HomeMy WebLinkAboutUpdate Documents - Development ServicesDEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
264 West Division Ave. * PO Box 37
Ephrata, WA 98823
GRANT COUNTY'
WASHINGTON
y� x
PLANNING DIVISION
(509) 754-2011 Ext. 2501
Plan ningDivision@grantcountywa.gov
Development Services Update
Reporting Period: September 21 - October 16, 2026
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Jim Anderson -Cook, Development Services Director
DATE: October 12, 2026
RE: Development Services Update - September 21 through October 16, 2026
Chair and Commissioners:
Development Services' work during this reporting period has focused on the 2027 Comprehensive Plan
Update, including the October 7 Planning Commission workshop on the draft Countywide Planning Policies
and the Agricultural Lands Analysis, along with regional growth and infrastructure coordination, renewable
energy and transmission permitting, shrubsteppe mitigation, and cultural resource coordination. The
following summarizes activities through October 9 and scheduled work for October 12-16.
Permit Activity and Revenue Through September 30, 2026
Through the end of September, Development Services received 412 building applications and issued 376
building permits. Compared with January -September 2025, applications decreased by 26, or 5.9%, while
permits issued decreased by five, or 1.3%. September issuance totaled 51 permits, compared with 20 in
September 2025. These figures describe application intake and permit issuance; they do not establish
processing times or the size of the pending workload.
September Activity
Division Applications submitted Permits issued
Fire MarshaL
Building
Building: 16 residence/addition/alteration, 13 accessory to single family residence, six
manufactured/mobile/park model RV, three commercial/addition/alteration, two demolition, and one
plumbing. These categories include alterations and accessory work and should not be read as counts of
new dwelling units.
Planning: 12 addressing requests, six boundary line adjustment/segregation applications, three transient
residence applications, two shoreline exemptions, two preliminary short subdivisions, two final short
subdivisions, and one final subdivision.
Fire Marshal: One construction permit and five operational permits.
Electronic submittals: 39 of the 41 Building applications and all six Fire Marshal applications were
submitted through the online portal, approximately 96% of their combined September intake.
"To foster a thriving, resilient, and safe community through innovative planning, efficient building processes, and robust fire prevention measures. "
Year -to -Date Building Activity
Measure Jan -Sep 2026
Jan -Sep 2025
Change
Building applications received
412
438
-5.9%
Building permits issued
376
381
-1.3%
Average monthly applications
46
49
Average monthly permits issued
42
42
Building and Fire Marshal: $88,148 in September and $1,325,393 through September, compared with
$906,078 for January -September 2025, an increase crease of approximately 46.3%. The year to date total includes
a May deposit transfer of $231,784.50 to Quincy Solar-QSEL accounts; excluding that transfer, deposits
would be approximately $1 093,609, or about 20.7% above the same period in 2025.
Planning (excluding grants and Department of Ecology funding): $8,934 in September and $136,395
through September, compared with $200,696 for January —September 2025, a decrease of approximately
32.0%.
Comprehensive Planning, Growth Management, and Land Use
Staff continued coordination with Nexus Planning Services on the 2027 Comprehensive Plan Update.
Meetings included discussion of the Countywide Planning Policies, an agricultural memorandum, and
agriculture -energy planning considerations. These topics were addressed through the September 28 County
check -in, the September 29 policy and agricultural memorandum discussion, and agriculture -energy
discussions on October 1 and 5.
October 7 Planning Commission Monthly Meeting
At its October 7 monthly meeting, staff conducted a workshop with the Planning Commission to present and
receive feedback on the draft Countywide Planning Policies (CWPPs) and the Agricultural Lands Analysis
methodology.
Countywide Planning Policies: Staff reviewed the September 29 redline draft, which would replace the
1992 CWPPs with ten updated policies covering GMA goals, population allocation, Urban Growth Areas
(UGAs), urban services, essential public facilities, transportation, housing, economic development, and
fiscal impacts.
Key revisions: New Policies 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 would allow areas without urban services to be included in a
UGAonlywhere sewer and water are in the jurisdiction's capital facilities plan or are required by an interLocal
agreement or three -party development agreement before development at urban densities. Adjacent areas
without that commitment would be held as Urban Reserve in the interim. Policy 6.1 was also revised to
replace outdated language stating that no regional transportation planning organization exists in Grant
County. Staff identified clerical corrections that do not change policy intent.
Commission direction requested on: Support for the Urban Reserve approach; whether streets,
sidewalks, stormwater, and maintenance responsibility belong in the policy text or in future interLocal
agreements; whether to add Quadco RTPO implementation language to Policy 6.1; and whether the UGA
expansion and swap standards are at the right Level of detail for a countywide framework.
Agricultural Lands Analysis: Staff presented a seven step process moving from a countywide screening of
irrigated, dryLand, and rangeland agricultural Lands, through GIS screening and parcel level evaluation of
Page 12
eight study areas (three-mile radius, including UGAs where applicable), to preliminary findings, public
review, and final recommendations for the Comprehensive Plan update and future zoning amendments. The
study areas are Electric City, Coulee City, Ephrata, Quincy, Wheeler, Warden, Royal City, and Mattawa.
Public review would include a Planning Commission meeting and a 30-day public comment period.
Ag-Industrial concept: Staff introduced a potential Ag-Industrial land use designation for lands served by
established infrastructure that support agricultural processing, storage, packaging, distribution, and other
value added activities. The concept is not intended to encourage widespread conversion of productive
agricultural land, but to identify suitable locations while maintaining the long term viability of the County's
agricultural land base.
CWPP next steps: Staff will incorporate Commission direction, reviewer comments, and technical
corrections, then present the revised CWPP draft and the Commission's recommendation to the Board.
Following Board review, the draft will be transmitted to the 3*4 participating cities and towns for formal
an' ado ratified by a majority of participating jurisdictions, aQ adopted by ordinance after SEPA review.
Intergovernmental Coordination
• September 30 joint meeting of the Moses Lake City Council and Planning Commission.
• October 5 discussion with the City of Quincy regarding its Urban Growth Area.
• October 6 zoning consultation with the Port of Moses Lake.
Renewable Energy and Transmission
Staff coordinated with Grant PUD on September 29 regarding permitting for transmission Line upgrades and
participated in a September 30 discussion of the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council permitting process.
Royal Slope Solar work included the October 7 recurring NEPA, ESA, and NHPA check -in. Staff also
participated in LEAD Summit preparation, including a September 29 joint power session preparation call
and an October 5 planning session involving Grant PUD and Development Services.
Shrubsteppe Mitigation and Cultural Resources
Staff participated in the September 21 Columbia Basin Mitigation Bank review -team meeting, continuing
coordination on the shrubsteppe mitigation bank effort.
On September 28, staff met with Royal Slope Landowners to discuss the Royal Slope Archaeological District,
continuing the Department's coordination with affected property owners, on cultural -resource matters in the
area.
Project Review, Water Systems, and Department Operations
• September 28 road development update with Doug Robbins.
• September 28 discussion with the Washington State Association of Counties regarding Ecology's
Shoreline Management Act ruLemaking.
• September 30 meeting regarding the Martinez boundary line adjustment.
• October 1 discussion with the Department of Health regarding Cave B water system matters.
• October 5 Code Enforcement meeting.
Regional and Professional Engagement
Staff presented at the NACo Energy Symposium in Amarillo, Texas, September 22-25.
Page 13
Staff also prepared for and presented at the APA Washington Ann uaLConference on October 9 on "Big Data
and Big Energy: Navigating Al Demands in Rural Eastern Washington." Preparation included an October 5
coordination call, followed byconference travel onOctober 8.
ScheduLed Work: October 12-16
October12: Discussion with Renewable Northwest regarding VVDFVVwind and solar guidance, and 8check-
in with Nexus Planning Services onthe 2O27Comprehensive Plan Update.
October 13: Third External Practitioner Advisory Group meeting on PHB ohrubsteppe-management
recommendations, with the review team.
October 14:ROy8iSlope Solar NEPA'ESA, and NHP4coordination; the monthly Hearing Examiner hearing;
and an evening meeting with the Grand Coulee Council regarding its periodic update.
October 15: Fourth Department of Cornrnenze Led Electricity Transmission Advisory Group meeting
concerning development ofedraft transmission -Line ordinance.
NoBoard action iarequested olthis time. Staff will bring the revised Countywide Planning Policies and the
Planning Commission's recommendation forward for Board review and will continue to bring forward other
matters requiring policy direction, intergovernmental coordination, or Board consideration.
Grant County Development Services
SEPTEMBER 2026
Page I
BUILDING
FIRE MARSHAL
PLANNING
Total Submitted current month
41
Total Submitted current month
6
Address
12
Total Issued current month
51
Total Issued current month
6
Administrative Approval
0
Alt Final
0
Submitted by Portal
39
Submitted by Portal
6
AOI
0
Submitted in office or by mail
2
Submitted in office or by mail
0
Boundary Line Adj / Seg
6
41
6
BSP - Final
0
BSP - Prelim
0
Accessory to SFR
13
FM Construction
1
Comp Plan Amend & UDC
0
Commercial, Add'n, Alteration
3
FM Operational
5
Conditional Use Permit
0
Demolition
2
6
Development Agreement
0
Manufactured, Mobile, PMRV
6
Discretionary Use Permit
0
Mechanical
0
Floodplain Development Permit
0
Modular, FAS
0
Pre -Application Conference
0
Plumbing
I
Planned Unit Development
0
Residence, Add'n, Alteration
16
Rezone
0
41
Reasonable Use Exemption
0
SEPA
0
Shoreline Exemption
2
Shoreline Permit
0
Short Subdivision - Final
2
Short Subdivision - Prelim
2
L DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Site Plan Review
0
Subdivision - Alt
0
GIM
0
Subdivision - Final
1
0
Subdivision - Prelim
0
Transient Residence
3
UDC Amendment
0
Utility Easement Ext/Alt
0
Variance
0
Total Submitted Current Month
28
REVENUE - Total Deposits to - Building & Fire Marshal
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JULY
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
YTD TOTALS
2026
1451993
192,415
135$869
1011287
310,733
106,273
172,832
71,844
88,148
1;325,393
2025
106,627
74,592
105,959
120,805
80,567
130,322
72,855
160,379
53,972
541,527
133,684
84,369
1,665,657
2024
89,867
134,314
164,421
209,010
403,104
148,347
409,414
182,135
178,532
177,223
89,722
107,533
2,293,618
2023
75,058
75,184
146,574
52,136
65,846
72,896
160,096
122,269
229,080
193,687
129,045
104,348
1,426,219
2022
57,907
77,518
115,938
136,615
69,697
124,195
119,454
104,077
77,563
72,773
71,670
33,658
1,061,065
2021
100,634
141,137
132,394
157,315
97,430
102,468
100,979
89,161
72,461
131,084
52,717
74,938
1,252,718
2020
49,507
73,100
69,031
33,351
59,050
99,208
107,035
58,555
74,159
112,694
60,709
75,255
871,654
2019
66,404
53,752
112,898
119,129
114,710
67,952
73,726
90,403
107,578
106,807
53,035
55,884
1,022,278
2018
98,766
75,264
116,947
73,959
83,331
83,592
154,358
102,688
92,607
78,453
105,383
57,852
1,123,200
2017
32,840
53,670
98,562
100,309
88,954
89,813
74,592
79,244
82,186
80,123
61,745
43,615
885,654
2016
26,491
52,517
80,066
95,765
105,484
79,092
83,473
70,319
67,200
46,827
58,033
48,874
814,143
2015
67,618
61,122
77,065
62,653
92,795
69,859
68,458
56,825
72,217
68,101
47,980
64,587
809,279
2014
45,440
63,648
74,594
53,716
93,601
57,850
85,489
89,423
73,443
55,980
48,144
61,379
802,707
2013
52,821
38,820
48,884
81,996
96,685
48,834
67,903
62,731
60,333
57,743
45,383
46,203
708,335
2012
26,966
25,748
65,297
95,228
87,701
68,887
72,206
89,501
57,941
44,128
26,432
41,157
701,192
2011
25,427
32,240
65,252
76,693
74,534
36,694
39,373
61,474
54,560
52,012
52,103
43,067
613,430
2010
25,259
43,549
66,130
71,435
52,642
151,438
60,612
44,589
52,516
84,979
66,325
36,285
755,758
Revenue Totals
represented total
deposit collections including Planning % and State
Code Fees through 2017
"May dep total-$231,784.50 deposit transfer to Quincy Solar -QSEL accounts
Grant County Development Services
SEPTEMBER 2026
Page 2
REVENUE - Total Deposits to Planning (Excluding Grants/Dept of Ecology)
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JULY
AUG
SEP OCT NOV DEC
YTD TOTALS
Plan Pmts
15,015
22,450
20,640
151893
16,581
7,645
221856
6,369
8,934
136,383
PL Misc (2 accts)
-
12
12
Old Bldg Pmt 5%
-'
2025 Totals
15,015
22,450
20,640
15,905
16,581
7,645
22,856
6,369
8,934 - - -
136$95
2025 Totals
23,061
19,155
25,007
26,978
28,331
14,573
41,918
10,364
11,309 218,381 14,311 7,983
441,371
2024 Totals
20,038
20,806
16,729
21,339
9,906
29,162
-ADJUSTMENT DUE
34,644
TO ENTRY ERROR
14,273
23,660 32,831 23,426 36,456
283,270
APPS IN
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JULY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC TOTAL I YTD AVG
* Note - some previous
month numbers may change with the next report as Portals are accepted,
returned for add'I info or voided due to SmartGov tracking
2026
36
35
47
45
53
46
66
43
41
412
46
2025
48
47
55
52
38
55
56
39
48
57
30
34
559
47
2024
46
53
99
58
67
81
61
53
39
54
24
38
673
56
2023
34
73
61
51-
49
87
59
100
58
52
41
38
703
59
2022
57
71
75
70
90
81
71
51
66
56
43
33
764
64
2021
108
162
85
95
79
83
52
77
49
73
60
50
973
81
2020
70
67
67
62
45
84
76
85
80
113
73
131
953
79
2019
76
63
76
72
87
56
68
96
83
78
61
46
862
72
2018
68
142
75
72
94
88
63
85
73
79
96
48
983
82
2017
34
76
74
91
81
92
71
66
60
96
64
37
842
70
2016
49
76
99
52
69
113
65
73
55
57
49
47
804
67
2015
38
48
68
51
73
61
41
43
72
62
40
39
636
53
2014
59
60
44
76
67
50
76
51
56
69
37
63
708
59
2013
23
49
44
56
70
76
52
52
45
47
32
39
585
49
2012
30
56
67
58
75
68
57
57
45
49
35
37
634
53
2011
33
53
69
50
58
58
51
60
51
44
41
31
599
50
2010
33
45
117
70
61
61
53
52
52
54
16
48
662
55
PERMITS ISSUED
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JULY AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
TOTAL
YTD AVG
2026
37
33
48
55
35
34
43
40
51
376
42
2025
36
27
50
57
75
42
35
39
20
50
34
44
509
42
2024
27
41
45
53
61
80
44
77
46
60
50
35
619
52
2023
46
35
55
54
47
49
54
65
49
52
51
44
601
50
2022
40
59
76
61
56
84
68
68
49
52
46
32
691
58
2021
80
66
114
91
76
95
81
57
63
96
62
52
933
78
2020
42
56
43
24
71
56
78
52
63
84
64
91
724
60
2019
74
63
51
96
75
57
56
86
90
92
47
42
829
69
2018
50
54
97
82
79
76
81
114
63
66
71
70
903
75
2017
40
33
64
76
78
79
66
80
71
71
70
38
766
64
2016
27
52
79
72
58
46
77
54
70
45
47
60
687
57
2015
32
56
75
49
43
66
58
56
54
67
38
45
639
53
2014
36
53
58
50
58
47
59
60
58
58
45
56
638
53
2013
37
29
53
50
57
50
61
47
43
47
40
33
547
46
2012
22
30
33
63
59
59
72
58
47
59
30
32
564
47
2011
29
32
68
49
70
45
61
43
52
59
40
38
586
49
2010
29
29
54
52
54
84
44
43
61
48
54
33
585
49
* Mid -Year Change 2022 to Permit Types put some projects that were previoLisly listed as Bulidi179 Permits into a separate FM Permit category after June 9, 2022