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Plan Commission approves sending preferred alternative to public hearing after map edits and EIS limits noted
Summary
The commission agreed to send the preferred alternative to a public hearing on April 14, 2026, after staff removed specific sites (including Contempo Mobile Home Park) from analysis citing development agreements and displacement concerns and emphasized the limits of the draft EIS footprint.
The Spokane Plan Commission voted March 11 to send the commission’s preferred alternative for the comprehensive plan to a public hearing on April 14, 2026, after staff reviewed draft EIS constraints and made targeted edits to the growth map.
Staff said the preferred alternative is still at a block‑level stage and not yet a refined land‑use map. Staff recommended removing the South Indian Trail site because it is subject to an active development agreement and recommended removing Contempo Mobile Home Park from the preferred alternative analysis due to low redevelopment likelihood and displacement concerns. “We worked with the consultant to remove that on your map before you today,” staff said.
Why it matters: The preferred alternative will guide where higher‑intensity zoning may be considered; removing sites from the EIS footprint or the preferred alternative narrows the set of locations subject to capacity and displacement analysis. Commissioners expressed concern about public comprehension of the map and asked staff for more zoomable, quadrant maps and explanatory materials so hearing participants can understand that the red/colored blobs on the map show potential study areas, not automatic up‑zoning or parcel‑level changes.
Commissioners and staff discussed EIS limits: staff said the draft EIS analysis sets parameters that can be mixed between growth alternatives but cannot be extended to new areas without additional environmental study (a costly process). Several commissioners urged clearer prehearing materials explaining state legal requirements that necessitate amendments to the plan.
Motion and outcome: A motion to take the preferred alternative to hearing on April 14 at 2 p.m. passed by voice vote; commissioners indicated they would prepare potential amendments for consideration before the hearing.
Next steps: Staff will produce more detailed map views for outreach, prepare hearing materials (including context on state law and displacement analysis), and will present the housing chapter at an upcoming meeting.
