Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and the Vancouver City Council get high praise for planning for the future generations. It takes political courage to plan for a generation that isn’t currently old enough to vote or make campaign contributions. It is an example of putting public service over politics.
Now, the Clark County Council is starting their process to update the Comprehensive Growth Plan, which is a policy guide for how the county will manage future growth and development. That planning will affect almost every aspect of how we live, such as housing, land use, parks, schools, transportation and community design.
The county council has made a positive step in planning for the future by adopting the Clark County Housing Options Study and Action Plan. This plan aims to encourage development of a variety of housing types in the hope of filling the gap in accessible affordable housing. The next step will be to adopt the 20-year population projection. Choosing an accurate number is vital in creating a well-planned community. The Department of Commerce’s medium projections have been highly accurate in the past. Higher projections create sprawl and do not encourage building affordable housing. Contact your councilor and urge him/her to choose the medium number.
