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Kevin Freibott

Chance to Change the Comprehensive Plan

Kevin Freibott, Planner II, 509.625.6184


Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 12:35 p.m.

Chance to Change the Comprehensive Plan

The City of Spokane is taking applications for the 2019/2020 Comprehensive Plan Amendment program.  Each year the City takes private applications from anyone who has suggested edits.

Titled “Shaping Spokane,” the City’s comprehensive plan provides essential vision and policy guidance to all the many things the City does. Created from significant amounts of public input, study, and consideration, the comprehensive plan provides the most important guidance as to the long-term growth and management of the City. It 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 City of Spokane is committed to conducting an annual process to consider amendments to the comprehensive plan. The Growth Management Act specifies that amendments to a comprehensive plan cannot be made more frequently than once per year. The purpose 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.

While major updates to the comprehensive plan only occur every eight years (the next one is scheduled for 2025), minor changes and fixes are allowed once per year. The City is accepting applications now through October 31, 2019 for consideration in 2020.

Here’s the process!

  • Step 1: Schedule a pre-application conference.
  • Step 2: Complete the application. (Fee is required)
  • Step 3: Wait for notification if your application for amendment will be considered by the City Planning Commission.
  • Step 4: If recommended, the amendment goes to City Council for approval.

For more details, review the Spokane Municipal Code section 17G.020 on the amendment process. If you are interested in submitting an application for a comprehensive plan amendment, or you would like to schedule a pre-application conference, please contact Kevin Freibott at kfreibott@spokanecity.org or call 509.625.6184. Keep in mind that the City requires payment of a fee for the processing of these applications.

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