By Rod Larse
The Journal 

Planning Commission starts update

 

Last updated 3/17/2022 at 8:09am



RITZVILLE – Alicia Ayers, Strategic Advancement Manager at SCJ Alliance of Spokane met with the Ritzville Planning Historic Commission on Wednesday, March 9, in a joint kickoff meeting for the city’s Comprehensive Plan Update.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the process for updating the plan, which has not been done since 2015, and to gain input from City Council and Planning Commission members on their vision for the future of the city.

The plan guides decisions by elected officials and city staff, and establishes goals, policies and actions. Once complete, the updated plan will make the city eligible for grants and other programs.

Elements of the plan include land use, transportation, parks and recreation, capital facilities and infrastructure and housing, which is a new addition to the plan.

Part of the process is to facilitate community engagement. The community can learn about the planning process and provide input through traditional news media, social media platforms, by attending public workshops and engaging with plan representatives at existing community events, officials said.

Planning commissioners Rick Koss, Jeff Kissler, Rick Sawyer, Dwight Olson, John Rankin and Bill Markum participated in the meeting.

City Council members present included Debbie Chapman, Michelle Plumb, Dennis Chamberlain, Marsha Smith and DeDe Boyer. Mayor Linda Kadlec participated by telephone.

Housing, which is in short supply here, was one topic at the meeting.

Developer and local farmer Derek Shafer addressed the group concerning ongoing efforts to develop a parcel south of the city known as Grain Land Acres.

The area was annexed into the city of Ritzville in 2021.

Schaefer talked about challenges faced when dealing with government agencies and regulators, such as the Department of Transportation, and indicated some progress has been made with those agencies.

An identified advantage for Ritzville has long been location, officials said.

Located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 395 and Interstate 90, with a rail line running through town, industries which use centralized distribution facilities ought to be attracted to the location, officials said. But a lack of housing is a concern.

Adams County Development Committee Director Kyle Niehenke, also joining the meeting by telephone said, “there are no bad ideas” and referenced the Boyd Report, a 57-page document describing the results of a 2014 research project identifying target industries for Ritzville and Adams County.

The report also identified lack of available housing as a barrier to recruiting technical and management talent from outside the region.

Jeff Kissler noted the lack of skilled trades in the area.

Work requiring plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians and other skilled trades often have to be out-sourced from surrounding larger cities, at added expense and inconvenience, he said.

Kissler suggested training opportunities could be provided in the community, with the understanding that younger workers getting the training would then set up shop in Ritzville when their training an apprenticeships are complete.

There was some skepticism among the attendees, but Kissler suggested the community focus on what can be done, not on what can’t.

 

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