Spokane Valley Planning Commission Recommends 2026-2046 Comprehensive Plan, October 22, 2026

The Spokane Valley Planning Commission met at City Hall on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. to review the draft 2026-2046 Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations. The public hearing was opened at approximately 6:07 p.m. After staff presentations, public testimony, and deliberation, the commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval to the City Council with amendments.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda approved 7-0.
• Minutes of the October 8, 2026 meeting approved 7-0.

Commission Reports & Administrative Report

• Vice Chair McKinley reported attending the Tuesday City Council open house and meeting, noted shared issues, and commented that the city should reduce its reliance on grants and trim government.
• City planner Steve Roberge said a possible additional meeting is targeted for November 5, 2026, if needed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• William Medge, a Spokane Valley property owner living just outside the city, said the draft’s ban on short-term rentals in ADUs while allowing them in the main house is overly restrictive; he asked the commission to consider allowing one short-term rental per property regardless of which structure is used. He also voiced concern that a hilly residential neighborhood south of the freeway near Argonne is zoned RC/commercial, which discourages homeowners from investing in improvements.
• Steve Burks, owner of the Treehouse Club, a licensed cannabis retailer operating in Spokane Valley since December 2014, thanked the commission for reconsidering cannabis relocation but argued the proposed restrictions could make relocation practically impossible. He questioned why Pines, Evergreen, and Sullivan were excluded while Sprague, Argonne, Mullen, and Trent were included, why Trent Avenue sites must be directly on the highway, and why the MU zone was excluded. He noted state law already imposes nine 1,000-foot restricted-entity buffers, while the proposal adds seven more, and he requested a parcel-level analysis showing how many sites remain available. He urged adoption of state regulations without the additional city restrictions.

Discussion Items

• Staff, led by city planner Steve Roberge and staff member Tony, presented draft development code changes, including: making final plats a Type 1 permit; removing courtyard apartments, sixplexes, and stacked flats as middle housing types; adding flexibility for battery energy storage systems in industrial zones and at hospitals/911 dispatch centers; counting accessory structures toward maximum residential lot coverage; allowing existing cannabis retailers to relocate under specified conditions; incorporating Department of Ecology-required wetland and stream changes; and removing obsolete pre-1991 setback language.
• Staff explained the battery energy storage changes keep the 2 MWh exemption, allow up to 10 MWh systems as accessory uses in industrial zones and at state-licensed hospitals and 911 dispatch centers, and add a 100-foot residential setback, screening, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• The cannabis proposal would allow existing licensees as of the expected December 15, 2026 adoption date to relocate in CMU, IMU, and RC zones, subject to location and buffer requirements, including reducing the Centennial/Appleway trail buffer from 1,000 to 500 feet. Staff estimated more than 150 parcels could be available under the proposed regulations, though site-specific review would be required.
• Commissioner discussion addressed shared parking for commercial uses with complementary hours, with staff noting that the exemption from parking requirements for commercial uses under 3,000 square feet is state-mandated. The commission agreed to ask staff to draft shared-parking flexibility for compatible, non-conflicting uses.
• Staff reviewed six individual zoning/land use amendment requests. Staff recommended five: a two-parcel request near Evergreen north of Broadway to CMU; a request at Broadway and Marguerite to CMU; two Barker-area parcel requests from R3 to CMU; and a city-requested IMU-to-mixed-use change near Trent/Millwood. Staff did not recommend the sixth request near the Mullan/Argonne interchange, citing spot-zoning concerns and impacts on commercial capacity. After discussion, the commission chose not to rezone that RC area, noting the new code would allow middle housing in RC zones.
• Comment letters were discussed: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife comments were generally treated as suggestions rather than requirements, while Department of Ecology comments led to code changes. Fire district comments on street standards were largely deferred to a future street standards review.

Key Outcomes

• The commission voted 7-0 to move the draft 2026-2046 Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations forward to the City Council with amendments.
• Cannabis amendment (7-0): add relocation eligibility within 300 feet of Pines from Sprague to Trent, Sullivan from Sprague to Trent, and the one-way portion of Appleway Road.
• Short-term rental amendment (7-0): allow only one short-term rental per lot, whether in the primary dwelling or an ADU; short-term rental defined as a stay of fewer than 30 consecutive nights.
• Shared parking direction (7-0): staff will prepare flexibility for shared parking among multiple commercial uses with compatible, non-conflicting hours and bring it back for the next meeting.
• Staff will prepare revised code language, findings of fact, and conclusions for the November 5, 2026 meeting. If completed then, the November 12 meeting would not be needed.