During the March 25, 2024 City Council Hearing, the council voted unanimously to pass Resolution 2024-0029, setting the annual Comprehensive Plan Work Program for 2024. The council voted to move all applications forward for full processing, including a number of City-sponsored expansions, and to convert application Z23-474COMP from a private application to a City-sponsored proposal.
Applicants will now submit environmental review materials for distribution to agencies and tribes for comment in April. Following the agency review, if there are no additional studies needed, the 60-day public comment period will begin, providing the next of many opportunities for public participation in the process.
In the meantime, the general process for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan is provided under “Process Overview” below.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Comprehensive Plan Amendment process, please contact our Comprehensive Plan team at compplan@spokanecity.org or by phone at 509.625.6500. We accept written comment at any time on the proposals and are happy to answer any questions you have as well.
As part of its annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment program, the City of Spokane accepted applications from the public between September 1 and October 31 of 2023 for any proposed minor amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. During that period, the City received six applications for amendments to map LU-1, Land Use Plan Map. Note that one private application has been withdrawn and one private application has been converted to a cCity- sponsored proposal by the City Council. All proposed amendments are summarized in the following table:
| File # | General Location | Neighborhood | Proposed Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z23-474COMP (City-sponsored) |
Mission & Sinto | Chief Garry Park | “Mini Center” and “Residential Low” to “Mini Center” and “Office” |
| Z23-475COMP (Withdrawn) |
|||
| Z23-476COMP | Eighth Avenue | West Hills | “Office” and “Residential Low” to “General Commercial” |
| Z23-477COMP | Rustle & Bemis | West Hills | “Residential Low” to “General Commercial” |
| Z23-478COMP | Assembly & Bemis | West Hills | “Residential Low” to “General Commercial” |
| Z23-479COMP | Indian Trail | Balboa/South Indian Trail | “Residential Low” to “General Commercial”, “Open Space”, “Residential Moderate”, and “Residential Low” |
| Z24-105COMP (City-sponsored) |
South Logan Study Area | Logan | Various land use and zoning changes to implement the South Logan TOD Subarea Plan |
The City of Spokane's Comprehensive Plan addresses many facets of city life, including land use, transportation, capital facilities, housing, economic development, natural environment and parks, neighborhoods, social health, urban design, historic preservation, and leadership. The full document can be reviewed at the Shaping Spokane webpage.
The WA Growth Management Act specifies that amendments to a comprehensive plan cannot be made more frequently than once per year, except in certain special cases. The purpose for this is two-fold: it gives the plan stability over time–avoiding spontaneous changes in response to development pressures–and it groups all proposed amendments in a common process for consideration, providing the opportunity to examine their collective effects on the plan.
The City of Spokane accepts applications to amend the text or maps in the Comprehensive Plan between September 1 and October 31 each year, per SMC 17G.020. All complete applications received will be reviewed by a city council subcommittee. Those placed on the Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program for the City of Spokane will begin full review early in the calendar year. Anyone may make a proposal to amend the City's Comprehensive Plan.
Following review by City Council, who sets the Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program, Plan Commission consideration of each amendment proposal on the Work Program will be conducted at public workshops held during the public comment period, typically in the summer. Applicants will be afforded the opportunity to address the Plan Commission during the workshop regarding their application. The City Council considers the amendment proposals, staff report, and Plan Commission's amendment recommendations within the context of its budget discussions, and acts on the amendment proposals prior to or at the same time as it adopts the City budget, usually late fall. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Comprehensive Plan Amendment process, please contact our Comprehensive Plan team at compplan@spokanecity.org or by phone at 509.625.6500
The process for considering Comprehensive Plan Amendments requires 12-14 months from application to final decision, including the following major steps:
This is a very simplified graphic – please contact staff if you have any questions or would like to know about any additional steps and processes along the way.
City of Spokane
Department of Planning & Economic Development.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd
Spokane, WA 99201
509.625.6500
Kevin Freibott
Senior Planner
509.625.6184
kfreibott@spokanecity.org
Brandon Whitmarsh
Planner I
509.625.6846
bwhitmarsh@spokanecity.org
