Clark County Code Changes
At the direction of the Board of County Commissioners, Long Range Planning has prepared code changes that remove local restrictions to amend urban growth boundary areas. If adopted in June, developers will control the long range planning agenda in Clark County.
Here's why. First, by state law Clark County is required to update their 20 year comprehensive growth plan every 10 years. Current county code requires this update "not less than every five years." If this restriction is removed, the urban growth boundary area can be expanded every year.
Does that meet your definition of long range planning?
Second, current county code contains triggers for expansion of the urban growth boundary area that are based on the available vacant and buildable land inventory. Available residential and commercial land must be depleted by 75% and available industrial land must be depleted by 50%. Without this provision, the urban growth boundary area can be expanded no matter how much land is available.
Does that meet your definition of long range planning?
Here's the impact. Developers are constantly buying parcels of land outside the urban growth boundary area. Under current county code they are speculating on when they will be able to develop. Without the local restrictions the county board wants removed, these developers can come to the county every year asking for those parcels to be brought within the urban growth boundary.
Does that meet your definition of long range planning?
For more information on proposed Clark County Code changes
Clark County Long Range planning has prepared a SEPA report that concludes these code changes will have no significant impact on the environment. We disagree!
For the Friends of Clark County analysis of the impacts of these code changes go to this page.
For the Friends of Clark County response to the county's SEPA DNS (Determination of Non Significance) go to this page.
Action items
Despite the enormous impacts from these proposed code changes, the public record has only 3 public comments (2 of them are from FoCC). This suggests a lack of public awareness.
Because silence implies consent, we need your help to overcome that. You can:
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