Planning and zoning commission approves comprehensive plan

The Washington Planning and Zoning Commission met Tuesday night to discuss the city?s proposed comprehensive plan. The plan includes suggestions for development over the next 20 years. The commission unanimously approved the plan as it was written.

The comprehensive plan was drafted by the firm RDG of Des Moines and shaped by a committee of Washington residents. Connie Larsen is both a member of the planning and zoning commission and a member of the Comprehensive Planning Committee. She said the plan is important because it provides a road map for development in areas such as housing, industry, streets and parks.

?It was great to work with everybody on the plan,? Larsen said. ?It?s great to have a plan to refer to and know it can be updated at any time. Now we have a guideline for what to do.?

Rick Hofer is on the planning and zoning commission and he also attended the public meetings RDG put on at the library earlier this year. He said the firm did a good job of incorporating the desires of various demographics into the plan.

?They researched our thoroughfares when they considered the city?s future expansion because they?re trying to keep heavy truck traffic out of residential areas,? he said. ?They mentioned that neighborhood parks with playground facilities should be within walking distance. All parts of town should have access to a park within half a mile.?

Hofer was impressed by how thorough the plan is. He said the plan touches on storm water runoff, keeping a buffer between industry and residential zones and building sidewalks near shopping areas so pedestrians don?t have to walk on the road.

Planning and zoning commission member Kathy Salazar said she was especially impressed by the plan?s treatment of natural waterways and how they affect development. Understanding where waterways are is essential because bodies of water can serve multiple functions, such as adding life to a park or retaining water after a heavy rain.

Salazar said the commission talked extensively about the parks mentioned in the plan.

?We?re trying to distribute the parks and green spaces around the city,? she said. ?We want larger parks and we want to supplement them with neighborhood parks.?

The plan shows the wellness park being built in the northwest corner of the city in the ?school 90,? which refers to 90 acres that belong to the city and which once belonged to the school district. The plan also shows additional green space and trails in the southwest edge of town, as well as more neighborhood parks on the eastern end.

?I think it?s a very good, progressive plan for the city,? Salazar said. ?Financial issues were taken into account in the planning, and we?re trying to be as efficient as we can be. We?re not going to implement all of this plan in the next two years. We?re talking many years.?

Washington City Administrator Brent Hinson said Tuesday?s meeting was a joint meeting between the city council and the planning and zoning commission. The planning and zoning commission is an advisory board that recommends action to the city council, but ultimately the council has the final vote. Hinson said the commission?s approval of the plan was important because the commission will deal with the land-use decisions the plan is about.

?Our idea was to get a broad base of the community together so that all of the issues could be hashed out before the final plan was put together,? he said. ?We had two public meetings, including an open house, to discuss this plan. It worked out the way P and Z expected, so now it will be passed on to the council.?