County Council to hear proposed housing code amendments on March 5

News Release from Clark Co. WA Communications

Posted on FlashAlert: February 16th, 2024 11:32 AM

Vancouver, Wash. – The Clark County Council will consider proposed housing code amendments at a public hearing at 10 a.m. on March 5.

The meeting will be held in a hybrid format. Anyone interested can join in person in the sixth-floor hearing room of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. or virtually via Webex. Additional meeting details will be posted on the project web page at https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/housing-options-study-and-action-plan.

The council held a public hearing on July 25, 2023, regarding proposed middle housing/single-family housing code amendments and related comprehensive plan text amendments. At the hearing, council requested staff and the project consultants to complete additional work on the code amendments with review and consideration by the Technical Housing Code Forum. Forum meetings were held Oct. 5 and Nov. 16, 2023.

The related proposed comprehensive plan text amendments were approved by the council at the July 25, 2023, hearing. The comprehensive plan text amendments were needed to insure consistency between the proposed code changes and the county’s current 20-year comprehensive plan.

The proposed code changes, comprehensive plan text amendments and other project information can be found on the project webpage at www.clark.wa.gov/housingoptions.

County council approved the Housing Options Study and Action Plan (HOSAP) in May of 2022 and directed staff to begin working on implementing strategies in the plan. The purpose of the plan is to encourage development of housing that is affordable to a variety of household incomes through the removal of regulatory barriers and/or implementation of other initiatives within the unincorporated Vancouver Urban Growth Area. The neighborhoods in this area include Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek, Felida, Pleasant Highlands, Minnehaha and Orchards. These neighborhoods have urban services that could support diverse housing types, like duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, condominiums, and small-scale apartments, compared to the rural unincorporated areas of the county.

Contact Info:

Jose Alvarez, Community Planning, 564.397. 4898, jose.alvarez@clark.wa.gov

Susan Ellinger, Community Planning, 564.397.4516, susan.ellinger@clark.wa.gov