What will Lewis County look like in 2045? Ahead of a comprehensive plan update next June, that’s the question that the county’s Community Development Department wants to answer.
The county’s comprehensive plan is a guiding document for development and covers housing, transportation, economic development, land use and environmental preservation, among other areas.
As required by law, municipalities throughout the state must update their comprehensive plan to account for changes to state law.
“Every update, we have to address the state-mandated changes, but it’s also an opportunity to incorporate local priorities into the conversation,” Senior Long Range Planner Mindy Brooks said Thursday.
Last week, county staff were on hand during three open house-style community meetings to talk about the plan, the changes, and what’s next for Lewis County.
“Largely, a lot of stuff isn’t changing,” Brooks said. “There will still be the focus on agricultural land, forestry land like there always has been.”
The update, though, will address several changes to state law, including a requirement for jurisdictions to offer housing that is considered affordable at any income level.
To accomplish this, Brooks said the county is focused on the county’s unincorporated towns, including Onalaska, Mineral and Packwood.
“What that comes down to is identifying places where you can accommodate apartments,” Brooks said. “It’s removing rules that prohibit shelters. So we have to make a number of changes around that.”
For the first time, the comprehensive plan must also address “climate resiliency,” which will focus on wildfire, flooding and other natural hazards the county faces.
“A lot of it for us is researching what facilities, like bridges and senior centers, are vulnerable to flooding or fire and coming up with ways to address those issues,” Brooks said.
Learn more about the comprehensive plan update and how to provide input at https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/community-development under the “Comp Plan & Development Regulation Amendments” tab. For more information, contact Brooks at mindy.brooks@lewiscountywa.gov or 360-740-2610.
The plan must be adopted by June 2025.
