HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.c.a 20250425_Press Release DCD Comp PlanJEFFERSON COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
621 Sheridan Street | Port Townsend, WA 98368
360-379-4450 | email: planning@co.jefferson.wa.us
www.co.jefferson.wa.us/commdevelopment
Joel Peterson
Lead Associate Planner
JPeterson@co.jefferson.wa.us
Jefferson County Department of Community Development
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2025
2025 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update
“Your voice, your vision, your future”
Jefferson County Department of Community Development (DCD) and the Planning Commission have
completed a circuit of public meetings around the county to discuss proposed updates to the county’s
Comprehensive Plan. DCD and the Planning Commission have been soliciting comments since late 2024
on the plan’s goals and policies, and we are now rolling out a full draft of the Comprehensive Plan for
public review and comment.
Washington jurisdictions planning under the State Growth Management Act are required to develop
comprehensive plans, and counties the size of Jefferson must conduct a complete review of their plans
at least every ten years. Jefferson County completed its last periodic review in 2018, and the 2025 plan
will be revisited in 2035. In the interim period, a comprehensive plan may be amended no more than
once per year.
A comprehensive plan helps us evaluate complex decisions from various perspectives, prioritize limited
resources, and compete for grant funds—especially when it can be shown that we have goals and
policies that have been vetted by the community and align with the grant program.
A series of events will take place over the next several months to present the Comprehensive Plan
materials, including Planning Commission workshops to review drafts and Board of County
Commissioners meetings for legislative decisions on plan updates.
We’re looking to you, our community, to share your input. Help us make a great plan for everyone in
Jefferson County by engaging with the Planning Commission and reviewing the draft plan on the project
portal. The May 7th Planning Commission meeting will mark the roll out of this public review draft, and
we invite you to attend—more details are available on our website below. Joel Peterson, Associate
Planner and Project Manager for the Comprehensive Plan update, remarks, “There are always core
groups of people who are very involved in the planning process, but we are making a concerted effort to
reach the broader community. Many voices help to make a more robust, enduring plan.”
The draft plan documents are located on the county’s project web portal:
http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/1708/2025-periodic-update. To submit comments or questions, you may
reach us via email at 2025compplan@co.jefferson.wa.us.
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Jefferson County