The Chehalis City Council unanimously approved the periodic update to the city’s comprehensive plan Monday during its final council meeting of the year.
The periodic comprehensive plan update provides the city with an all-encompassing look at development, growth and vitality. The update process began in 2023 by soliciting consultant services for plan development.
The update consists of 12 chapters, referred to as elements. The elements consist of an introduction, community profile, land use, housing, economic development, transportation, the natural environment, parks and recreation, utilities, capital facilities, historic preservation, and climate resilience.
Each element takes a deep dive into its respective topic and provides policy guidance for each, aligning with the requirements of the Growth Management Act (GMA). Over the last 18 months, a team of city staff, contracted city staff, and consultant staff have worked closely to develop the updates in a fashion that complies with state mandates while integrating GMA policy.
All portions of the periodic comprehensive plan update have been through the required public review process. The updates were scrutinized by the Chehalis Planning Commission during multiple open public meetings and then later workshopped with the city council. The plan subsequently went through the required State Environmental Policy Act and Department of Commerce review process where additional modifications were made based on state agency comment.
The city adopted its most recent comprehensive plan update in 2018.
Included in the community profile are population trends, demographic statistics, and median household income, among other statistics. According to the 2022 ACS Estimates included in the most recent comprehensive plan update provided by the city, the unemployment rate in Chehalis is 7.1% while Lewis County’s is 7.8%. The average median household income in Chehalis in 2022 was $61,378 compared to $69,067 in Lewis County and $91,306 in Washington.
Only 627 of the 6,908 jobs located within Chehalis are held by people who also live in Chehalis; the other 6,281 jobs are filled by employees who commute into the city.
The draft comprehensive plan can be found on the city’s website at https://tinyurl.com/42xd7ve8.
