic update to Pullman comprehensive plan
Summary
Assistant planner Ariel Mendoza presented the Growth Management Act-driven periodic update process for Pullman’s comprehensive plan, providing a multi-phase timeline that begins with outreach in late 2025 and aims for adoption by June 30, 2027.
Ariel Mendoza, assistant planner for Pullman Community Development, told the City Council on Sept. 23 that the city will undertake a two-year periodic update of its comprehensive plan to align local policy with state law and updated agency guidance.
Mendoza summarized the statutory framework that triggers the update, saying the Growth Management Act requires periodic review and that Pullman is a partially planning jurisdiction. “The comprehensive plan has a vision, goals, policies, and it guides all the implementation of all 17 titles of the city code,” Mendoza said, describing the plan as the city’s blueprint for growth.
Mendoza described a three-phase approach: phase 1 (review and public participation, now through March 2026), phase 2 (amendments and draft updates during April–September 2026), and phase 3 (legislative review, Department of Commerce review and public hearings leading to formal adoption). The timeline presented calls for filing a notice of intent with the Washington State Department of Commerce by Nov. 2026 and final adoption by June 30, 2027. Mendoza said the city will perform a state-required environmental checklist, coordinate with state agencies (Commerce, Ecology, Fish & Wildlife) and hold element-by-element public meetings.
Mendoza noted that Pullman’s critical areas ordinance (wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, aquifer recharge, floodplains and geologically hazardous areas) will be reviewed for updates consistent with best available science and state guidance. She said Pullman does not contain natural resource lands as defined by state law.
The council thanked staff and noted the update is a major effort that will require broad public engagement. Mendoza said outreach will include open houses, topic-specific surveys, monthly online meetings and stakeholder briefings; she encouraged council members to share information about the schedule and outreach materials.
Why this matters: The periodic update will shape land use, environmental protections and capital-facilities planning for years. The timeline requires coordination with state reviewers and a formal adoption deadline of June 30, 2027.
What’s next: Staff will proceed with the public participation plan and scheduled visioning meetings beginning in November 2025; formal amendments will follow in 2026 with Commerce review and hearings in late 2026–early 2027.
