Kittitas County advances 2026–2046 comprehensive plan after public support for Easton subarea; final adoption set for June 16

At a June 2, 2026 public hearing, the Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners advanced the county's 2026–2046 periodic comprehensive plan, including the Easton Subarea Plan, and scheduled a closed‑record adoption hearing for June 16.

County staff presented a two‑year update process that included open houses, planning commission review and agency consultations. "The draft comprehensive plan, new climate element, and new subarea plan were released for formal public comment on 01/29/2026," staff said, and the public record contains roughly 3,200–3,246 pages and 63 formal comments as of early June. Staff recommended adopting batches of edits assembled in a matrix to align the plan with state law and agency input.

Public testimony at the hearing was strongly supportive from Easton residents and nearby communities. "This plan is the product of more than 2 years of community engagement," said Jill Merwin, an Easton resident who urged the board to adopt the red‑lined Easton plan that she said preserves rural character and defers certain infrastructure decisions to a later community‑driven process. "What you have helped this community produce is more than a planning document. It is a genuine act of listening," Gina Peckman said.

Not all testimony was unqualified support. Justin Davis, a Rosslyn city council member, urged commissioners to pause rezoning along State Route 903 until an upcoming conference of governments traffic study is published, saying, "Rezoning is a one‑way street" and warning of potential gridlock and public‑safety risks along the corridor. County staff and commissioners responded that the comprehensive plan update itself does not rezone parcels or increase densities and that a moratorium on rezoning would be a separate policy discussion better handled through joint meetings with affected cities.

A commissioner moved to approve the comprehensive plan update with staff‑recommended batches and to add four transportation and code‑consistency policies directing further corridor planning, use of existing development regulations and coordination with state agencies. The mover also asked staff to return pending documents for a closed‑record hearing on June 16 at 2 p.m. The board recorded the motion as passing and set June 16 for final consideration and adoption.

The June 16 hearing will accept additional testimony and consider final adoption of the plan documents and related implementation materials. Staff said amended materials and the matrix of edits will be posted to the county website ahead of that hearing.