Building_development + Forests_green_space

0:30 A Comprehensive Growth Management Plan is a long-range policy guide for how a jurisdiction plans to manage growth and development with respect to the natural environment and available resources. Clark County's Comprehensive Growth Management Plan is meant to guide population and employment growth for the next 20 years. The county is required to develop and implement a comprehensive plan per the state law. You often hear about the Growth Management Act. The Growth Management Act, also known as GMA, was passed in 1990. That requires land use planning to manage growth in the entire state of Washington. The comprehensive plan contains

1:27 14 elements comprised of existing conditions, goals and strategies to accomplish the plan's goals. Mandatory elements include housing, transportation, economic development and parks. There are also optional elements such as schools and historic preservation. Climate recently was added as a mandatory element and Clark County needs to address resilience and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental justice in our comprehensive plan for the first time. That is significant. Similarly, if you develop and if you have, say for example, transit corridors, you can put the majority of your development, maybe apartments and

2:23 all the high intensity development along your transit corridors, thereby reducing, providing opportunity to reduce vehicle my travel. Several community forums have generated public input. Residents can still send in questions or give comments before a final decision is made by the county council this fall. We are now entering what I may call the last stage or phase in the process, which is the adoption process, which will also provide additional opportunity for the public to participate. Again, I'm very grateful and thankful for those that have participated. You can participate by showing up at a hearing or coming out in an open house or sending us comments. The comprehensive plan is now in the adoption

3:21 phase. Next steps include a Planning Commission public hearing on August 20th, resulting in a final recommendation to county council. The details of how to attend or submit comments will be posted on the Planning Commission web page at least 15 days prior to the hearing, so you can see all the materials and read it and prepare you to give your testimony or your written comment. The Planning Commission will then deliberate and forward their recommendation to the Clark County Council. The Clark County Council will then hold their own hearing to consider the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The hearing of the council is tentatively scheduled on October 6th with final adoption ordinance on October 13th.

4:21 For the latest information about the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan update, including upcoming public hearings, check out the website at clark.wa.gov/communityplanning/2025update. To submit a comment about the plan, visit clark.wa.gov/communityplanning/compplancomments. So people in Clark County should really be paying attention to the weather this time of year. National Weather Service posts what the weather conditions are. They have fire watches, fire warnings, and fire alerts. People need to understand that as things get drier, wind conditions pick up here in Clark County, that increases the possibility that we could have a small fire spread very quickly. So I'm Scott Johnson. I'm the Emergency Manager

5:17 for Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, and we're here to talk about wildfire safety. In Southwest Washington, the most common cause of wildfire is human caused. They're generally either caused by negligence, people being in the outdoor area and not realizing how dry the conditions are, so you can have motor exhaust, you can have a cigarette, you can have a campfire that gets out of hand. Those are generally the most common causes of wildfires here in Southwest Washington. They can be prevented by people being aware that we're in drier, hotter conditions and understanding that even negligence can cause a fire. Sure, as we get farther in the summer and we go farther and farther of rains, things on the ground, fuels become drier, they have less moisture, they combust quicker, wind can drive that fuel and that fire faster on a dry, low, humid day than it does on a cooler, more humid day. So those type of conditions can make a small fire spread very quickly. So the first

6:14 thing that somebody should do if they see smoke or they see wildfire, ensure their own safety and call 911. Know where they're at, as close to the locations they can give us, whether that's map coordinates, road intersections, or an actual address. Knowing the location and then reporting smoke or wildfire are the most effective things that people in Clark County can do to ensure their safety and the whole community's safety. Homeowners that live here in Clark County in the wildland-urban interface should really look at defensible space. That's the area immediately around their home where it's most susceptible to wildfire either starting or spreading. There's plenty of resources available online. Look under defensible space or call any one of the fire districts here in Clark County that they may live in and they can provide very specific information on how to create defensible space. Generally it means making sure that anything that can rapidly burn, firewood, tree overhangs, dead grass, is removed from around the immediate area around your home. So what I'd like everybody to think about having a wildfire evacuation plan, first go

7:12 to cressa.wa.gov. Sign up for public alerts. That's how we let you know if there's danger in your area. Second of all, have an evacuation plan for you and your family. Know how you would leave your home if you got a notification to leave or evacuate. Have a go kit. Have emergency supplies, a little bit of emergency cash, and the ability to quickly get out of your home safely if you get an evacuation notice. My name is Patrick Kasha. I'm the emergency management coordinator for Clark County Public Works. Public Works has utilized its knowledge specifically with the road crews that have a really good knowledge of the routes and roads within the county to establish evacuation routes and they work with law enforcement to do that. During a wildfire event or any type of road closure, it's very important