Granite Falls council adopts critical-areas update to restore compliance and unlock grants
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Summary
The City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 1072-2026 updating Granite Falls Municipal Code 19.07.020 to bring the city's critical areas regulations back into compliance, a step officials said is necessary to access awarded grant funds. Consultants and state agencies submitted technical comments and a SEPA DNS was on file.
The Granite Falls City Council on March 18 adopted Ordinance No. 1072-2026, updating the city's critical areas regulations in Granite Falls Municipal Code (GFMC) 19.07.020 to address compliance gaps and enable the city to use awarded grant funds. The motion to adopt was made by Councilmember Bruce Straughn and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem David Griggs; the measure passed unanimously, 5-0.
Planning Director Amy Hess said the purpose of the hearing was to bring the city's regulations into compliance so it could "utilize grant funds we have been awarded," and introduced technical materials submitted into the record. City Manager Jeff Balentine submitted Exhibits A'I, which included: the proposed GFMC amendments; a Best Available Science report prepared by Herrera (December 2025); a SEPA Determination of Nonsignificance issued Feb. 4, 2026; and comment letters from the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Ecology.
Contract city planner Anisa Thaci (AHBL) and consultant Jeff Parsons (Herrera Environmental Consultants) reviewed the proposed amendments and schedule with the council and answered questions. No members of the public signed up to speak during the hearing and the public testimony portion was closed before council action.
Council discussion focused on technical compliance and timing; no amendments were offered at the March 18 meeting. The ordinance was adopted by unanimous vote. The transcript record did not specify an effective date for Ordinance No. 1072-2026; the effective date is not specified in the meeting record provided.
What happens next: staff and consultants will implement the code changes and proceed with any steps required by the SEPA determination and grant conditions. The council indicated the update will allow the city to pursue the grant-funded work described in the exhibits submitted into the record.
Sources: City of Granite Falls City Council meeting, March 18, 2026; testimony and exhibits submitted into the public hearing record.