Ellensburg 2046 Comprehensive Plan Update

Hometown Heart – Bright Future

Every ten years, Washington cities must update their Comprehensive Plans and development regulations. This ensures that the plans reflect current needs, values, and state requirements. The City of Ellensburg is now kicking off its latest update, aiming for completion by December 31, 2026. Public input is essential, and we encourage everyone in the community to get involved and help shape the future of our city. This is your opportunity to help guide how Ellensburg will grow over the next 20 years!

Latest News

• Comprehensive Plan Public Participation Plan adopted July 7, 2025
• Held the Comprehensive Plan Open House Event on September 17, 2025
• The City Council received an update at the February 2, 2026 Study Session

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A Comprehensive Plan is a long-term document that serves as a blueprint for a city’s future growth and development over a 20-year horizon. Required by Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA), it helps cities manage population growth, reduce sprawl, protect natural resources, and plan for infrastructure and services.

The plan reflects our community vision, goals, and priorities for how we will grow and develop together over the next two decades.

Comprehensive plans are made up of several elements, or chapters, each addressing a specific topic area of City planning. These include, but are not limited to:

• Land Use: Future growth patterns, designates land uses, and population growth projections.
• Housing: Inventory, analysis, and strategies for housing needs across income bands;
• Economic Development: Provisions for economic growth;
• Capital Facilities and Utilities: Plans for infrastructure, utilities, and public facility investments and financing;
• Parks, Trails & Open Space: Inventory and planning for recreational and natural spaces;
• Transportation: Policies, multi-modal networks, and infrastructure to support mobility and access; and
• Climate and Resiliency: Impact analysis and strategies to promote community resilience against known hazards like flooding or wildfire risk.

Check out this Department of Commerce Comprehensive Planning 101 video for a quick overview on comprehensive planning. 

Timeline

• Project Kickoff: March 2025
• Existing Conditions and Growth Management Audit: June-October 2025
• Baseline Data Collection: June-December 2025
• Public Engagement: June-December 2025
• Draft Comprehensive Plan: July 2025-March 2026
• Final Comprehensive Plan: March 2026-May 2027
• Regulation Updates: August 2025-December 2026