With the City of Centralia projected to continue growing in population, city staff are updating Centralia’s comprehensive plan to reflect which direction residents want that growth to go during the next 20 years.
During a city council meeting on Jan. 22, Centralia Community Development Director Emil Pierson announced Centralians can share their thoughts on the comprehensive plan in an online survey.
“We’re very excited to get that out, and we’re really hoping that we get school kids and every single resident in our community to participate and give us feedback,” Pierson said.
According to Pierson, the survey covers a number of different aspects in Centralia, from quality of life to housing to commercial and industrial developments.
A comprehensive plan is a 20-year vision establishing goals, policies and implementation strategies surrounding a community’s growth. It focuses on land use, population and employment growth.
The Washington state Growth Management Act requires all cities and counties maintain and update their comprehensive plans periodically, and Centralia’s is due for an update by June 30, 2025.
“We want everyone’s feedback on this,” Pierson said. “With that, we’ll be able to put it together, and if we need to make adjustments to our land uses or to our goals and policies that we have within our comprehensive plan, this will be part of the way we shape that.”
Other elements of Centralia’s comprehensive plan include environmental factors such as flooding, historic preservation, economic development, public facilities and utilities, capital facilities, financing, a transportation plan, a parks, recreation and open space plan and a climate resiliency plan.
Pierson added the survey is available in Spanish thanks to Centralia City Councilor Adrianna Garibay assisting with translation.
To access the online survey, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WDXDQW2.
Those unable to access the online survey can visit the community development director’s office on the second floor of Centralia City Hall for a hard copy, Pierson stated. He anticipated leaving the survey open for residents to comment until the end of February.
For information, including a calendar of upcoming comprehensive plan update meetings and a housing simulator, visit https://www.cityofcentralia.com/563/2025-Comprehensive-Plan-Update.
The next comprehensive plan update meeting will be discussing goals, policies and the urban growth area boundary and will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8, at Centralia City Hall, located at 118 W. Maple St. in downtown Centralia.
