KayCee Downey, Senior Planner, 509.625.6500
Friday, September 4, 2026 at 10:58 a.m.
The City of Spokane is a four-season city with access to 12 conservation areas within 10 miles of downtown and more than 75 lakes within an hour’s drive. This quality of life makes natural environment top of mind for many of the area’s residents. It was even more apparent during community engagement for the PlanSpokane 2046 periodic update to the Comprehensive Plan. Access to nature. Sustainability and environmental stewardship. Health and clean environment. These, and many other themes heard from the community, helped inform the ongoing update to the Comprehensive Plan.
In addition to the Comprehensive Plan, there is significant work and documents that help protect the City’s natural environment. Below is just a snapshot of the various plans, ordinances, and regulations that work together to protect, preserve, and improve the community’s access to nature.
The City of Spokane is currently working through a periodic update to its Comprehensive Plan, called PlanSpokane 2046. The Comprehensive Plan includes multiple Chapters covering a wide range of topics with goals and policies that guide future actions and decisions of the City. Additionally, as part of the update, the City completed a Climate Planning effort to support community resiliency to growing climate hazards, including ways to support the natural environment. Read a full overview of the climate policies as recommended by the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board.
While the draft Comprehensive Plan includes numerous goals and policies related to the natural environment throughout the document, three Chapters in particular focus on the topic: Natural Environment, Parks and Recreation, and Shorelines.
Chapter 9, Natural Environment, addresses the natural environment of the City of Spokane and the surrounding region. The Chapter includes topics such as rivers, wetlands, the urban forest, nature areas, the aquifer, clean air and water, trails, energy efficiency, agricultural lands, the economy, and wildlife. As part of the PlanSpokane 2046 Climate Planning process, additional policies were added to the Chapter related to water conservation, aquatic and upland habitat, habitat network, interconnected natural systems, Tribal collaboration, and data collection and monitoring. The Natural Environment Chapter also includes a new map showing priority areas for conservation.
The draft Natural Environment Chapter is open for public feedback on the Chapter Review webpage.
Chapter 12, Parks and Recreation, supports opportunities for relaxation, recreation, and enjoyment of natural features and landscaping provided by parks and open spaces. Key topics include parks, trails, maintenance and funding, and resiliency. In particular, the first goal of the Chapter (PR-1, Preservation and Conservation), seeks to assure the preservation and conservation of unique, fragile, and scenic natural and non-renewable resources for the enjoyment and use of the public. The related policies emphasize the river corridors and the acquisition of natural areas, as well as open space considerations.
The draft Parks and Recreation Chapter is open for public feedback on the Chapter Review webpage.
Chapter 14, Shorelines, contains goals and policies that set the direction for the preservation, restoration, use, modifications, and development of the shoreline areas of the Spokane River and Latah Creek within the City limits. The Chapter is one aspect of the Shoreline Master Program (below) to recognize the shorelines of Spokane as being among the City’s most valuable and fragile natural resources.
No changes to the Shorelines Chapter are proposed during the PlanSpokane 2046 periodic update to the Comprehensive Plan, as this technical Chapter has a separate approval process through the Department of Ecology. Instead, the Chapter is expected to go through its own update cycle in 2031.
The Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) is a part of the update to development regulations that is consistent with, but generally occurs after, the update to the Comprehensive Plan. This ordinance (Chapters 17E.010, 17E.020, 17E.030, 17E.040, & 17E.070 of the Spokane Municipal Code) protects wetlands, critical aquifer recharge areas, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas. The City has a responsibility to update its Critical Areas Ordinance with any legislation that has been passed since its last update.
These critical areas perform various ecological functions, and their protection is essential to protect public health and safety as well as the environment’s inherent economic, ecological, social, and cultural value. There are many ways that the Critical Areas Ordinance protects the critical areas, either through restricting development, mitigating impacts, or compensating for the impact. The goal is to preserve the function and value of the ecosystem, and while some impact to critical areas is likely to occur, it is the goal of the Critical Areas Ordinance and state law that those impacts are minimized, and the functions of the ecosystem are replaced.
Many of the protection areas and designations come from ‘best available science’ that many State agencies, such as the Department of Ecology and Department of Fish and Wildlife, conduct. Best available science is then integrated into the City’s Critical Areas Ordinance, either by reference or input directly, to ensure that it is consistent with State requirements. The City of Spokane’s Critical Areas Ordinance is planned to be updated following the Comprehensive Plan update to ensure that the City is compliant with State requirements and to ensure protection of the City’s valuable natural resources.
The City of Spokane’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP) includes Chapter 14, Shorelines, in the Comprehensive Plan, as well as Chapter 17E.060 Shoreline Regulations in the Spokane Municipal Code. Rather than the Growth Management Act the SMP is regulated by the Shoreline Management Act of 1971 (RCW 90.58). Additionally, where critical areas are within the shoreline jurisdiction the master program alone will provide protection for critical areas. The Shoreline Management Act applies to “shorelines of statewide significance” in the City of Spokane that means that the Spokane River and Latah Creek are subject to a master program. The Shoreline Management Act’s overarching goal is “to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines.” From this the City of Spokane’s Shoreline Master Program derives its purpose which is to promote and enhance the public interest, protect public health and welfare, protect public rights of navigation, protect the ecological functions of the shoreline, enhance the aesthetics of the shoreline, and protect private property rights.
Although the Shoreline Master Program is a part of the Comprehensive Plan, they are updated on a separate timeline. The Shoreline Management Act states that the next update to the Shoreline Master Program for the City of Spokane is on or before June 30, 2031. Much like the Growth Management Act and the Comprehensive Plan, the City expects to be working towards the completion of the master program well ahead of the June 30, 2031 deadline when the Department of Ecology makes grants available (typically two years prior to the due date).
The Spokane Municipal Code (SMC) contains rules that guide development and uses throughout the City. While various sections of the municipal code impact the natural environment and how it relates to the built environment, Title 17E Environmental Standards is the most directly related collection of regulations. This Title pertains to Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas and aquifer protection, fish and wildlife conservation areas, floodplain management, geologically hazardous areas, shoreline regulations, and wetland protection.
These and many other plans, ordinances, and regulations work together to continue protecting and enhancing the natural environment for generations to come. You can be part of the process by staying informed about the Comprehensive Plan update and opportunities to provide public comment by signing up for the PlanSpokane newsletter.
Learn more at the PlanSpokane 2046 webpage at planspokane.org.
For questions and comments, you can reach out to the project team at PlanSpokane@spokanecity.org.
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