Hayden planning commission recommends 2045 comprehensive plan update to City Council

On Oct. 20, 2025, the Hayden Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the 2045 comprehensive plan update to the Hayden City Council after a staff presentation and limited commissioner questions.

Donna, a city staff member who presented the draft update, said the existing comprehensive plan "was last updated in 2020" and that the current effort moves the horizon forward by five years and incorporates new statutory guidance, public engagement and technical review. She told commissioners the update reflects extensive public input including a city survey that drew about 1,200 responses and that the draft includes 27 implementation actions in an appendix.

The draft reorganizes chapters on vision and goals, demographics, land use, environment, transportation and implementation. Donna described five future land‑use categories (general commercial, light industrial, mixed commercial, public recreation and residential), explained a roughly 300‑foot buffer used to allow flexible placement of future‑land‑use boundaries, and said the update incorporates the Imagine Hayden transportation plan and maps such as airport runway protection and sound contours from Kootenai County.

Commissioners asked several clarifying questions about annexation and the reduced area of impact proposed to Kootenai County; staff said homes on the southeastern fringe were removed from the proposed area of impact because they already have services and are not contiguous for annexation. On housing and demographics, Donna summarized that Hayden's median age rose to about 43, population projections in the draft are roughly 9,000 fewer than in the prior plan, and that the draft highlights sharp housing‑cost increases: the presentation cited a 142% increase in median home price from 2013–2023 and a 78% increase in median rent over the same period; vacancy in Hayden was presented as 0.4% and the plan lists about 21% renter‑occupied housing.

After the presentation and brief discussion, Commissioner Erickson moved "to recommend approval of the 2045 comprehensive plan update, finding that it is in accord with the standards of Hayden City code based upon testimony received at the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing and the record of the request." Chair Sean Taylor seconded; a roll call vote was recorded as unanimous in favor and the commission forwarded the recommendation to City Council.

Donna said staff will bring a written recommendation back to the commission on Nov. 3 and that the City Council public hearing on the comprehensive plan is scheduled for Nov. 18. The commission also approved routine items on the consent calendar and the 2026 regular meeting calendar during the same session.

The commission's recommendation is advisory; final adoption of the comprehensive plan rests with Hayden City Council at a noticed public hearing.