County Council Adopts 2025 Comp Plan Update – Leaves Several Items for Further Discussion in 2026 | 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. December 11, 2025—During the December 9 meeting and public hearing, the San Juan County Council adopted the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update (Comp Plan). The County undertook this project as part of its 2025 Growth Management Act Periodic Update. Over the year, the County Council and the Planning Commission reviewed individual elements and accepted public comment. The updated Comprehensive Plan is effective starting on March 13, 2026.

On November 25, the Council opened the public hearing which was continued to December 2^nd and 9^th, where they welcomed feedback from the public before adoption. The Comprehensive Plan was updated to help the County plan to serve the current and future population for the next 20 years and beyond. Key updates include a new Climate Element and policy and map changes to plan to meet housing needs of all income groups. The Council did not adopt the proposal to expand the Roche Harbor Master Planned Resort land use designation on the Comprehensive Plan Official Maps.

In the new year, the County will work on two other parts of the Comp Plan: Friday Harbor Urban Growth Area (UGA) capacity and mineral resource lands Official Map overlay.

Why did the County update its Comprehensive Plan?

All counties, cities, and towns in Washington state planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA) are required to periodically review and update comprehensive plans and development regulations to ensure consistency with state laws and the expected population and employment projections for the next 20 years.

How do I learn more about future Comp Plan topics?

In 2026, the County plans to work on other pieces of the plan including:

The Friday Harbor UGA capacity
Mineral resource lands Official Map overlay

Council and the Planning Commission will continue to hold regular meetings, post draft documents to the website, and accept public comment. Updates will be posted to the County website at https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/2171/Community-Development.

What was the public engagement for the Comp Plan Update?

Community engagement is an important part of the Comp Plan Update process. The County and many local organizations provided ways to participate:

Community meetings: County staff hosted in-person and virtual open house meetings on San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez Islands. The Guide to Getting Involved in the Comp Plan Update (en Espanol) was available to help locals learn more about reviewing draft amendments.
Community tabling: County staff shared information outside of grocery stores on the three major ferry-served islands. Staff also attended the County Fair to share information with fairgoers.
Community survey: The County hosted multiple online surveys that helped identify priorities in several planning areas, including housing, transportation, economic development, climate resilience, and land use.
News Flashes: The County issued 17 press releases that were sent to the press as well as to subscribers who signed up to receive updates. There are approximately 500 subscribers to ‘SJC Comp Plan Update News,’ and 450 subscribers to ‘SJC Department of Community Development News,’ both of which were used to disseminate news flashes. Sign up here: https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/list.aspx
Council & Planning Commission meetings: County staff presented briefings about the Comp Plan at many Council and Planning Commission meetings throughout the year. These meetings include “Public Access Time,” where anyone can share their input. You can access the meeting live streams and agenda packets on the County’s website: https://sanjuancowa.portal.civicclerk.com/
Social Media: The County published Comp Plan Update news to its Facebook page, which has over 1.1k followers. Posts were often shared into island-specific community groups to reach beyond the follower count.
Newsletter: The County published a newsletter specifically to share Comp Plan updates. The newsletter has approximately 50 subscribers. Sign up here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/2025-comp-plan-update
Written feedback: Written comments were accepted throughout the project. To submit feedback, email your comments or questions to compplan@sanjuancountywa.gov.
Website posts: Regular updates were posted to https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/2025-comp-plan-update and https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/589/Planning-Commission.