The Battle Ground City Council agreed on Monday, Dec. 1, to advance its 2045 comprehensive plan update for future adoption, despite final approval not being expected until early 2026.
The delay stems from Clark County’s stalled comprehensive plan update, which must be completed first.
The state requires cities and counties to update their comprehensive plans every 10 years under the Growth Management Act. The plans guide the next 20 years of growth. December is technically the deadline, but Clark County is behind after the County Council opted in July to pursue an agricultural lands study.
The study, added to the county’s plan last April on a narrow 3-2 vote, is required under state law to determine whether certain agricultural lands can be reclassified for development. Although the review applies countywide, Ridgefield and La Center leaders pushed for it so their cities could evaluate land they see as potential growth areas. The added requirement will delay the county’s final adoption into early 2026, which means Battle Ground’s plan must wait as well.
Some of Battle Ground’s draft plan centers on reshaping its Urban Growth Area. The city proposes removing Meadow Glade’s 330 acres from its UGA, largely because the area is residential, difficult to serve and already subdivided. In its place, Battle Ground wants to expand west into Dollars Corner, a census-designated area along state Route 502 spanning about 640 acres.
Planning Supervisor Sam Crummett previously told the council that the city would need to prioritize supporting new jobs over future housing developments. The Dollars Corner expansion would give the city room to accommodate job growth. Over the next 20 years, the city expects to add about 12,000 people, bringing its population near 37,200, and must plan for more than 5,600 new jobs. The UGA shift provides room for roughly 7,677 jobs.
During Monday’s hearing, staff said the goal is to move the plan forward with minor changes, including the addition of a small property east of state Route 503 that may eventually be zoned R3 or R5, depending on long-term housing needs.
“We won't be formally adopting the plan in terms of an ordinance,” Crummett said. “Ultimately, staff would like to get a motion from you to move this plan forward as drafted.”
The council unanimously agreed to advance the draft. Once the Clark County plan is finalized, likely in early 2026, Battle Ground will revisit the document and adopt it through ordinance.
Under state law, once Dollars Corner is inside the UGA, the city could annex the area if 60 percent of property owners petition to join Battle Ground. As the city updates its plan over the next year, staff expect to provide more public outreach and publish detailed information online. In a previous city meeting, Crummett noted several Meadow Glade landowners were uninterested in annexation.
