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Dear Community Member,
Thank you to everyone who attended the first of our PlanSpokane 2046 Community Workshop Series yesterday at Ferris High School. We have three more dates to hear from the community on future growth and policies to guide the next twenty years for Spokane.
This workshop series is an opportunity to learn more about the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update and provide feedback to direct the effort through community discussion, mapping exercises, and other activities.
No RSVP required. Families are welcome! Food and kids’ activities will be available at each workshop. These are drop-in events, so please attend when your schedule allows.
- District 1 Workshop – Wednesday, Nov. 12, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
- Yasuhara Middle School cafeteria, 2701 N Perry St. Near STA Routes 27 and 36.
- District 3 Workshop – Tuesday, Nov 18, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
- Salk Middle School cafeteria, 6411 N Alberta St.. Near STA Routes 23 and 35.
- Citywide Workshop – Wednesday, Nov. 19, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
- Central Library, Events Room A, 906 W Main Ave. Near the STA Plaza.
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Out in the Community: Fall Leaf Festival
Climate Planning staff were out in the community last month, including at the Fall Leaf Festival at Finch Arboretum. The annual family event brings together community members and local organizations to play in the leaves, celebrate trees and the environment, and explore the Arboretum.
At the event, we asked community members what types of uses do they want to see in their neighborhood, allowing people to walk or bike to nearby services and reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles. When ranking uses, cafes and restaurants received 60 votes, convenience and grocery stores received 53, mixed-use development received 40, and offices (work, doctors’ offices, etc.) received a total of 12 votes. This feedback will help inform future policy decisions to support a more resilient Spokane.
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Spokane County Waste Ambassadors Program
During the ongoing Climate Planning effort, community engagement has indicated a desire for increased public information on how to support local resiliency and volunteer programs. While the project team continues to work with the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board to develop policies for the Comprehensive Plan (watch the September 18, October 9, and October 29 workshops for more information), we wanted to share an existing program that supports community collaboration to build local resiliency.
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Join the Spokane County Waste Ambassador Program!
Are you passionate about waste reduction and creating a sustainable future? The Spokane County Waste Ambassador program empowers community members to make a difference through improved practices, ongoing education, innovation, and volunteerism.
This program takes a broad approach to waste reduction, exploring topics like food waste, composting, litter, textile waste, and the climate impacts of materials management. You'll also gain insight into our local waste systems and ways to drive meaningful change.
How to Get Started:
Register for a one-time orientation and begin your journey to improving the health and well-being of people and the planet.
Be a part of the solution—join us in making our community a cleaner, greener place to live!
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Draft Chapters Now Out for Public Comment
The Draft Non-Technical Chapters are now out for public comment. Edits to the Community, Environment, and How We Grow Chapters have been made based on legislative requirements, direction from the Spokane Plan Commission, and community engagement. The drafts can be found at the Chapter Review webpage, under the chapter categories.
All comments and recommendations can be sent to PlanSpokane@spokanecity.org. We encourage the public to include the Chapter name and Goal/Policy number(s) as applicable.
Why should you care about the draft Comprehensive Plan? Learn more about the topics and ways these chapters impact our future.
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Modernizing Spokane’s Development Code for a Stronger Future
The City of Spokane is moving forward with a major modernization of its development code, the primary tool used to implement the community’s 20-year vision. The effort is intended to simplify and clarify Spokane’s zoning and development regulations, making them easier to understand and apply for residents, developers, and staff.
Working with national consultant Clarion Associates, the City is reviewing the full code to improve organization, remove redundancies, and ensure consistency with state law. The updated code will also be coordinated with the ongoing PlanSpokane 2046 Periodic Update to the Comprehensive Plan to ensure future regulations align with the vision and goals established through that process.
Together, these updates will help the City of Spokane create a more predictable, efficient, and responsive framework for growth and development.
| | ADU Open House at the Northeast Community Center | | City of Spokane staff met with interested homeowners at the Northeast Community Center on October 20 to talk about building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). City planners and building staff were able to look at specific parcels with homeowners to discuss the development process and requirements to consider as they develop ADU projects. Thank you to The ZONE for hosting us! | | |
Noticing Amendments Approved by Spokane Plan Commission
On October 8, the Plan Commission held a hearing on the proposed amendments to the requirements for providing notice of various planning and land use actions. The Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval. The proposal is expected to be presented at the City Council’s Urban Experience committee on Monday, Nov. 10, and is expected to be considered for adoption during a City Council hearing on Monday, Dec. 1.
The goal of the amendments is to provide better clarity and improve the organization of the code. Under the proposed changes, important noticing milestones are grouped into easy-to-read tables. Specific definitions are also provided for the various types of notice.
Watch the October 8 hearing for more information.
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City Joins Senator Riccelli’s Work to Support Workforce Housing
On October 23, Senator Marcus Riccelli hosted an open house with local developers and property owners about a proposed expansion of the statewide Pavement to People Sales and Use Tax incentive outlined in RCW 82.92 (known as Pavement 2 People in Spokane). The Senator was seeking feedback on how the incentive could be tweaked so that it helps workforce housing projects pencil, a big part of which would be expanding the definition of eligible sites to include underutilized and vacant properties. The Senator will incorporate feedback and commentary as he advocates for this proposal during the 2026-27 Legislative Session to begin January 12, 2026.
The City of Spokane was the first city in Washington to adopt code enabling the use of Parking 2 People. You can learn more about the program at the City’s webpage.
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Division TOD Community Update
The City of Spokane held a Division Transit Oriented Development (TOD) open house on October 22. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared valuable feedback! Next steps will include finalizing the node concepts and beginning the draft plan. For more information on the project and to keep up to date on future participation events, please visit the project page.
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What Happened?
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October 8 Public Workshop: The Spokane Plan Commission heard a presentation on Division TOD node concepts and workshopped co-living housing development regulation amendments. [watch 10.8.25 recording]
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October 8 Public Hearing: The Spokane Plan Commission held a public hearing on noticing requirement amendments. [watch 10.8.25 hearing]
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October 22 Public Workshop: The Spokane Plan Commission heard presentations on the PlanSpokane 2046 growth options and land use proposal. [watch 10.22.25 recording]
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October 22 Public Hearing: The Spokane Plan Commission held a public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan and co-living housing development regulation amendments. [watch 10.24.25 hearing]
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October 29 Public Hearing: The Spokane Plan Commission and Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board held a special joint meeting to discuss the integration of climate and resiliency policies within the Comprehensive Plan. [watch 10.29.25 recording]
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What's Next?
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Wednesday, Nov. 12 Public Workshop: The Spokane Plan Commission is tentatively scheduled to hear a presentation on the PlanSpokane 2046 Draft Environmental Impact Statement and an introduction to the Critical Areas Ordinance update.
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Wednesday, Nov. 26 Public Hearing: The Wednesday, Nov. 26, Spokane Plan Commission workshop is canceled for holiday observance.
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Development Services Center is Open to Serve You!
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
- In person - 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd - 3rd Floor of City Hall (Office is closed Wednesday mornings from 8-11 a.m. through the near future to allow staff to focus on permit load and reduce wait times. Calls will be forwarded to voicemail during this time.)
- Online - Skip a trip to City Hall with online permitting, an email to permitteam@spokanecity.org or Electronic Document Review
- Phone - A representative can assist you at 509.625.6300
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Provide written comment in email to PlanSpokane@spokanecity.org
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Interested in requesting an outreach event? Email us!
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You are receiving this email because you signed up via the Spokane Housing Action Plan website, have been identified as an individual or stakeholder in the discussion, or expressed interest in receiving planning project updates from the City of Spokane. Please feel free to share this email with others who are interested in receiving email announcements about this project. To unsubscribe, please email planspokane@spokanecity.org.
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