Spokane Co Planning Commission tackles growth with Comp Plan Review

How much does Spokane County need to grow?

That is the key question before the Spokane County Planning Commission. On one hand, the Washington Department of Commerce says we need 70,000 new housing units by the year 2041. Yet, using a different formula, that projects the number of housing units needed per family, Spokane REALTORS believes that number could be much higher, around 95,000 housing units.

Once the Planning Commission sets their targets, the real work begins. The state now requires counties to make projections based on current and future needs, on needs based on incomes, on ways to overcome racial disparities, on infrastructure needs and a new addition, finding ways to reduce car miles traveled. A series of workshops and hearing will take place with a number of opportunities for input between now and Spokane County’s final submission under the Growth Management Act by June of 2025.

Additionally, the Planning Commission will be undergoing implementation of several new state laws such as:

• Alllowing Multi-Family homes within all housing areas
• Changes to adding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s)
• Shorter deadlines for permit review
• State Law changes to allow for more homes to be built without a SEPA review