Clark County remains under a court order deadline to complete its overdue comprehensive plan update. Officials in Ridgefield and Woodland report no immediate impact on the daily planning or state funding.
However, both cities acknowledge that continued non-compliance with the Growth Management Act may obstruct their ability to secure state grants, especially for park projects.
The comprehensive plan, required by the state’s Growth Management Act, guides Clark County and its cities in planning for population growth, employment, housing, and land use through 2045.
The Growth Management Hearings Board has ordered Clark County to complete its overdue comprehensive plan update by July 31. Last July, the Clark County Council approved a $155,003 agricultural lands study, requested by staff and leaders from Ridgefield and La Center, to support potential urban growth area expansions. The study, which analyzed about 131,000 acres, delayed the comprehensive plan beyond its December 2025 deadline.
The council recently voted 3-2 to include requests to remove agricultural land designations in its preferred alternative in its Tuesday, April 28 meeting, a decision that could benefit Ridgefield and La Center.
The Reflector contacted local cities to clarify whether the comprehensive plan delay has affected state funding.
State funding impact timeline
Ridgefield City Manager Steve Stuart said state funding programs linked to Growth Management Act compliance would not be immediately jeopardized if Clark County misses its deadline.
Under state law, the main consequences of Growth Management Act noncompliance involve eligibility for certain Public Works Assistance Account loans and Water Pollution Control Facilities funding. However, Stuart noted that jurisdictions may still apply for and potentially receive awards if they regain compliance before contracts are executed.
Stuart pointed to the current Public Works Assistance Account loan cycle, which began accepting applications last April and is expected to award funds in September. Stuart also referenced April 2025 communications with the Clark County Council prior to its narrow approval of the agricultural lands study the following July. In a letter, he noted that this timeline gives Clark County additional time beyond the December 31, 2025 deadline to regain compliance before financial penalties take effect.
“Thus, Clark County would have at least nine additional months beyond December 31, 2025 to adopt the Comprehensive Plan Update before facing this sanction,” Stuart wrote to County Chair Sue Marshall.
Cities face point deductions in park grant applications
Stuart acknowledged that the delay has already affected at least one competitive grant process through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. The city currently seeks funding from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) for an inclusive playground at Horns Corner Community Park.
“For the GMA Preference, applicants can either score 0 if they are in compliance or -1 if they aren’t in compliance,” Stuart wrote. “We did get a preliminary score of -1.”
Stuart described the deduction as likely marginal compared to the broader scoring criteria used in competitive grant programs. He noted that WWRP local park grants are scored on a 100-point scale, and that merit-based criteria usually create larger differences between projects than a single-point deduction.
Other small cities express greater concerns
During a Monday, May 4, Battle Ground City Council meeting, Public Works Director Mark Herceg expressed stronger concerns about the point deduction.
The city has prioritized Remy Park, which would include its first dedicated dog park, in its park planning, aiming for an early 2027 groundbreaking. Battle Ground requested about $728,000 from the Recreation and Conservation Office for the project’s first phase.
“However, we automatically lost a point from our application,” Herceg told city council members. “That may not sound like a big deal, but I looked at the 2024 awards, and essentially … The highest-scoring (request) that didn’t get funding, had they had an extra point, they would have actually jumped two positions and been funded.”
Woodland Community Development Director Travis Goddard described similar concerns regarding a grant application for improvements at Horseshoe Lake Park, one of the city’s greatest tourist attractions.
“The only direct impact where GMA non-compliance has impacted us, would be a recent Local Parks Grant with the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO),” Goddard wrote back in an email to The Reflector. “The grant program awards one point for a jurisdiction that is in compliance with the Growth Management Act (GMA) and Woodland was told we do not qualify for that point.”
Woodland’s application seeks $500,000 in funding for a restroom facility, public plaza and electric vehicle charging stations near the park. The city has also committed roughly $350,000 in matching funds toward the project.
“Regardless of the reason, the loss of that one point could affect the city’s ability to get a half-million dollar grant,” Goddard wrote.
Goddard said the city’s comprehensive plan update itself has already been accepted by the Washington State Department of Commerce, though Woodland’s unique geography complicates the issue because a small portion of the city lies within Clark County, while most falls under Cowlitz County, still in its own effort to complete its periodic update in 2026.
“So, technically I have one foot on two separate icebergs moving in different directions on different timetables,” Goddard wrote.
The Reflector contacted Clark County staff seeking an update on whether the county has lost or been ineligible for any state funding due to the comprehensive plan delay, but did not receive a response by press time.
According to a draft schedule, Clark County staff anticipate that the comprehensive plan’s approval will be approved by Oct. 13, well past the deadline set by the Growth Management Hearings Board.
According to Battle Ground Communications Director Alisha Smith, the city does not anticipate further funding delays or losses aside from the parks grant point loss at this time, even through October. La Center city staff responded to an inquiry from The Reflector, but did not have an answer ready before press time.
