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Overview

The process to update the Comprehensive Plan began in early 2023 and will take just over three years to complete. This timeframe has allowed for in-depth community engagement and helped the project team ensure alignment with City and community priorities as well as State legislation.

Project Start-up (Spring 2023)

  • ✅ Project Initiation
    • 2/6/2023 City Council Workshop materials (pages 134 - 181)
  • ✅ Convene the Community Partners

    The Community Partners is a committee made up of City residents who are tasked with co-creating policy with the City for the Comprehensive Plan update. Our Community Partners meet regularly to discuss the needs of the communities they serve and identify with. By hearing from folks outside the typical City planning process, we can deliver a comprehensive plan that is truly reflective of the community we serve. 

  • ✅ Equity Framework and Analysis

    Establishes a structure for ensuring disproportionately impacted and historically marginalized communities drive the policy design process

  • ✅ Community Partnership Framework and Public Involvement Plan

    Provide details on how we inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower co-creative partners and community members during the plan development process. This also outlines overall community engagement goals and objectives, and provides details on the who, what, where and why of engagement.

Phase 1: Visioning (Summer 2023 - Fall 2023)

This phase of the project focused on gathering input from the community to identify a collective vision for the future of Vancouver as well as understanding our community's past and present.

  • ✅ History - Understand how we got here
  • ✅ Existing Conditions - Understand where we are
  • ✅ Visioning - Understand where we want to go
    • Goals Framework and Plan Vision Statements

      Provides an overall framework and structure for goals within the plan, including the outline of plan chapters and key themes for each chapter that reflect existing policy guidance and Council universal policy priorities.

    • Envision Events

      Meet the community where they are and learn about what makes you feel connected to OUR VANCOUVER. In-language liaisons gathered community input to make sure we are hearing from folks in spaces where they can express their needs without language barriers. Individual event summaries are available by request.

    • Community Survey

      Gather community feedback on neighborhoods, housing and community health and well-being.

    • Vision Statement Survey

      A draft vision statement was created based on input from envision events and the community survey. The draft was shared on the project webpage for a four-week comment period and reviewed with Community Partners. Then, additional refinements were made based on this feedback to create the final Plan Vision Statement.

Phase 2: Land Use Alternatives (Winter 2024 - Fall 2025)

This is where we got into the technical part of the update and looked how we can best use our land it to meet the needs of our growing city. We began by developing Land Use Alternative 1 and Land Use Alternative 2 based on what we learned in Phase 1 of the project and community mapping workshops. The land use alternatives were then analyzed for their possible affects on the environment and community. The findings were shared in an environmental report, called a Draft Environmental Impact Statement or Draft EIS, which was available for public review and comment from July 8 to September, 8, 2025. Then, at the Dec. 15 City Council meeting, Council finalized the updated land use map for Vancouver, called the Preferred Alternative.

  • ✅ Develop Land Use Alternatives
    • Analyze existing and future conditions
    • Develop new zoning districts
    • Community Mapping Activities

      Gather community input during community mapping activities on land use and development preferences to create draft land use alternative maps. You can look through the Phase 2: Community Mapping Activity - Engagement Summary to learn about what we heard and how it's being incorporated into the process.

    • Refine and finalize the land use alternatives so that we can study their potential environmental impacts.
  • ✅Study the Environmental Impact
    • Study how possible land use and development choices could affect the environment.
    • Summarize the potential impacts of each of the land use alternatives in an environmental report called a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or Draft EIS.
    • Additional outreach and engagement was conducted at this time to raise awareness about the Land Use Alternatives and upcoming comment period. You can review the Land Use Alternatives engagement and outreach summary
  • ✅ Community Feedback on Draft Environmental Report (July 8 - September 8, 2025)

    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Comprehensive Plan Update is a state-required environmental report that describes how different land use maps, called alternatives, could affect Vancouver's community and environment. We recieved over 400 comments - thank you for participating! Responses to substantive comments will be published in the plan's Final EIS, expected in Spring 2026.

    You can review the Draft EIS engagement and outreach summary.

  • ✅ Create Preferred Land Use Alternative Map (Fall 2025)

    At the Dec. 15 City Council meeting, Council finalized the updated land use map for Vancouver, called the Preferred Alternative. The Preferred Alternative map was created based on:

    • Information from the environmental report, called the Draft EIS,
    • Community input, including public comments submitted during the Draft EIS comment period (Jul 8 – Sep 8, 2025),
    • City policy priorities,
    • State law, and
    • Direction from City Council.

Phase 3: Draft Plan and Code (Winter 2026)

This phase focused on reporting back and demonstrating how community input, state laws, and City priorities wer reflected in plan policies and code development. The draft Comprehensive Plan and draft zoning code were shared for the public to see how their input over the past three years has shaped the plan. The public also had an opportunity weigh-in on details before they are finalized.

Adoption (late Spring 2026)

This is where three+ years of work and engagement come together, and the final plan, map, and development regulations are presented to the City Council for adoption.

  • Adoption of final Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code (Spring 2026) - WE ARE HERE!

    The third drafts of the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code were updated based on direction from City Council and the Planning Commission earlier in April (see above). The proposed plan and code were reviewed by Council at their April 27 workshop, then at the April 28 Planning Commission Public Hearing, where Planning Commission recommended the proposed updated Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code for adoption to City Council. At the May 11 City Council meeting, the Council voted to move forward with the adoption process, scheduling the public hearing for June 1.

    Now, the proposed plan, map, and code will go back to Council on June 1 for adoption.

    The proposed plan, map, and code are supported by the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS). It includes analysis of the Preferred Alternative. Changes and additions since the Draft EIS are shown in underline/strikethrough. The Final EIS also includes responses to substantive comments from the Draft EIS. Common responses are in Chapter 6, beginning on page 250 of the PDF. Responses to individual comments are in Appendix E, beginning on page 340 of the PDF.