Planning & Building

Primary functions of the Planning Department are:

1) To provide excellent customer service.

This includes assisting the public with questions regarding public participation, planning, land use code in the Woodland Municipal Code (WMC), the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and the State Growth Management Act (GMA) at the public counter, by phone and email, and/or publications as well as mailing notices of proposed land-use projects to properties within 300 feet of the proposal. In addition, our department also maintains and updates the Woodland GIS (Geographic Information Systems) databases, in order to provide the most up-to-date land use information to the general public.

2) To offer pre-application conferences.

Pre-application conferences are the conferences with applicants and property owners for all proposed commercial, industrial, and residential development to provide the applicant with a through understanding of what will be required in order to submit a land use application and complete the proposed project. At pre-application conferences are reviewed the water and sewer capacity, fire and building code requirements, as well as SEPA and land use code requirements.

3) To conduct development review.

Development review includes management and coordination of project review by all entities within the city as well as administering the land use code outlined in the WMC, presenting the staff reports for land-use applications before the Woodland Planning Commission, Hearing Examiner, and/or City Council.

4) To do long-range planning.

Long-range planning encompasses a variety of planning activities which include implementation of studies to assist the City Council in updating the long term planning goals, objectives, and policies in the WMC, Woodland Comprehensive Plan, City of Woodland Park & Recreation Plan, and Woodland Urban Growth management Program, etc. Such update is normally based on a twenty-year projection of city population, land use, housing, utilities, transportation, and natural environments, etc.

5) Economic development.

Economic development includes asset-based and other innovative planning activities intended to create a vibrant and appealing downtown that has unique sense of place, and improve the quality of life for the citizens and business community as a regional commercial center. Some of the primary economic development activities include historic and cultural preservation and searching for applicable grants from the state and federal agencies.