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Granite Falls officials outline public outreach for Comprehensive Plan update
Summary
City staff told a joint March 8 meeting that the Comprehensive Plan update will include a revised public participation plan, an online community survey and a social‑media outreach project by University of Washington students; the students are expected to present their recommendations at the April 12 council meeting.
Community Development Director Eric Jensen told a joint special meeting of the Granite Falls City Council and Planning Commission on March 8 that the city must update its Public Participation Plan to reflect new state legislative guidance for the Growth Management Act‑required Comprehensive Plan.
Jensen said the city’s previously adopted participation plan (completed last March) needs revision once regional guidance arrives from the Puget Sound Regional Council and Snohomish County. He told the board the plan will include an online survey and other outreach tools to gather community input, and he invited a team of eight University of Washington Evans School students to develop social‑media outreach recommendations.
“Visioning has already been achieved,” Jensen said, explaining that outreach will focus on broad participation and testing new methods. He said the student team is close to finishing its work and the city has asked the students to present their report at the April 12 Council meeting.
Councilmembers and Planning Commission members welcomed the academic support while asking how the outreach’s success would be measured and how stakeholder nights might be structured. Mayor Matthew Hartman said he would like to see the students present their findings in April. Commissioner Straughn suggested holding thematic outreach nights—for example, school‑related meetings at school venues—to draw specific stakeholder groups into the process.
Jensen said the city will share state and regional guidance with the Council and Commission once it is available and integrate required elements—such as upcoming ADU rules—into the public process and the plan update. The meeting produced an "issue list" of topics for follow‑up; staff and commissioners agreed to return to many items at future workshops and meetings.
