Help Shape Clark County’s Future: Your Voice Matters in the 2045 Growth Plan

Clark County is entering an exciting new chapter. With nearly 200,000 new residents expected by 2045, our community is growing, evolving, and becoming an even more dynamic place to live, work, and raise a family. This kind of growth brings with it an extraordinary opportunity—the opportunity for residents to help guide what Clark County will look like for the next generation. Through Clark County Council’s Comprehensive Growth Plan process happening right now, community members have a real and meaningful chance to make their voices heard, influence local priorities, and shape a vision for a brighter future.

The Comprehensive Growth Plan isn’t just a technical document. It is the roadmap that will determine the character of our neighborhoods, the types of homes available, where new jobs will be located, how transportation systems will function, and how we protect open spaces and natural resources. When residents participate in the public input process, they help ensure that these decisions reflect local values—things like affordability, community character, access to nature, and economic opportunity. This is a moment where civic engagement truly matters.

One of the most exciting aspects of this planning process is the ability to advocate for choice. As Clark County grows, thoughtful zoning can create communities with a diverse range of housing options, from starter homes to townhouses to apartments to age-friendly alternatives. It can support vibrant employment areas that bring jobs closer to where people live. And it can ensure that future growth aligns with transportation corridors, creating more walkable neighborhoods, shorter commutes, and better connections between home, work, and recreation. The decisions made today will help shape a county where families of all sizes, incomes, and stages of life can find a place that feels like home.

Planning now also allows Clark County to position itself for long-term economic strength. By designating sufficient employment lands in strategic locations—especially near transportation routes—the community can attract businesses and industries that provide stable, well-paying jobs. This is how we build a balanced tax base, support public services, and keep Clark County competitive regionally and nationally. Residents can have a direct say right now in how and where this economic opportunity grows.

Of course, growth comes with challenges if it isn’t aligned with smart planning. Without careful zoning and long-term strategy, communities can experience overcrowded schools, increased traffic congestion, and missed opportunities for new industries due to a lack of available employment sites. These impacts are avoidable, but only when the right decisions are made early—and that requires robust public participation from the people who live and work in Clark County.

Fortunately, this planning cycle is built around community involvement. Whether someone lives in a city center, a rural area, or anywhere in between, every voice matters. The decisions adopted now will guide Clark County through 2045, and this is the window in which residents can shape what that future looks like. Public comment ensures that the plan supports the outcomes people care about: quality schools, transportation options, housing affordability, economic opportunity, and the preservation of the natural beauty that makes Clark County unique.

This is a moment to be optimistic. Clark County’s future is full of possibility, and the community has a direct hand in shaping it. By participating in the public comment process, sharing ideas, and expressing priorities, residents help build a roadmap that reflects shared values and aspirations.

To make this even easier, the Building Industry Association of Clark County is inviting residents to take a community survey designed to capture local values, concerns, and hopes for the future. Your input will help ensure that community needs are understood and represented throughout the planning process.

Clark County is growing—and this is your chance to help guide it. Your voice can help create a thriving, balanced, and welcoming community for decades to come.

Take the BIA Survey:  https://tinyurl.com/ClarkCountyGrowthSurvey

Learn More about the Growth Plan: www.ShapeClarkCounty.com 

Submit a Public Comment on the Growth Plan: https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/2025-update-outreach

Learn More about BIA: www.biaofclarkcounty.org 

Click this image to read the Public Participation Plan: