Commissioners delay action on comp plan updates
Kootenai County commissioners are not ready to adopt revisions to the county’s comprehensive planning map.
Yet.
Following two public hearings this week and more than 18 months of public input, commissioners said they want to extend the public participation period at least until the end of the year. About 40 people attended this week’s hearings.
While there will not be any additional public hearings, commissioners will accept written comments on the comprehensive plan prior to making final deliberations and adopting the plan Jan. 23.
County communications manager Nancy Jones said commissioners would prefer to have all written comment by Dec. 31. Comments can be emailed to kcbocc@kcgov.us or mailed to commissioners at P.O. Box 9000, Coeur d’Alene, 83816.
During public testimony last week, several residents voiced support for adoption of a 16-page document that outlines changes made by the county’s planning and zoning commission.
Jones noted, however, that the actual comprehensive plan is about 200 pages that addresses all aspects of the county’s land-use policies.
Community development director David Callahan said Friday he was pleased that the recent public comments did not reflect a desire for any major changes to the comp plan as forwarded to commissioners by the planning and zoning commission.
“To me, the public process went exactly as it should,” Callahan said. “I think (planning and zoning commission) has done what needed to be done and now it’s in the hands of the decision makers.”
In a process that began last year, the county’s planning and zoning commission extensively combed through the comp plan during a series of workshops and public hearings that culminated in September when commissioners voted 4-3 to forward its revisions to commissioners.
The comp plan is a blueprint that will guide how rural areas in the county grow and develop over the next several years by providing a broad statement of community goals and policies. The plan was last updated in 2010.