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Ridgefield staff outline Vision Ridgefield 2045 update, cite need for 5,800 homes and 9,300 jobs
Summary
City planning staff briefed the Ridgefield Planning Commission on the Vision Ridgefield 2045 comprehensive plan update, saying Clark County selected a similar preferred land-use alternative, a county EIS is expected in late July, and the city must plan for roughly 5,800 new housing units and 9,300 jobs by 2045.
Ridgefield planning staff told the Planning Commission on Monday that work is accelerating on the Vision Ridgefield 2045 comprehensive plan update and that the city must plan for substantial growth through midcentury.
"We are required to accommodate about 5,800 new housing units and 9,300 new jobs through 2045," said Miss Lust, a city planning staff member leading the update, as she summarized the growth-management targets and the city’s preferred land-use approach.
The presentation said last year the city and council selected a preferred land-use plan that emphasizes preserving the look and feel of existing residential neighborhoods while directing much of future growth to mixed-use hubs. Staff told commissioners they have been working with Clark County staff after the county council on April 28 selected a preferred land-use alternative that closely mirrors Ridgefield’s choice.
Staff emphasized timing as the next critical variable. Miss Lust said the county is targeting late July for issuance of a final environmental impact statement (EIS), and later in the meeting referred to July 24 as the county’s target date for that document. Once the county’s EIS is issued, staff said Ridgefield will adopt the county EIS by reference, conduct local analysis with consultants, and pursue Department of Commerce procedural review, followed by local planning commission and council hearings toward adoption (staff showed a tentative October–November target for final adoption).
Commissioners asked for context on population and housing policy. Miss Lust confirmed the presentation’s framing that the city has grown substantially in the last decade and has planning assumptions to accommodate roughly another 10,000 residents in the next 20 years. She also defined "missing middle" housing as the range of housing types between single-family homes and larger apartment buildings — townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units — which the plan aims to include to provide housing at varied price points.
Commissioners also asked questions about mapping and the urban growth area (UGA). Staff pointed to the northern UGA expansion and identified 289th as an east–west orienting road, noted Paradise Point subdivision as a western landmark, and located the mall property at Hillhurst Road, at the corner of Hillhurst and Carty near the middle school. Staff said parcel-level adjustments and density assumptions are being refined to ensure the county map aligns with the city’s vision.
Miss Lust asked commissioners to expect a busy summer of work, with staff bringing elements, goals and policies back for additional review and batching items as public hearings.
Procedural housekeeping at the meeting included a motion to approve the minutes from the prior meeting; Commissioner Patrick Flynn moved the minutes be approved as presented, a motion that was seconded and carried with no opposition voiced.
Next steps: staff will monitor the county’s EIS issuance, complete local analysis to align with the county document, and return to the planning commission with batched elements for public hearings as part of the schedule toward an anticipated October–November adoption.
