Mary Brooks

This Active Transportation Plan for Spokane County outlines a strategic roadmap to guide policies, planning, and development of active transportation networks. Its key goals are to enhance safety, improve connectivity through a low-stress network of facilities, ensure equitable access for all community members, and promote the overall health of county residents. The initiative envisions a safe, connected, and accessible infrastructure that supports active transportation for both daily commutes and recreational purposes.

This chapter of the Spokane County Comprehensive Plan focuses on the Natural Environment Element, integrating topics such as Critical Areas (wetlands, aquifer recharge, fish and wildlife habitats, frequently flooded areas, geologically hazardous areas), tree conservation, shorelines, surface water quality and quantity, and air quality. The plan aims to protect and enhance Spokane County's natural environment, balancing growth with preservation, ensuring clean air and water, and addressing climate resiliency, while recognizing the cultural significance of these resources to Tribal Nations. It outlines goals and policies for management, protection, and restoration of these vital natural features.

This document outlines Spokane County's Climate Element, an integral part of its 2026 Comprehensive Plan update. The plan addresses new Washington House Bill 1181 requirements to enhance local resilience to climate change impacts and hazards and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Its strategic direction includes aggressive GHG emission reduction targets (e.g., 30% below 2022 levels by 2030, ultimately reaching 90% below 2022 levels by 2050) across sectors such as transportation, development, waste management, and building practices. Additionally, it aims to strengthen climate resilience by protecting natural systems, vulnerable communities, working lands, infrastructure, and emergency management practices, with specific long-term targets for habitat preservation, forest land retention, increased tree canopy, and Firewise practices.

This chapter of the Spokane County Comprehensive Plan focuses on Natural Resource Lands, emphasizing their economic, aesthetic, cultural, and environmental importance. It categorizes these lands into large tract agriculture, small tract agriculture, mineral lands, and forest lands, providing specific designation criteria. The plan outlines policies for governmental services, land use, residential development, and conservation strategies, including tax policies, innovative techniques like Transfer of Development Rights and conservation easements, and promotion of agritourism. The overarching goal is to protect and preserve natural resource lands for future generations, ensuring their long-term commercial viability and ecological resilience.

The meeting focused on reviewing feedback for the first draft of the housing element of the comprehensive plan update, specifically regarding the CPPs for affordable housing. Key discussion points included general language adjustments, concerns over prescriptive language versus the need for strong language in policies, potential adjustments to the Monitoring Housing Development category based on upcoming WACK updates, and the planned addition of a new Environmental Sustainability chapter to the CPPs. The status of the Emergency Housing category was reviewed, noting that the current policy was deemed redundant, and input was sought for developing new policies in this area. Feedback also included numerous strategy recommendations. The committee discussed specific policy points related to anti-speculation taxes, innovation zoning (which was marked for removal internally), tenant-based rental assistance funding sources, and language concerning limiting single-family housing in certain areas near transit and employment, with a preference stated for incentives over prohibitions. The timeline for adoption was discussed, targeting September recommendations from the subcommittee and subsequent public hearings.