Spokane County opens public review of resource-lands chapter, flags agritourism and resiliency issues
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Summary
Spokane County staff presented a draft resource-lands chapter in a Jan. 26 virtual open house, outlining protections for agriculture, forestry and minerals, suggested agritourism policy language, climate-resiliency measures after 2023 fires, and a schedule leading to planning commission review and board adoption in 2026.
Spokane County hosted a virtual open house on Jan. 26 to release a first draft policy audit and proposed updates to the comprehensive plan's resource lands chapter, county staff said.
County staff said the draft focuses on three legally protected resource categories'agriculture, forest and mineral lands'and aims to incorporate a new Growth Management Act climate and resiliency element while clarifying local zoning and uses.
Staff told attendees the county has reduced resource-land zoning to four categories (small-tract agriculture, large-tract agriculture, mineral lands and forestry) and is using USDA soil and other scientific data to guide protections. "We are beginning the final year of our comp plan update," the presenter said, noting a public draft, planning commission review and public hearings before a board vote targeted for 2026.
Why it matters: Resource-land designations under the Growth Management Act can effectively preserve soils and timberland indefinitely, staff said. That permanence shapes how the county evaluates proposals such as agritourism venues, accessory dwelling requests and renewable-energy projects.
Staff emphasized resilience after recent fires. "Resiliency is not an academic term, for Spokane County. It is real and it has devastating effects," the presenter said, and outlined proposals for sustainable water storage, farming techniques and forest-stewardship incentives. The county also plans to partner with Washington State University and Eastern Washington University on research and assistance programs.
On agritourism, staff said the county seeks a policy framework that permits seasonal, accessory uses (tasting rooms, temporary events) while avoiding integration that would degrade agricultural productivity. The presenter cited a King County precedent in which FutureWise challenged an ordinance under the State Environmental Policy Act; the hearings board found the county had not adequately addressed SEPA impacts. The county's current code allows temporary seasonal uses in places such as Greenbluff but generally restricts full urban levels of service and full-service restaurants.
"The point of this is essentially to have a limited business use in an ag resource area that otherwise wouldn't allow it, but that implies that they're related in some way," the presenter said.
Staff also noted tensions between promoting renewable energy at the statewide level and protecting prime resource lands, saying that policy language will need to define where such development is compatible.
On mineral and aggregate resources, a public commenter identified as Elizabeth asked about the apparent absence of mineral lands in the presentation: "My question...is the, I guess, absence of the mineral and mineral resource mining lands within the natural resource area. Are those just back burnered?" County staff replied, "No. It's not a it's not a back burner," and said the Department of Natural Resources completed an aggregate mapping and guide in 2025 that will help align geology with current planning and zoning layers and clarify mineral-land policies in the draft.
Next steps: Staff said the first draft will be posted for comment, the planning commission will review the chapter in the coming week, and two public hearings are planned later in the year followed by a planning commission recommendation and board consideration in 2026. Materials and the slide deck are available on the county website at spokanecounty.gov/bp under "comprehensive plan."
