Comprehensive Plan

Our Vancouver: Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code Update

The City of Vancouver is working with the community to update its 20-year Comprehensive Plan and the zoning code that regulates what gets built and where. These are some of our community’s most important tools to plan for the future of Vancouver. Since 2023, Community members and the City have worked together to build a shared vision and goals for what Vancouver be like in 2045, and developed two land use alternatives that can help us achieve it. The land use alternatives represent the range of ways that Vancouver can grow and develop, and also comply with new state laws intended to address housing, climate and other needs. The City analyzed the potential environmental impacts of these options against a “no action” alternative (basically keep doing what we’ve been doing), and released the findings in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS).

We invite community members to explore the alternatives and their potential impacts and tell us what they think! The public comment period for Draft EIS starts July 8 and runs through September 8^th. To help walk community members through the range of potential changes and impacts, staff summarized some of the key takeaways of the Draft EIS in an online StoryMap. Staff will be available to talk to community members and answer questions at several upcoming virtual and in person events. There are also several options for sending in your comments. Visit the StoryMap to get started. Visit the Be Heard Vancouver site to learn more about upcoming engagement events and past phases of this project.

After the Draft EIS comment period closes on September 8, the City will review and compile comments received, and respond to them in a published Final EIS which includes a “Preferred Alternative” citywide land use map, based on parts of the Draft Alternatives. The Preferred Alternative and implementing policies and zoning standards will be brought forward for workshops and public hearings before the Vancouver Planning Commission and City Council in the fall and winter.

Key Links

Our Vancouver Be Heard page
Draft Environmental Impact Statement Draft EIS (PDF)
Draft Environmental Impact Statement – Notice of Availability (PDF)
Online StoryMap

Site Specific Zoning Designations

The new Comprehensive Plan and zoning code will establish new individual designations for all properties throughout the City of Vancouver. New designations are intended to create a simpler, more flexible system with more options for property owners. They are also intended to meet new housing laws and needs, to provide a range of employment opportunities for the community as it grows, and to better link together different land uses so the things residents need and use are closer by.

The online StoryMap shows potential new zoning designations for properties citywide under the Draft EIS Alternatives, and includes information in the new zoning categories. Parties wishing to comment on the potential zoning designation at a specific property, or to request a different designation, can do so by submitting comments on the Draft EIS. There will be opportunities throughout the remainder of the Comprehensive Plan update process to provide input, including at future Planning Commission and City Council workshops and hearings.

Background: Updating the existing plan & Our Vancouver 2045

Since the Comprehensive Plan was last updated in 2011, Vancouver has experienced significant growth, as well as demographic, economic and social changes. Since 2023, the City has been working with the Vancouver community to develop and outline a roadmap for how we realize a shared vision.

The comprehensive plan is a significant policy document that shapes how the community looks and feels and how it functions and operates over time. The plan will guide the City’s growth and development for the next 20 years, with a target year of 2045 for achieving the future vision for the City developed with the community and approved by City Council. Washington’s Growth Management Act requires the City to adopt an updated plan and changes to its zoning code by December 31, 2025.

What exactly is being updated?

To meet the requirements of the Growth Management Act, the City will need to do the following:

Perform a holistic re-write of the existing Comprehensive Plan;
Develop a detailed strategy for implementing the goals, policies, and strategies outlined within the revised plan;
Modify the existing zoning code (Title 20 of the Vancouver Municipal Code) that is reflective of the goals and policies identified in the revised plan;
Complete the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process outlined within the State Environmental Policy Act;
Continuously engage community members in the creation of the plan, consistent with state law and City Council policies.

Guiding questions

The planning process will be guided by several big questions, including:

Housing

How will we provide housing that is affordable and accessible to all members of the community, and provide room to meet the aggressive new local housing targets set by state law?
How will we address our community’s current housing deficit, the result of decades of underproduction and restrictive zoning?
How can we provide housing for the most vulnerable community members, while improving safety outcomes and community well-being for all?

Land Use, Development, and Infrastructure

How will we account for the significant population growth occurring within City limits and our urban growth boundary?
As our community continues to grow, what types of services, facilities and infrastructure will be needed?
How will the City’s infrastructure and land uses be resilient and responsive to natural disasters, emergencies and climate change?

Economic Development

How will we help shape a 21^st century local economy that supports all of our residents?
How will we help facilitate land, buildings, services, and infrastructure in the face of changing demographics, technologies, and business practices?

Equity and Opportunity

How can we develop an inclusive process for co-designing policy with the community, and ensure the voices of our most vulnerable and impacted community members are a central focus of the planning and policy design process?
How will the overall vision that is established in the plan inform equitable access to opportunity, employment, investment, and the benefits from those investments?
Who might potentially benefit the most or the least from these outcomes?

Climate and Environment

How can we mitigate and adapt to the effects of a changing climate?
How can we help make Vancouver a healthier community for all people?
How do we shape growth to support our community’s climate goal of net zero emissions by 2040 and support overall state greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction requirements?

How you can be a part of the process

Please share your feedback on the land use alternatives by reviewing and commenting on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), and telling us what you like and don’t like about each one. More information on the Draft EIS, including how to comment, is available in the online StoryMap.

Check out Be Heard to find information about the full plan update, process and work conducted to date.

Learn more

Contact Us

General questions on the overall Comprehensive Plan Update process can be sent to OurVancouver2045@cityofvancouver.us