CAMAS MILL DISTRICT PLAN
Discussion Draft
January 6, 2026
2025 Sees New Requirements for GMA compliance. House Bill 118 made substantive changes to the GMA including specificty for housing types and affordability issues, and climate change/resliency. These are discussed in turn in relation to the Mill District Plan Climate Change: The world of planning subject to the GMA has changed dramatically since the 2015 update. The GMA now includes requirements beyond provision of allocated housing and jobs and other physical items. Those housing units and jobs must be added in a manner to meet Washington’s ambitious reductions in carbon emissions, vehicle miles travelled while further protecting Washington’s natural resources and keeping housing affordable. Climate change requirements are the land use planning profession’s game changer. Recognition is widening that the most effective carbon reduction measures are land use policies . Moreover, as federal climate change policy is pulled back, our Governor and 12 Legislature have made clear it is more important for our cities to do their part. As noted in a recent head-turning article, "the mainstream climate movement has not fully metabolized the need to prioritize urban land reform .” Climate change driven 13 carbon reductions requires a rethinking of planning basics. The type of planning advocated by Small Towns Camas is a style that substantially reduces carbon and VMT through density proximate to downtowns. This creates an alternative to continued auto- dependent sprawl development. It’s all about Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Camas already has a large inventory of single- family homes. These neighborhoods are not, and likely will not be served by non-auto mobility sufficient for substntial VMT reductions. Downtown development creates an option for residents to age out of these homes, remain in Camas, making room for more newcomers, families and children in our schools. It create a sustainable density area suited for non-auto mobility. This is more so considering adjoining urban growth in the HWY 14 corridor changing the dynamics for auto-centric . Our Camas 2045 never mentions the Camas Mill property as part of Camas’ future. The mill is bathed in a purple Heavy Industrial designation. Buildings in this zone can only be 3 stories tall. Mixed-use across Adams can go 5 stories! Our Camas 2045 cites statistics that 75% of Camas commuters drive to work in a single-occupant car. Our Camas 2045 doesn’t challenge this auto-dependency and 14 promote solutions where new development is served by low carbon transportation.
https://www.volts.wtf/p/why-housing-is-a-passfail-question 12 https://www.volts.wtf/p/why-housing-is-a-passfail-question 13 Our Camas 2045 page 77 14 Page 9 of 35
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