Spokane County posts draft EIS for comprehensive-plan update; comment period extended

Spokane County Planning staff announced that the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the county's comprehensive-plan update has been published and that the county will extend the public comment period slightly while final appendices are added to the record. Scott Chesney, a planner with Spokane County, said the EIS was posted on Friday but that some appendices were pending; once those are uploaded the county will reset the official calendar and reopen the comment period into early July.

Why it matters: The EIS evaluates how different growth approaches would affect critical areas, transportation infrastructure and other environmental factors across Spokane County and will guide a preferred alternative that staff will recommend to the Planning Commission and ultimately the Board of County Commissioners.

Chesney said the draft examines three broad approaches — a no-action alternative, an infill-focused strategy that would rely heavily on regulatory changes, and an approach reflecting recent historic development patterns — and includes maps and analyses of candidate urban-growth study areas. Staff will compile public comments for the planning commission's review; Chesney noted a June 25 planning-division review is scheduled and that board-level action previously scheduled for early July will be pushed back to account for the extended comment period.

Chesney also outlined the statutory schedule that drives the process: staff aim to have a final-draft plan ready the week after Labor Day so the Department of Commerce can complete a 60-day review ahead of a final public hearing in November and a board action target of Dec. 15. He urged residents to submit comments through the project webpage or on-site materials; a QR code and comment pads were made available at the open house. "We will address every single comment we get," he said.