What's a Plan Commission?

You've probably heard the adage “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” In the case of the City of Spokane, you have ten citizens who believe planning matters and is one of the keys to our city's successful future. They leave their jobs as store owners, realtors, massage therapists, college professors, and busy parents to donate at least two days a month to making our city a better place to live. For decades, Spokane, like most major municipalities and counties, has used a volunteer Plan Commission. It is made up of residents who research, deliberate, and make recommendations to elected officials on land use codes and implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. In Spokane, we have ten Plan Commission members, appointed by the Mayor, who serve staggered five-year terms. The members are not paid and meet at least twice a month with City staff and the public to hear new ideas about how to make positive change in our community. The Commission holds public hearings on every-thing from smaller neighborhood issues (like the roundabout planned for Wellesley and A streets), to larger sweeping issues (like the multi-million dollar water, sewer, and street plans). The Commission's recommendations are then sent to the City Council for consideration to change the idea or proposal into a new law or a funded project.

Councilman Al French attends as a liaison between the City Council and the Commission.  Kaye Straight serves as a liaison to the Community Assembly. These positions help improve communication between the groups which often work together on citywide planning issues.  Commissioners spend much of their time implementing the Comprehensive Plan, which is a massive document borne out of a five-year community process called Spokane Horizons. Adopted in 2001 by the City Council, the hefty notebook is affectionately referred to as “The Comp. Plan.” Thousands of citizens participated in its creation as a vision for how the city will grow in the next 20 years and it is the Commissioners' job to see that it is put to work by all areas of City government.  The Plan Commission is earnestly working to develop the new regulations that will implement this vision and hopes to report the progress in future issues. The Commission meets the 2^nd and 4^th Wednesdays of each month, usually in the daytime at City Hall. Some public hearings are held in the evenings so more citizens may attend. Meetings are open for anyone to observe. Each meeting includes time set aside for public questions and feedback, which is welcomed as part of the City's commitment to an early and continuous public process directed by the state's Growth Management Act.

 by Candace Mumm

Past President, Spokane Plan Commission

Meetings

• The Planning Commission will meet in 2008 on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, usually in the City  Council Briefing Center. Please note that the items scheduled and their order is only tentative and subject to change until the final agenda is printed after 8:30 a.m. the day of the meeting. To confirm items and their order, contact the Planning Services Department at 625-6015.

• The meetings generally begin at 12:00 p.m. or may be scheduled in the evening for better public comments.

• Located at City Hall, 808 West Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, Washington 99201-3329.

Members

Send mail to webmaster@spokanecity.org with questions or comments about this web site.

Created in May of 2003

Last modified: June 19, 2008 11:30 AM